Dan Stiles is an American graphic artist and graphic designer, known for his rock posters. He is based in Portland, Oregon.[1][2]

Dan Stiles
Bornc. 1970s
United States
EducationUniversity of Oregon, California College of the Arts
Occupation(s)Graphic artist, graphic designer
Known forRock music posters
Websitewww.danstiles.com

Early life edit

Stiles is originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan.[3] He attended the University of Oregon (UO) in Eugene, later noting that he had "used college as an excuse to move to the Northwest" to pursue music and snowboarding.[3][4] After several years working in the Pacific Northwest he moved to San Francisco in 1996 to study design at the California College of the Arts (CCA).[5]

He lived and worked in San Francisco for 7 years, before returning to Portland, Oregon in 2001.[5]

Career edit

While at UO, he began his career as an artist by drawing rock posters.[4][6] Soon, Stiles learned how to silkscreen posters and moved into digital illustration.[6] Stiles has since remarked on how digital creation is a more freeing process. "With a computer... you can draw all of this stuff and then... throw [it] out, keep going," he remarked in an interview with WeMake.[6]

After gaining notoriety with his poster art, Stiles attracted the attention of brands like Nike, AT&T, Birch Fabrics, IBM, and the X Games.[6][7] He has also worked on projects for bands like Band of Horses, Feist, Death Cab for Cutie, Vampire Weekend, Hot Chip, and Arcade Fire.[6][7]

PowerHouse Books released a monograph of his work entitled One Thing Leads to Another (2015).[1] Stiles has also authored several books with POW!, the children's division of powerHouse Books. These include Put on Your Shoes!, Baby's First Book Blocks, and Today I'm Going to Wear...

Stiles appears in the rock poster documentary film, Just like Being There (2012).[8]

Style edit

Stiles utilizes colorful geometric shapes in a style that has been described as "punk rock modern" and "pop folk."[6] He is usually allowed a fair amount of creative control in his work; Stiles told WeMake that bands often tell him to "just do something cool."[6] According to Stiles, each of his posters has its own significance, as he views them as "his children."[6]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Reese, Nathan (June 2, 2015). "Rock Posters With a Mod Touch". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  2. ^ Boddie, Ken (2019-09-09). "Where We Live: Portland's artsy garbage cans". KOIN. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  3. ^ a b "grain edit, Dan Stiles Interview". grainedit.com. 2010-05-24.
  4. ^ a b James, Thomas (2014). "Illustrator & Gig Poster Designer Dan Stiles « Illustration Friday". Illustration Friday.
  5. ^ a b Porter, Matthew (2016-07-19). "Dan Stiles: Lost and Found". Adobe Create Magazine. Adobe. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h "Punk Rock Modern—An Interview with Dan Stiles". tumblr.com. WeMake. 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Dan Stiles". Indigits. June 2011. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  8. ^ "Art, advertising collide in Dan Stiles' gig posters". The Denver Post. 2015-06-18. Retrieved 2024-03-26.