80. THE DECODER RING DESIGN CONCERN
“We like what you like … as long as it’s simple, smart, and pretty,” jests the Decoder Ring Design Concern’s reworking of Henry Ford’s refrain. The cool, clean design of Christian Helms proves most agreeable to this DRDC tagline.

Commissioned by PMC Presents, a promotion company partnered with Daughter Entertainment, Helms took on the challenge of producing a promotion for an upcoming Decemberists’ concert that would bend the rules of the typical band poster. “Typically a project like this calls for making your message bigger and louder,” says Helms. Feeling that the band had a “bookish” quality, he instead took a quieter approach to the design.

The promotion proceeded with an ironic twist on vernacular sensibilities by introducing the Reader’s Digest Select Editions as the canvas of what would ultimately become a kind of book-poster. The books informed the design of the book cover, which wittily mimics the Digest’s anthologies. All of the information typical of an event promotion poster is conveyed, while preserving the project’s unique character. The books were planted in bookstores and shops across Austin. Routine visits were made to replenish the books, assuring their visibility. The project was a success: On the day of the concert excited Decemberists fans flooded the venue with Helms’ books in hand.
Deanna Rooney