One thing I know I cannot do is bring up the subject of Rock Posters without having my ass handed to me by whomever might be walking by at the time. I’m perfectly willing to accept them as an art form, but as a designer who seeks communicative truth, I find them, as whole, wanting.

The ORPG® is a real idea I once had, and I believe the state of confused stupor that followed is accurately depicted is today’s strip. Imagine it — an entirely library of randomly (and with high probability, ironically) placed, royalty-free stock images and vintage illustrations that you could adjust and move to your hearts content, plug the relevant info into, and output to separations at any size. Anyone could make a rock poster that looks at least as good as half the crap that’s out there today. While this idea does have certain devious overtones to which I am party, image how helpful this web-device would be to struggling musicians. Professional-quality design for zero dollars, as opposed to the tens of dollars they usually pay. Google ads would, presumably, fill out the rest of the millions in our collective coffers.

–nv–