This our fourth year designing the materials for the Maryland Humanity Council's One Maryland One Book Program. This year's selection is New York Times Bestseller: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. To find One Maryland One Book programs in your area, visitwww.onemarylandonebook.org
The Dungeon Masters: Official Movie Soundtrack LP
Here's the Gatefold LP packaging we illustrated and designed for director Keven McAlester which features the music of Blonde Redhead. You can buy the LP here. All proceeds from the limited edition of 750 donated to the Knowledge is Power Program, a network of 109 public charter schools that offer rigorous, thoughtful educations to students in under-served low-income areas.
Spur Stor on Facebook
The Spur Stor now has a page on Facebook! If you'd like to stay in the loop about our new products and upcoming promotions, please check it out and don't forget to "Like" us!
1910 Potter Proofing Press
Fresh off the truck this week is our "new" Potter Proofing Press. Originally used to proof galleys and for short print runs, our plan is to put this to work printing posters and woodcut editions.
Sensate
Here's the poster Spur created for Sensate. As performed by Carrie Ahern Dance at Baltimore's Theatre Project: March 25-April 2, Sensate is an innovative installation piece with live music and a company of five dancers.
Diabolique
The Diabolique cover I designed and illustrated has been included in Time Magazine's Top 10 Criterion Collection Covers
This new package created for the 1954 French, classic thriller can be ordered in both Blu-ray and DVD formats at www.criterion.com
Aprihop!
First in a series of screenprints for Dogfish Head Craft Brewery's seasonal beers. Signed prints will be available at www.dogfish.com on March 1.
1000 Indie Posters
Over a dozen of my posters were included in the new book 1000 Indie Posters by John Foster, author of New Masters of Poster Design. The collection is superbly curated and features inspiring and eclectic work by such talents as The Heads of State, Art Chantry, Post Typography, and Exit10. You can buy the book online right here. Limited edition prints of the posters are available at Spur Stor.
Zippy the Pinhead: The Musical poster
Here's the poster Spur created for the world premiere production of Bill Griffith's "Zippy the Pinhead: The Musical" performed by Private Sector Productions at Baltimore's Theatre Project: Nov 12-21.
Zippy visits Baltimore and travels to his high school reunion. Fun abounds with songs like "Pinhead Love" and "Condiments."
Pyramid Atlantic Book Arts Fair
We are busy, busy, packing our bags for the Pyramid Atlantic Book Arts Fair this weekend (Nov 5-7, 2010). The Pyramid Atlantic Book Arts Fair is a bienniel event for international artists, scholars, collectors, publishers, and book art fans. Now in its third decade, Pyramid has added contemporary printmaking to the mix and Spur Design will be there with a wide selection from our Spur Stor.
Exhibits and demos at the fair will include everything from paper-making, to books as architecture, to a drive by press (woodblock printing from the back of a van).
All of this takes place in the brand new, Silver Spring Civic Center. Hope to see you there!
13th Annual Pulp, Ink and Hops
Join AIGA Baltimore in the heart of Baltimore's Station North Arts District for the region's largest paper show, featuring paper and print samples from more than 20 vendors and free hops from a local microbrewery. Get connected to the latest trends in papers, design services and swatches while viewing live letterpress demos.
I designed the poster and postcard for this year's event, and I'll be there signing copies, so be sure to visit Spur Design's booth and get a signed poster from me! You can learn more about the event here.
Branding – Gunpowder River Artfest
The Northern Baltimore County Art Foundation (NBCAF) recently contacted us to brand their first art festival — Gunpowder River Artfest. The festival, located in Monkton, Maryland on the banks of Gunpowder River, will include over 60 artists, as well as music, food, and demonstrations.
