Research & Planning - Posters

My inspiration first preliminary task was Led Zeppelin and Depeche Mode. Two bands whose music still exists in the hearts of many people. Robert Plant is one of the greatest vocalists of all time for me, while Depeche Mode creates music that will forever attract me.

For years I have a poster on Bon Jovi on my wall, and when I learned that I have to create posters of my favorite bands I knew I had to do it and inspire my work after the poster of Bon Jovi.

This poster is a simple, yet beautiful, and I wanted to create something that will look like this, nothing too complicated, yet following Led Zeppelin's and Depeche Mode's style and vibe.

I want the posters I will create to reflect my passion for these bands and for art. I want to create something maybe even a bit unusual that doesn't follow the rules of a "classic poster"

But first, let's start with some information about the two bands I have chosen: Led Zeppelin and Depeche Mode

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin was formed in London in 1968 and was active until 1980 with Robert Plant as the vocalist, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassists John Jones and drummer John Bonham.

Led Zeppelin was and still is one of the biggest and most influential rock bands ever. With their talent they blended hard rock, blues rock, folk rock and heavy metal. They had a massive influence on other rock bands and on the music industry and their live-concert energy was legendary.

Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode is an English band formed in 1980 and stopped going on tours in 2024. The band originally consisted of Dave Cahan, Martin Core, Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke.

Depeche Mode started as an electronic, pop band but after certain changed, their music developed a darker tone. The videos and photos created by Depeche Mode shaped how the band was seen by the audience.

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To build even further inspiration before I decide how to create the posters I decided to look over multiple photos and music videos of Led Zeppelin and Depeche Mode and analysed them carefully.

Led Zeppelin's music videos were actually mostly their live performance recordings and footage from their concerts and tours. For example, we can look at the music videos "Whole Lotta Love" and "Stairway To Heaven", two music videos created by live recordings and footage from their concerts. Their style and aesthetic is very vintage and cinematic. The way of filming and editing is slightly chaotic, the lighting is warm, the quality is not perfect, but all of these things create an unique and beautiful style.

However, Depeche Mode's music videos are different. Their style is dark, atmospheric and contains strong shadows, a lot of black-and-white palettes.. or dark palettes. With these choices they mean to create a mood of darkness, loneliness and uneasiness. We can look at the music videos "Stripped" and "Strange Love" as an example. They have an unique style of filming and editing that is magical.

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The research I did matters before I start creating my posters because by knowing more about the bands I have chosen I can choose the colors, photos and visuals that match Led Zeppelin and Depeche Mode

The creation of these posters gives me the freedom to experiment, to play with colors, filters, photos and create something new.