Ottobar Posters

A huge red and white cat is drawn in a simple, cartooon-ish style, mid-yawn on a background of clouds. The cat's long fur flows into the hair of a person playing an electric guitar, who seems to be floating off of the ground, like they're being swept away by the music. Behind the guitarist is a half-stack amplifier with the name Ottobar on the head and the Ottobar's logo - a cat batting at a martini glass - silhouetted on the cabinet in black and white.
A young man with short hair, big sideburns, and a star tattoo on his neck is drawn in a simple but realistic style, and is shown in profile from the shoulder up. Smoke from the cigarette in his mouth forms wavy lettering that surrounds his head, and reads " Donations for the Malenski Family Sat. October 11th 1 PM to 1 AM." Simple block lettering below his chin lists the bands performing at the event, and similar wavy lettering on his t-shirt lists the venue and address. The man is rendered in a limited palette of black, white, and light browns, while the text is all in white on black backgrounds.
n astronaut holding a yellow surfboard stands on a pink sand beach looking at towering blue and white waves. A Saturn-like ringed planet can be seen in the night sky above the waves along with small, serif text that reads "25 years of Ottobar." The same typeface is used to introduce the event, while the band names and show information are presented in large red blocky hand-lettering with a yellow drop shadow.

Designer

Alex Fine

Year

2014, 2020, 2022

Client

The Ottobar

Baltimore is a city known for its music scene, due in no small part to the presence of the Ottobar, a concert venue Rolling Stone named one of the “Ten Best Live Music Venues in America.” When the COVID-19 pandemic forced event spaces to close down, local artists rallied to support the Ottobar, which had recently changed owners and was in danger of closing permanently. One such artist was Alex Fine, a Baltimore illustrator with a long history of working with the venue. Alex has been designing posters for the Ottobar since he was a MICA student in the early 2000s, and has also performed there many times as a musician.

Alex contributed this design as a fundraiser for the venue in 2020, and screen prints were sold online through the Ottobar’s website. The poster is typical of Alex’s style, featuring clean lines, subtle textures, and simple but expressive faces. Cats, musicians, and wild, flowing hair are also mainstays of his work. Alex describes the intention of the piece as “the cat (representing Ottobar) being larger than life, embodying the music being played by the guitarist. The fluid lines of the cat’s fur connecting with the guitarist’s hair are meant to visually connect the two.”

Also included are two posters Alex designed for specific Ottobar events – a memorial fundraiser for the family of murdered Ottobar employee Tom Malenski, who was killed outside the club in 2014; and a 2022 concert by surf-rock legends Man… Or Astroman? Both exemplify Alex’s illustration style, while showcasing his skill with lettering as well.

Sources Cited

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/10-best-live-music-venues-in-america-767070/ottobar-baltimore-767244/

A huge red and white cat is drawn in a simple, cartooon-ish style, mid-yawn on a background of clouds. The cat's long fur flows into the hair of a person playing an electric guitar, who seems to be floating off of the ground, like they're being swept away by the music. Behind the guitarist is a half-stack amplifier with the name Ottobar on the head and the Ottobar's logo - a cat batting at a martini glass - silhouetted on the cabinet in black and white.
A young man with short hair, big sideburns, and a star tattoo on his neck is drawn in a simple but realistic style, and is shown in profile from the shoulder up. Smoke from the cigarette in his mouth forms wavy lettering that surrounds his head, and reads " Donations for the Malenski Family Sat. October 11th 1 PM to 1 AM." Simple block lettering below his chin lists the bands performing at the event, and similar wavy lettering on his t-shirt lists the venue and address. The man is rendered in a limited palette of black, white, and light browns, while the text is all in white on black backgrounds.
n astronaut holding a yellow surfboard stands on a pink sand beach looking at towering blue and white waves. A Saturn-like ringed planet can be seen in the night sky above the waves along with small, serif text that reads "25 years of Ottobar." The same typeface is used to introduce the event, while the band names and show information are presented in large red blocky hand-lettering with a yellow drop shadow.

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