Stadium Sessions gig poster series wins design award for CSU
Contact for reporters:
Jeff Dodge
jeff.dodge@colostate.edu
(970) 491-4251
Note to journalists: High-res images of the posters are available at https://col.st/cQsTs.
A series of gig posters created for the first season of Stadium Sessions has won a Regional Design Award from PRINT for Colorado State University’s Creative Services office.
Stadium Sessions, launched in 2017 to enhance the game-day experience during the inaugural football season at Canvas Stadium, features free outdoor performances by top Colorado bands before every CSU home game, with support from the Bohemian Foundation.
Each of the six posters promoting the performances featured original artwork and a distinctive theme, from a classic old-time cowboy design to a 1980s space-rock-opera vibe. Blending music, football, mascots and tradition, each poster was intended to represent the action on the field and stage. They were created by CSU designers as well as off-campus creative partners, and printed by Denver-based Ink Lounge, which was co-founded by CSU alumnus Stuart Alden.
‘Music festival experience’
“Stadium Sessions is something very unique for a university to do, so we wanted to create a true music festival experience on game day,” said Elias Martinez, director of Creative Services and assistant vice president for brand strategy. “So we created these true commemorative gig posters for the performances, to give it that music festival feeling using art and design.”
“To stack up our work against the best in the country and come out with this recognition is something our team should justifiably be proud of,” added Vice President for External Relations Tom Milligan. “We strive to measure ourselves not just against the best in university communications, but against the public/private sector as a whole. This is great affirmation of that work.”
The poster series was chosen as one of 265 regional winners in the PRINT Regional Design Awards. The RDA is one of the industry’s most prestigious and well-respected American design competitions.
‘The Best of Design’
PRINT’s editorial and design team — along with judges Sagi Haviv, Rebeca Méndez, Nancy Skolos, Alexander Isley, Chad Michael, Gail Anderson and Justin Peters — selected the winning projects that will gain international exposure in the all-new HOW + Print book The Best of Design, scheduled to be released in summer 2019, as well as online at PRINTmag.com.
Performers during the first season of Stadium Sessions included Guerrilla Fanfare, 12 Cents for Marvin, The Patti Fiasco, Slow Caves, Gasoline Lollipops, Post Paradise, Flobots, Danielle Ate the Sandwich, Musketeer Gripweed, Dubskin, Edison and Porlolo.
The final performances of the 2018 season feature Danielle Ate the Sandwich on Nov. 16, followed by The Burroughs, Slow Caves and Fjord Collins on Nov. 17. More information can be found at stadiumsessions.colostate.edu.
About PRINT
PRINT, founded 1940, has long been an iconic design and visual culture brand serving as the go-to industry resource for design dialogue and inspiration, design education, profiles of leading design minds and everything in between. Through its online education and certification programs, top-ranking website and social media platforms, and one of the most well-respected design competitions in the industry — the PRINT Regional Design Awards — PRINT is a leading authority on all things design today. To fulfill its mission, PRINT focuses on a broad stroke of visual culture, covering everything from publication design to interactive work, motion graphics, corporate branding, exhibitions, illustration and socially conscious design.