Designing for Godot
As this article is typed, reams of pristine, white paper are rolling through a press in an East Vancouver warehouse. Once the ink is dry, the huge sheets will be cut up into manageable rectangles, and by next week the city’s streets will be adorned with posters advertising Blackbird Theatre’s upcoming presentation of Waiting for Godot.
Given the considerable amount that goes into creating posters, flyers, and marketing materials for a show, we thought we would take the opportunity to pause and look back at the creation process Laura Murray Public Relations, Blackbird Theatre, and Copilot Design went through in developing show art for Beckett’s profound comedic masterpiece.
When people think of Godot they commonly think of Didi and Gogo’s bowler hats, however Lydia at Copilot decided to start somewhere more earthly, abused, and no less central to the plot- the boots…
A reference of boots, used as a starting point for the design process
Magritte's ' The Mysteries of the Horizon,' used by Copilot as a stylistic reference to ensure the play's surreal aspects were hinted at in the poster
Copilot's first concept sketch for the marketing materials
To ensure the artwork possessed the right feel the boots and landscape were painted in oil, with photos and text later added via design software
The painting underwent several revisions...
... altering the tree and adding texture to the background
Elements from a photo shoot were selected for inclusion
A treatment for the title was devised using actual string...
... and cleverly enhanced through the addition of a noose
All elements were brought together in the creation of a first draft...
... and minor changes made to create the final, ready-for-print work
Blackbird Theatre presents Waiting for Godot
December 27, 2011 to January 21, 2012 at the East Vancouver Cultural Centre (The Cultch)
Tickets from $16 at thecultch.com
Categories: Client News