Drawing attention
ConcordiaWORKS
Séripop produced this image as part of a series of illustrations for local advocacy group Stella. The series may be released as a set of prints.
The warmer the weather gets, the more posters crowd along main streets vying for attention. To get noticed, you need brighter colours and more outrageous designs. It doesn’t hurt if you have a one-of-a-kind handmade feel.
Enter Séripop, two young women who combined their Concordia Intermedia art education with their experience in bands to start their own printing and illustration business early in 2002.
“We knew each other from the music scene,” Chloe Lum said of her partner Yannick Desranleau. Although Lum had very limited offset printing experience when she got to Concordia, Desranleau had a lot of experience from cegep.
But both of them were able to really explore the medium and its potential while in school.
We would really spend a lot of time in the studio,” Lum said.
In addition to doing multi-coloured prints, the two began to push the illustration envelope with elaborate, chaotic and layered images that were the opposite of the reserved minimalism usually expected on posters.
“We were doing screen prints for hire, once in a while. One day we said, we have the silk screen set up, why don’t we start making posters.”
They were able to use their illustration experience and connections to musicians to promote local bands. They also expanded into the art world. “We’ve done posters for Power Plant (in Toronto) and Saw Gallery (Ottawa).”
They are also getting more illustration work, from an agent they connected with in the UK. Since they still tour with their bands, and are involved in other projects their work schedule is seasonal. They do sell some non-event related posters (like their Wounded Generals series) in Montreal venues like Local 23, and online at www.seripop.com/home.html.
They also have to accept the role of trendsetters. There were few non-glossy band posters when they started. “Now they’re spreading like a virus.”