Recent Graphic Design Work

Poster 13x19 inches

Poster 13x19 inches

Book cover for Starcherone Press

Book cover for Playwrights Canada Press

 Poster 13x19 inches

Folding Mailer/poster

Recent Poster Work

Recent Work

My poster design for SUNY Buffalo’s long running contemporary music festival June in Buffalo.

Cover and packaging design for Rory More’s latest arrived in the mail form the U.K.

Poster design for my show at BT&C Gallery More about that soon...

Poster design for my show at Galerie 14 in Luxembourg. More about that soon...

Recent Work

©2013 / Design: Julian Montague / Canada Playwrights Press

Opening Tonight in Berlin!

I have work in a collaborative group show that opens tonight in Berlin (info below). The I was invited to take part in the show by the Philosophical Farmers (Die Philosophischen Bauern). I'm going to explain what this show is all about after I have installation images, it is quite complicated. 


Observer of the Impending Change
October 25 – November 1, 2013   
Spor Klübü Freienwalder Str 31, Berlin-Mitte (Wedding) U8 Pankstr. / S Bornholmerstr.

Faux Books at the Arsenal Gallery in Central Park

I have 20 of my faux books from the Secondary Occupants project in a group show that opens tonight at the Arsenal Gallery in Central Park. The full description is below.

NYC Parks is pleased to present Notched Bodies: Insects in Contemporary Art, on view September 13 - November 13 at the Arsenal Gallery in Central Park. The exhibition features eleven contemporary artists who offer probing personal interpretations on the importance of insects through a variety of media: Brandon Ballengée, Joianne Bittle, Rebecca Clark, Emilie Clark, Talia Greene, Asuka Hishiki, Julian Montague, Lisa Murch, Julia Oldham, Christy Rupp, and Ben Snead. The show is curated by Jennifer Lantzas, NYC Parks’ Public Art Coordinator.

This exhibition takes its name from ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle’s classification of insects by their similar traits: six legs and clearly segmented or “notched” bodies.  Humans have had a long and complex relationship with insects. Their alien appearance can be jarring or off-putting, but upon closer inspection insects are works of art. They are often seen as pests or invaders; however, their critical role in our ecosystem and daily lives is increasingly clear as urban farming, gardening, and the impact of syndromes like Colony Collapse Disorder become prevalent. Insects are keen indicators of the health of our ecosystem. They help break down and decompose rotting materials, which reintroduce rich nutrients into the soil.  They are also the first line of defense against invasive plants and other harmful insects.

Located on the Arsenal lawn, Brandon Ballengée’s outdoor light installation is intended to create interactions between nocturnal arthropods and humans. In the gallery, Joianne Bittle’s Goliath Beetle is removed from his natural surroundings and placed on a gold background, referencing religious icons from the Byzantine era. A botanic wallpaper installation by Talia Greene is inhabited by a colony of harvester ants, illustrating our vain attempts to impose order on the natural world. Faux books and records designed by Julian Montague document the hypothetical history of pest control. In her videos, Julia Oldham translates insects’ behaviors into choreographed performances. Ben Snead paints insects into geometric patterns—a personal classification system based on aesthetics rather than science. Rebecca Clark, Emilie Clark, Asuka Hishiki, Lisa Murch, and Christy Rupp also present diverse artworks that dismantle the notion that insects are creepy and herald them as fascinating creatures to be studied, understood and celebrated.

The Arsenal Gallery is dedicated to examining themes of nature, urban space, wildlife, New York City parks and park history.  It is located on the third floor of the Parks Department Headquarters, in Central Park, on Fifth Avenue at 64th Street.  Gallery hours are Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.  Admission is free.  For more information on the Arsenal Gallery, please call (212) 360-8163.

Secondary Occupants on the Street

I was recently commissioned by Buffalo restaurateur Mark Goldman to do a wall piece on the side of Allen Street Hardware, one of Buffalo's better night spots. I adapted the design from the cover of Secondary Occupants, one of my faux books from the Secondary Occupants Collected & Observed project. The mural is part of a street art initiative started by Goldman in the Allentown district of Buffalo. A number of other artists have work on adjacent buildings, more about it here.

