“T h eposter w as fun, vib ra n t a n d visu ally interesting. Ton
could fe e l the texture ofthe ink resting on the surface o f the p a p er
w ith y o u r fingertips. W e w ere hooked!”— S a ra Turner
Sara. “It was one of Jay’s posters for the
band Shellac, which happened to be one
of our favorite bands at the time. The poster
was fun, vibrant and visually interesting.
You could feel the texture of the ink resting
on the surface of the paper with your finger-
tips. We were hooked!”
Inspired by how these posters managed
to communicate the essence of each band’s
music, Brian and Sara began experimenting
with screen printing, a process that begins
with drawing, scanning and coloring, and
is finished by hand-printing the work using
a table (to clamp the screen onto), a squee-
gee and ink. In 2003 they began to take
on projects part-time, and Cricket Press-
named on a whim for the crickets in their
damp basement studio—was born.
The handmade aspect is extremely im-
portant to the couple, who say that is what
makes Cricket Press so special. “Every-
thing from the way we design to the way
we communicate with our clients is more
personal,” Sara says. “Every poster, every
card or invitation that we create is touched
by our hands.”
Within two years Cricket Press estab-
lished a strong clientele, and in 2005 Brian
decided to devote himself to running the
press full-time. Over the last year Sara has
also begun working for the press full-time
while maintaining a part-time day job.
“We’re committed to seeing the business
grow and doing it right,” says Sara. “It
doesn’t matter whether or not you have
that day job to support your art habits. If
you’re addicted to making art then you’re
going to be working all hours of the day
and night anyway.”
The couple’s projects now range from
posters to art prints to invitations and be-
yond. Although they are joint owners, they
don’t collaborate on most projects—each
focuses on his or her individual interests
and artistic style. Fora gig poster, inspira-
tion may come from the lyrics of a song,
the feel or theme of the album or the band’s
overall persona. The Turners’ clients must
be willing to put complete trust in them.
“Most clients come to us because they like
our aesthetic,” says Sara. “It is our respon-
sibility, however, to be up-front with any
client we might not be the right fit for.
Fortunately, with good communication
and honesty, we’ve been gifted with
a wide range of great clients looking for
exactly what we have to offer.” +
aug/scp 10 american craft 029
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