The secrets behind successful tour artwork

As an artist, one of the biggest ways to grow your fanbase, and expand your existing network, is by playing live. Not only can a live performance endear you to your current crop of fans, who long to be in the presence of a tangible representation of the sounds you’ve created in the studio, but a live performance can convert the casual listener, who may then spread your performance via social media. In an age where most hands held up in an audience contain a smartphone clad with a flashlight, and recording video motion, a live performance can go viral almost instantly.

But before you can think about yelling ‘3, 2, 1… jump’ into a microphone, you’ll need to find a way to market your live performance to the public. The most popular way to do so, is via an image which can easily be posted to your social media channels (and hence, liked, commented, shared, and generally interacted with by fans). The image itself, known as the tour artwork, can also be sent to PR companies, blogs, and via email newsletter form, and is a sure fire way of getting your message spread quickly, and efficiently. But what makes an excellent tour artwork? And what should you seek to avoid? Let’s start with some basics…

Be bold

The reason why tour artwork is created in the first place is that an image is much more likely to be noticed than block text. So when creating your artwork use bold colors, and if using a dark background, make sure your text is in a lighter color (or vice versa, dark text on a light background). One of the most important things to remember is how your artwork should match the tone of the performance. For example, if your set is a dark, techno mix, in an underground club, you may look to favor darker colors. Whilst more breezy EDM and commercial-friendly events should seek to favor brighter colors. The time of year in which the event takes place is also something to consider, with outdoor spring and summer events favoring greens and yellows, whilst autumn events may look more to browns and oranges. Take the recent tour artwork for Above & Beyond’s Steel Yard London performance, for example:

Not only does the tour artwork provide all information needed, (date, time and event of location) as well as the line-up, but the white text sits perfectly in front of the blue sky, and ties into a classic Above & Beyond track (‘Blue Sky Action’). With the location image giving off summer vibes, the bottom half of the flyer focuses on when the day turns to night, and the explosive party vibes the trio can bring. As far as tour artwork goes, it’s tough to find an image more perfect than this one.

Focal point focus

Something to be aware of when you’re working out your artwork is where the focal point of the piece is. The focal point, put simply, is the place in your piece where the eye is drawn when someone looks at the piece. In order to establish a focal point, many use techniques such as contrasting dark with light, contrasting color, providing some sort of character, such as a person to the piece, or making the focal point more detailed than the rest of the piece. This establishes a center of focus for the piece and makes it more interesting to look at. Start your artwork with the focal point, and then build out the other areas from there.

Utilise negative space

Rethink the space in your artwork. Sometimes it’s not about the areas you fill, but rather, the ones that you don’t. Negative space, or space that remains untouched or white, is one of the best ways that you can establish a minimalistic feel with the viewer of your piece. Minimalism is one of the most respected feats in contemporary art, so utilizing negative space when you can is going to give your piece a more contemporary feel, and can avoid a flyer which looks too ‘busy’ – something that can draw the viewer’s attention away from the main crux of the piece.

The rule of thirds

One of the best ways that to analyze how to make your artwork more aesthetically pleasing is to utilise the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds states that if you cut your artwork into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, there should be a relationship between the various focal points of your piece. The creator then leaves a third of the piece without a focal point, which ends up making it much more aesthetically pleasing. Utilise the rule of thirds if you want for your work to come out looking great.

Typography matters

Though it is highly important to create meaningful and challenging imagery, don’t ever forget that a successful poster depends on the typography that comes with it. Readability depends on the artist and their audience. And for many fans, these posters will become more than just promotional material, with many choosing to keep – or frame – your design, as merchandise. Creating a fantastic tour artwork, can not only lead to great promotion for your event, but high turnover in the shape of t-shirts, mugs, and much more. With that in mind, typography is more important than ever, so always be sure to avoid committing one of these typographic sins.

By following the above tips, not only will you create imagery that can become truly iconic, but you are capable of boosting your profile, and as a result of this, your fanbase too.