On my list of the most awesome things in Rochester is Abilene. It is my refuge for great live music and good people. Over the years I have made screen printed posters for various acts that have come through town. So, the owner, Danny invited me to make a design for their 10th anniversary. The big deal about this evening is having one of his favorite acts play for the celebration. JD McPherson will headline! I went the extra mile and created a large format screen printed poster. In the design, I’ve appropriated one of JD’s press photos by Joshua Black Wilkins as the base layer. Then a high contrast image of the outside of the bar. The final layer is bold white typography. There are only 20 prints and Danny has 10 of them. Happy to stretch the expectations of “poster design” in Rochester, New York and make something unique and physical.
Read MoreIf Anything Happens – Collaborative Exhibition
This exhibition represents a new collaboration between typographic artist Bill Klingensmith and his wife, sculptor Robin Cass. The artists were inspired by a shared interest in the age-old trope of a “message in a bottle”. In addition to the compelling metaphoric associations, the combination of text and glass at the center of this phenomenon presented intriguing possibilities. Thousands of messages sealed in glass were actually tossed into the ocean — and those that were found are such compelling artifacts. Many of these items tell real stories; poignant tales of extreme risk, poor decisions, or unfortunate events. They represent an absurd but earnest attempt to fulfill the human drive to communicate and be remembered. In this show, typography, graphic narrative, and fabricated artifacts invite viewers to ponder the poetic aspects of these messages, and perhaps reflect upon their own tales of connection, adventure, loss, and hope.
Read MoreBig Rig Quilting – John Kubiniec
With is new book less than a month from launching, I began developing this artist website for John Kubiniec. It is a child theme developed to continue his visual brand into an online format. The site also includes a Woocommerce store to allow him to sell his publications, tools and creative work. We were live in time for the release of the new book and the start of his book tour. The website is managed by the artist: Big Rig Quilting website
Read MoreStudio at Made On State
I was invited to be part of an exciting new project in Rochester, New York. It is an industrial building at 510 State Street, just north of High Falls. We are a group of creative entrepreneurs who were ready to grow our businesses. There were 5 studios of very different studio practices. I am the typography/branding expert of the group. My role has been to brand the project. I proposed the name “MADE ON STATE” and was able to create the look of the exterior of the building and visually brand the project. It is an exciting group who are making wonderful work. My studio now houses areas of my creative practices that were in my house and at a different location. Bringing my Graphic Design Computer Studio here, along with my screen printing studio, vinyl cutter and soon to be my laser cutter has been absolute treat. Now, I can work on client projects away from the front room of my home for part of my day and then break from that action to work on personal projects just steps away. The most important thing about the studio is having the other creatives to talk business or help each other out on their current or potential projects. It’s a great community! NOTE: I’ve packed up the studio and have left this location. I currently work remotely at my home in the South Wedge of Rochester, New York.
Read MoreGet Out The Vote at Made On State
Just out side my new studio door are large windows facing State Street. In October 2016, I designed a message that put vinyl on the windows and on the wall inside. The piece was to encourage people to vote in the upcoming election. I knew it would be complete the message from inside and outside typography for those sitting at the stop light at the corner. This image is from the perspective of a car waiting for the traffic light to turn green.
Read MoreThree Square Kitchen – Promotional Posters
When establishing the brand for this start-up local food business, I would take my own photographs and edit them to define the visual brand vocabulary. The core message of the brand was connecting purchasers of food for restaurants and institutions with local farmers. This company has since evolved into Headwater Food Hub which I was a founding partner.
Read MoreROCHESTER – Stacked Poster – Version 1
[add_to_cart id=”3869″] This is it! This is the first poster of a series I plan on running for a long time. I’ve taken this opportunity to create a print that maintains a relationship to my “Civic Pride Campaign” but fits into the higher art/design category. It is the perfect addition for those Rochesterians looking that contemporary image for their home or office. This first version of the ROCHESTER STACKED poster is 19″ x 25″ on French Paper’s Brown Box Kraft, 100 lbs. Kraft-Tone Cover. Printed with Speedball’s White, Silver and Black Water Based Acrylic Ink. I am only running 25 of each variable combination. What this does is make your print unique and collectable items. Plus, it keeps it interesting to me for creating new versions to print! The design is something that i have been working on for a while. It started with 3D letters that I cut on my CNC. A lovely piece but something that was not a practical product for my fellow Rochesterians. One thing that makes this design even more of a regional design is the typeface was created by Tyler Finck of Finck Co. in Ithaca, New York. It’s name is Katahdin and has its own wonderful story. This poster is a hand-pulled screen print. Giving it that tactile feeling that only this process can produce. They are all number and signed by me, Bill Klingensmith. All posters are shipped USPS in 3″x24″ Shipping tubes. They are ROLLED in butcher paper to protect the print and make them travel much better with less of a chance of damage. I do my … darndest to make sure they arrive to you in the best condition possible. To learn more about upcoming editions, sign up for my email or follow me on INSTAGRAM. I share a lot of my story on this social platform. Interested in purchasing this poster? Add it to your cart and check out through my PayPal. ROCHESTERIANS: Local pick-up at my studio with the coupon “local”. This code removes shipping. I’ll contact you about details.
Read MoreAlfred University 2015 MFA Catalog
Intended purpose of this catalog is to showcase current and graduating MFA Students along with current faculty at Alfred University’s Sculpture and Dimensional Studies program. Chairperson, Angus Powers invited me to bring my talents to the project. It was a fun challenge polishing various images images from all the students and faculty. The result is this clean and powerful collection of their recent work. This 52 page book features 9 students and 6 faculty. We were able to provide each student 2 full spreads each (4-pages). Including their discipline of study and a head shot to identify themselves. We agreed this book was a great way for them to having something for the students remember themselves during their studies and show potential students the diversity in creating that happens at Alfred University. Portfolio Photos by Elizabeth Torgerson-Lamark
Read MoreScreen-printed Posters for Abilene
In 2012, I went on a huge jag of printing posters for my favorite local bar in Rochester, New York, Abilene! The lowly saloon owner, Danny Deutsch is a dear friend of mine and was happy he let me continue my run of making gig posters for all the shows I wanted to see. I kept pumping them out and giving them away. I stopped counting after 22… these are my favorites. All of these are designed and printed by Bill Klingensmith (me) in my house in the South Wedge of Rochester, New York. These are the ones i felt were “darn good”.
Read MoreLandmark Society of Western New York Branding Project
I’ve worked with the Landmark Society of Western New York to transition them through the 75th Year and then into a new visual brand. Here are some of the pieces I’ve created for them. Save
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