Art of Punk: Rockets Are Red

There is one punk rock poster designer that I have been a huge fan of for years and he is still one of my absolute favourites. Previously working under the name El Jefe, Jeffrey Everett is a designer and illustrator now heading the multi-talented design agency Rockets Are Red, based outside Washington, DC.

I first came across his work in 2010 when he worked with The Gaslight Anthem to produce album artwork and merchandise for their third album, American Slang. I remember being completely in awe of these poster designs and wishing I could have them all for my walls – but also greatly aware that I couldn’t afford such things as a poor student! (Ironically, now I could probably afford a few but don’t have the wall space in my tiny flat.)

Since then, Rockets Are Red have produced poster design and other merchandise for the likes of Against Me!, The Bouncing Souls, Brand New, The Menzingers and Social Distortion, plus working with The Gaslight Anthem again for their fourth album, Handwritten.

More recently Rockets Are Red have been working with Frank Turner to produce a collection of posters for the autumn (fall) US tour, including a show at the legendary 9:30 Club – note the inclusion of Josh Burdette. These posters were available at their respective dates but a handful are also available to purchase online. I really love how the colour palette remains the same throughout these posters but the scene is different depending on each location of the gig – which really makes them seem part of a series. As a long-time gig-goer himself, Jeffrey really has a great understanding of the North American punk world and captures elements of it brilliantly in his designs.

As well as designing for Frank’s US dates, Rockets Are Red have designed a poster for the current UK and Europe tour. The poster is supposedly limited to just 15 copies per show so I am really hoping I’ll be able to get one at the London date on Thursday! Although I imagine they are probably all going to have been snapped up.

You can like Rockets Are Red on Facebook here.