Music has always been a gigantic source of inspiration for me as a graphic designer (see my wedding invitations, for example), and I’m proud to introduce the first specimens in a series of audiophile prints exclusively for the Three Steps Ahead Shop on Etsy. These examples were all inspired by music of the 1960s, specifically by The Beatles’ “All Together Now” (from Yellow Submarine) and Serge Gainsbourg’s “Comic Strip,” his historically kitschy duet with  Brigitte Bardot from the as-sixties-as-it-gets album, Initials B.B. To me, these songs are quintessential examples of the euphoric, optimistic side of pop music from the latter half of the ’60s. It’s as though you hear them in Technicolor.

The Serge Gainsbourg inspired set was intended to have the look and feel of close-ups of vintage comic books, zooming in on the action-packed onomatopoeia referenced in the “Comic Strip” track by l’homme à tête de chou himself. (Gainsbourg and Bardot also recorded a version of the song in English, helping it to reach a non-francophone audience).

The Beatles inspired set visualizes the lyrics of “All Together Now”. In addition to the bright, Yellow Submarine and Peter Max-inspired cosmic colorway, I also created a solo version of the  “I Love You” print in a more muted, Valentine’s Day color palette. All of the typography was sourced from period designs, all available from Photo-Lettering.

These prints have just launched, so you can be the first to purchase if you visit the Etsy shop soon. As a reward for reading this whole post, you can also get 15% off your order by using coupon code STEPAHEAD when you check out. The coupon is also valid for the authentic vintage posters from the late 1960s that are currently up there, including blacklight posters of The Jimi Hendrix Experience and a naked hippie girl from the Summer of Love, two designs from Seymour Chwast, and a lion advertising the communist-era Polish circus, CYRK.

And here’s the special edition of the Beatles-inspired “I Love You” print just in time for Valentine’s Day.