Collaboration is one of my joys as a graphic designer. Especially when it is with another creative person like Samantha Boshnack. It was her idea to reuse my illustrations for her next poster design, from a previous poster so not to devote too much time or funds into another visual project. Cutting out the objects and pasting them on a blackboard became the theme. We both like a retro aesthetic. The imperfect typography (Gryphius MVB), photograph of a blackboard as the background, and hand drawn objects fit that aesthetic.
- Dimensions of poster: 11″x17″
- Distributed both in print and digitally
- Graphic Design and Illustrations: Stephen Schildbach
a. Revised 2026 poster for the Royal Room. b. Original poster for the Earshot Jazz Festival in 2024.
Poster Design Collaboration
Concert posters are well past their golden age when well known artists and illustrators designed concert posters for well known musician. The collaboration became a piece of art. Although that time from the 1960’s- has past, I still enjoy the creative act of combining a musicians’ music with my interpretation of their musical project. Samantha thought up a chalkboard concept that fit our appreciation for the lo-fi retro aesthetic. My drawings are meant to look sketchy and aged. The typography is rough and imperfect.
Included in this poster project are social media assets like a Facebook event banner. The change with this design is knowing that it gets cropped depending on the user’s device which has me keeping the main information central and space allowed around the objects.
I want to mention the less than easy road Samantha’s Uncomfortable Subjects compositions and performances have taken. She created this work all the way back in 2020 and was ready to have a concert when the pandemic hit. She asked me to illustrate a poster for her and was forced to delay the concert until 2022. Then, after planning a series of concerts for the Uncomfortable Subjects compositions, she injured her hand and had to delay the concerts a second time. At last, in 2024, she was able to perform her songs with a group of talented musicians for the Earshot Jazz Festival.
Now in 2026, Samantha asked me to use the same illustrations from the last poster, and design two new posters for two upcoming shows, the first being at the Royal Room in Seattle, WA. Sam thought of an idea where the poster resembled a blackboard with pasted drawings. The second poster has yet to be designed.
Combining my graphic design services with my illustrations is an obvious merger. I apply my illustration work with logos and websites to bring a unique style to both client websites and their brand.