AUTOGRAPH POSTER
I designed this 8″x10″ poster as part of Firefly’s merchandise line. During the Recession, fans bought smaller ticket items but still made some purchases. Many just wanted something for the girls to sign and this was an affordable solution in addition to concert tickets and t-shirts.
T-SHIRT
This is the original design for Firefly’s private showcase and then continued printing them for future concerts and events. We printed white ink with gold foil on black for adults and purple for young girls.
Many times the first impression a person gets is what they see of an artist before they even hear them sing. So, I invest greatly in helping artists convey the message of their brand visually.
This is one of my favorite hand-crafted projects I’ve created to promote a musical act. I came up with this “pop up” press kit when thinking about Firefly‘s song “Fairytale.” I wanted to present their pictures, music, and story in storybook fashion to potential investors and producers and quickly impress them. (I’m glad to say it worked!)
Each kit is made of 3 sheets of heavyweight 18×13 inch paper and a CD. When folded flat the kit measures 13 inches wide by 9 inches tall and is about 1/4 inch thick. All cuts were made by exacto knife and pieces folded assembled with glue then the kit was shrink wrapped by hand.
Front Cover:
Inside with cut/score lines for internal stands (See how these are made and operate, click here):
Inside assembled with hands and flourish components:
Inside from an angle to see pop up elements:
Inside Above:
Inside Side View:
Inner Layer of the Back:
Back:
Back with windows open to reveal faces of Melanie, McKenzie, and Madelyn behind the main instrument they play:
What kinds of things do you do to develop a visual part of a message? Is it graphic design, fashion, choreography, Sign Language, etc.? I’d like to know what you are doing. Thanks! – JR
When Firefly asked me to produce their private fundraising showcase, I worked closely with their dad Mike Merchant to compose this proposal. The night was a success. By the end of the evening, the host asked for us to meet with him. During the meeting he counter proposed to be Firefly’s sole investor. (He also wanted to discuss development of ILoveToSing.com!)
Once I created the print version of this invitation, the email version was a snap. I used the images in a downward sequence, adding a bit of html code and sent out emails to the 50 or so potential investors who were invited to Firefly‘s private showcase.
In 2009 I produced a fundraising private showcase for Country Pop sister trio Firefly. This printed invitation features new artwork, color palette, and the new logo. Photographer Mark Mabry took shots of Melanie, McKenzie, and Madelyn. I knocked them out in Photoshop and layered images of landscapes, firefly lights, book ends, borders, and instruments. Those are McKenzie’s hands that we got a rough shot outside. I also cut it out in Photoshop. Each layer was given a drop shadow. Then everything was passed through warming filters with increased contrast. It sounds so simple now but it took hundreds upon hundreds of hours to create every element of Firefly‘s visual brand.
