Art Chantry is most widely known for his poster artwork and graphic design techniques for small and big bands alike. He was born in Seattle in 1954, and raised in Tacoma and the surrounding areas of the Northwest. According to Roberta Smith, in the 1980’s and 90’s, his poster work became a staple of the rock culture in Seattle, giving a vibrant image and style to the underground scene in a new unrefined way^[1] (Smith 1). In the early 80’s he became the art director of the Rocket, a monthly music magazine^[2] (“Art Chantry”). He also started becoming recognized for his graphic design techniques of cost efficient designs and quick productions. As his style and skill grew, he became a face to the new punk and grunge rock scenes that were developing in the Seattle area. He made posters for Nirvana, Gang of Four, and numerous other rising bands^[2](“Art Chantry”). His posters became perfect representations of the new style and rock genres that were emerging at this time.

Chantry was a new voice to band art and posters that hadn’t been seen before. His techniques of mistakes, misprints and repetition created a new balance between accuracy and thrown–together imagery^[2](“Art Chantry”). Chantry’s designs reflect his long-lasting creativity in the poster art world. His ability to create dark images for the underground rock scene are perfected by his accuracy and talent of making that darkness appear bright. His posters gave the viewer the edgy feel of the music that was coming out of the area in a clear and sharp display of vintage images with a handmade look^[1](Smith 2). Chantry’s work reflected the pop and underground culture mixing graphic design images with social ideologies.

According to an interview done by Poppy Evans, Chantry’s creative process is very unique and out of the ordinary. It is a combination of formulating ideas through research and hands-on sketching. Chantry believes that distraction is very important. While trying to come up with ideas, the brain can be over-crowded with ideas and information. By distracting himself with other things he is able to focus in on one idea. Over the years he has tried different techniques from exercise to relaxation. Chantry believes that the brain is a constant flow of ideas in the unconscious, and in order to get into the creative process, you have to get those ideas out of the unconscious and into the conscious. One technique he enjoys is listening to records while brainstorming. By taking out records and listening to the music, he is able to relax and distract himself in order to further his brain’s creative activity. When Chantry is actively doing something, he isn’t always thinking about that topic specifically, but his brain is still always working and thinking. This technique of distracting himself while working has been a large part of his creative process over the years^[3] (Evans 2).

Another part of Chantry’s creative process is pulling inspiration by research and observation. When a client comes to him with a request for an idea, he has to let himself dive into their idea and make it his world. He researches by pulling all kinds of visual inspiration from the media, to pop and sub-pop cultures. He believes that to be a good designer, one has to be constantly learning and taking ideas from their own inspirations^[3] (Evans 2). He uses music, pop stars, and other artists to gather inspiration and put these ideas into his own subconscious. He often draws inspiration from retro images like 60’s psychedelic posters and 50’s advertising^[1] (Smith 2). By constantly learning and observing the world around him, he is able to keep on fueling his own creative ideas. Another part of his process is using traditional materials and techniques. He believes the process itself is important in the shaping of an idea. He doesn’t like to always know what the end product will look like because the process itself should shape the final design^[3] (Evans 3).

When Chantry finally comes up with an idea, he makes sure not to complete and publish it until he has worked with the client to finalize. He believes in working with the client before completing a project because it allows the client to be engaged in an idea that will become their own and lets them feel more strongly about his ideas and themselves by being involved in the creative process. If he brings a final project to the client, then the only critique they can have is to say it doesn’t work, but allowing the client to participate will help them come to a better final decision and makes for better client relations^[1] (Smith 3). He does, however always try to bring a strong idea to the client. When working with clients, he feels that if he doesn’t have a strong core idea, then the client will rip it apart. Coming to the client with a good idea is the basis for the process, and allowing them to make small corrections and changes, which allows them to be a part of the process without completely destroying Chantry’s ideas^[3] (Evans 3).