The very best band that broke up last year, Double Dagger, had a great song called “Punk Rock vs. Swiss Modernism” — a tension that, as graphic designers and hardcore musicians, they understood well. It isn’t clear whether their fellow designer, Mike Joyce of Stereotype Design, had the song in mind when he embarked upon his Swissted posters, but they certainly serve as an apt companion piece. The series uses Swiss modernist typography to reimagine real flyers from ’70s-’90s punk shows, with results we wouldn’t mind displaying on our wall. (Seriously, Mike, how do we buy these?) See a selection of our favorites after the jump, and then visit Swissted to check out the entire, enormous project.
Image credit: Mike Joyce [Spotted via Vulture]
Comments (7)
Wow, that sounds like such a great idea, and when you see the results it’s actually quite… blah.
And of course most of those aren’t punk bands, but that’s nit-picking I guess.
Good effort though, cheers.
I’ve gotta agree with Sophia. The interesting thing about this project is how NOT modernist these bands are and how incompatible the flavor of these images are with the bands. The images themselves are nice, just don’t fit with the bands whatsoever.
I have to agree with most of what you both say. I do love the retro vibe of the designs, but my punk friends from 80s art school would have a freak fit about this branding, methinks.
My own sensibility is not impressed with the cool neo-geo flavor….just does not match the music. The Gang of Four was fierce, for example. Love love them. Not to mention the truly punk bands Hüsker Dü et al.
What really bugs me is the repetitive typography….is that ol’ Helvetica on every single cover???? Really.
Yes, to me it shows what a bloodless, soulless movement the modernist look represents. Ack!
Of course the posters don’t match the music. Punk is punk, and Swiss modernist is not punk. The juxtaposition of the wildly different styles is the whole point. It’s not supposed to “fit” with the bands.
P.S. that is not Helvetica. It’s Berthold Akzidenz Grotesk medium.
Sometimes punk rock and modernism have everything to do with one another (formally at least.) Mike should have read this essay: http://www.lifeofthemind.net/WRITING/GI.html before making such a false claim.
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