The story

I first visited Bamboo Room in Lake Worth, Florida, to attend a guitar workshop with Roy Book Binder, the American acoustic blues and ragtime guitarist, singer-songwriter, and master storyteller. We’d met previously at a music festival, and when I learned he was teaching a workshop and performing that evening, I asked if I could design a poster for the show.

During the workshop, I met the venue’s owner, Russell Hibbard. We hit it off immediately. Russell had a background in graphic design at Push Pin Studios, and I told him I was building my portfolio with poster designs and planning to move to New York City to pursue a career in advertising.

That conversation led to an opportunity. Russell invited me to create posters for the venue, and over time, I designed approximately 18 posters for Bamboo Room.

My role

I worked directly with Russell and the musicians to create posters that captured each artist’s personality and got people excited about seeing them perform.

Russell regularly received recordings from musicians hoping to play the venue. Once he selected the talent, I had considerable creative freedom to develop a visual approach that suited the performer and the music. Approved designs were produced for both print and digital promotion.

The work was especially rewarding because it connected design with the live music community. Whenever I could attend a show, I’d bring along the posters, and after the performance, many of the musicians would sign them.

It was a win-win: the artists had a poster to commemorate the show, the venue had promotional material, and I got to see my designs become part of the experience.