First working out of a tiny home studio in Lexington, Kentucky, Brian and Sara Turner created Cricket Press, a hand-printing, silk-screening, poster-making operation, in 2003. Since then, the duo has generated work for hundreds of bands, ranging from “indie rock to free jazz, bluegrass to punk, as well as promotional work for events both local and national,” the Turners say.
Meeting at the University of Kentucky while both majoring in photography, the two decided to work as a team to transform their talents into a business. Equipped with only ink, paper, a squeegee, and a screen, Cricket Press has been able to evolve from a print company to a design and print company and establish an office in Lexington’s Columbia Heights neighborhood.
“The basic purpose of any event poster,” Brian says, “is to be eye-catching and spark interest in those who see it — to make people stop and take notice, to either gather the necessary information about the event or encourage them to find out more about it.”
Reflected in its designs, Cricket Press’ aesthetic is rooted in originality and combined with eye-catching illustrations. As a result, the creative team has been able to expand its clientele to suit occasions of all types.
“Posters for non-music events can be more of a challenge, because with bands and their music, you already have a sort-of built-in visual inspiration,” the two say. “With many event-related posters, you have to create that visual connection and make it compelling.”
Although Brian and Sara have a collective name and business, the couple isn’t collaborative. “We each create and print our own pieces,” Sara says, “reflecting our own themes and interests.”
When Cricket Press isn’t “ruining our clothes [by] slinging ink on posters,” the two spend time “on numerous design and illustration projects, as well as making various hand-printed goods and ephemera.”
– Liza Rush
Poster Art is a biweekly column about today’s independent poster art and the artists who create it.