The campaign we designed includes a logo, magazine advertisements, signs, banners, posters, postcards, and even t-shirts. Posters and t-shirts will be on sale during the event (proceeds will help support the foundation) and we hope you will come out and spend a day by the river with us. Spur Design will be there, with all of our Spur Stor posters and prints. We even have a few new products that we will be rolling out that day. Art! Music! Beer!
creative direction: Joyce Hesselberth and David Plunkert
poster design: Joyce Hesselberth
illustration: Joyce Hesselberth
logo design: Jess Neil
This is my street and I never want to leave it
By far the most underrated British Invasion band if not the most underrated Rock act of all time, The Kinks engender a fierce loyalty in their fans that the pop acts of today can only dream about. It's that loyalty that compelled Geoff Edgers to film his quest to reunite the legendary band. Directed by Robert Patton-Spruill "Do It Again" has been described as a kind of "Sherman's March" with guitars and features appearances by Sting, Zooey Deschanel, Clive Davis, Robyn Hitchcock, Paul Weller, Warren Zanes and Peter Buck.
The official 25 x 39 inch poster Spur created for the film was screen-printed 2 colors (black and a musty coloured yellow) at Globe Poster. The venerable Baltimore poster printer has a long history printing gig posters for musical legends including: Led Zeppelin, Janice Joplin, and Stevie Wonder among others.
For my part, I wanted to depict the original line-up from their classic period, include a few Easter eggs for their fans, and put the Davies Brothers at the center of everything.
It's a love letter to the the ink (or is it tea?) that dripped from Ray's pen and the fuzzy guitar sound Dave created with a razor blade and an 8 watt amp, and for a group that left a musical stamp that's equal parts genius and madness.
"Do it Again" opens at the Rotterdam International Film Festival January 28, 30, and 31.
Studio Renovations
Our studio is basically a big concrete box, which is both good and bad. On the good side: it leaves us lots of room for projects and collections and gallery shows and riding tricycles around in circles.
So take a look at our new exterior. With the bright, new color scheme, there's no way to miss us now. I love the security bars that Dave designed.
The entrance has a new facade: diamond-plated steel with lots of good rust, just the way we like it. Both the security bars and the facade were assembled and welded by Mike's Welding.
South by Southwest - Award for Best Poster
David Plunkert's poster for Dungeon Masters, a film directed by Kevin McAlester, recently took home the best poster award at the South by Southwest Film Festival. The poster was reproduced both digitally and as an oversized, three-color, 25 x 39" screenprint.
Directory of Illustration
The 25th Directory of Illustration, published by Serbin Communications, is officially released! Spur was responsible for the art direction and design of the book, as well as a number of collateral pieces for Serbin. The book features illustrator Dan Page's artwork on the cover and fly sheets. We had a great time working on this project and we are looking forward to starting next year's directory soon.
XFUNS
We were recently interviewed by an editor of XFUNS magazine, a creative and design magazine based in Taipei, Taiwan. The magazine's aim is to introduce designers from all fields to the international community. Our 8-page feature, written in English and Chinese, included illustration and design work we've created for PrestoBingo, Theatre Project, Turnaround's domestic violence hotline and various editorial pieces.
Serbin Communications
Serbin Communications, publishers of The Directory of Illustration, recently selected Spur to design their 26th directory, due to be released in January 2009. In addition to the directory, Spur designed a number of print collateral and online pieces. The first print brochure featured illustrator Mark Burckhardt on the cover (below) and included interiors by Red Nose Studio, Daniel Krall and Harry Campbell.
Theatre Project Posters in Communication Arts
But wouldn't these make good book covers too?
We love working on Theatre Project every year. Dave has designed and illustrated posters for them for the past six years and is looking forward to many more seasons. The latest round just got into the Communication Arts Illustration as a series.
The Dungeon Masters
David Plunkert designed and illustrated the poster for the Antidote Films Documentary "The Dungeon Masters" which debuted as an official selection at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival.
Directed by Keven McAlester "The Dungeon Masters" is an exploration of the subculture of Dungeon and Dragons, which for over 30 years has offered gamers the chance to escape their mundane lives and participate in a world they might otherwise not experience. Popularity and power are based on creativity and imagination rather than social status or wealth, and success is based not on who you know but on what you do.