Montague Projects on Instagram

I am now on Instagram as Montagueprojects. I'll be posting a some graphic design related images and some other things I wouldn't normally put on the blog. 

Stray Shopping Carts at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA)

Thirteen of my Stray Shopping Cart pieces are in a group shoe called Stocked: Contemporary Art from the Grocery Aisles at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA). It is a traveling exhibit that originated at the Ulrich Museum in Wichita. This is the curatorial statement:

Stocked: Contemporary Art from the Grocery Aisles presents the work of contemporary artists who, directly and indirectly, take the grocery store and consumption of its products as their subjects. In contrast to historic pop’s celebration of everyday consumption, they note the seductive aesthetic appeal of commercial products with degrees of uneasiness. Using a variety of styles and media, they keenly and cleverly interrogate not only the grocery items we purchase, but also the physical and psychological environments in which we shop, the individuals and social frameworks we encounter there, and the cultural norms that inform our habits of consumption.

There are some big names in the show including Sonny Assu, Scott Blake, Louis Cameron, Hillary Carlip, Adriane Herman
, David Hilliard, Damien Hirst, Christian Jankowski, Karyn Olivier
Lucy + Jorge Orta, Jonathan Seliger, Store Buyout: Matt Fidler, Jody Gnant, Hal Kirkland, Kyle MacDonald, and Gary Lachance, Brian Ulrich, Rachel Perry Welty, and  Andy Warhol.

There is also a nicely designed catalog. It is available on Amazon.

Volumes from an Imagined Intellectual History of Animals, Architecture and Man at Galerie Toutou Chic, Metz, France / June 19

One of the reasons my blogging has slowed down recently is that I have been working on new faux books and posters for an upcoming show at Galerie Toutou Chic in Metz, France (June 19). The exhibit will include 39 of my faux books, 10 posters and 5 record covers. I'll be posting them here over the next few days. If you don't want to wait you can see the whole series, old and new here.

State of America Posters in Under Consideration

Some of my State of America posters are in the latest issue of Under Consideration Quarterly, the print publication of the Under Consideration blog network. It is nicely done, letterpress cover and newsprint on the inside 

Q & A on Dwell.com

There is an interview with my on Dwell magazine's website. I talk about this blog and my design and art work. Check it out.

Montague Projects in Gestalten's Fully Booked

I'm happy to say that there is a page dedicated to my faux books (Volumes from an Imagined Intellectual History of Animals, Architecture and Man) in Gestalten's Fully Booked: Ink on Paper. There is a lot of great work in the book.

Trimania Promotions

My design work for the Trimania art event is all over town right now.

Seriés Aphōnos Covers

I am designing the covers and overall look for Seriés Aphōnos a sub-label of Berlin's Bronze Rat Records. The first two releases (Solex and Gemma Ray) arrived at my door a couple weeks ago. It's really satisfying to have my hands on the finished product. There are more releases in the works. 

This is how Seriés Aphōnos describes itself:

Seriés Aphōnos is a new music library which focuses on left-of-centre musical meanderings, soundtracks, and strange treasures from hidden corners. Seriés Aphonos records give full imagination start-up when played on a stereo record player. Whether originally accompanying moving pictures or not, the result is the same. The series features highly distinguished writers and musicians from the field, giving you a consistent and trustworthy source for musique pour l’ image. If you have doubts and wish to avoid excessive cortical stimuli, remove the stylus and consult your dealer.

The Gestalten Stargazer 2013 Weekly Calendar

One of my fake book covers makes an appearance in Gestalten's Stargazer 2013 Weekly Calendar. The publisher previously featured my work in their book The Modernist. There is a lot of great work in there, unfortunately, the calendar seems to be sold out at the moment.

Sorry for the long absence...

I have been busy with work and busy moving house. I should be back on track with Daily Book Graphics next week. In the meantime I'll post some of my recent work. Below is the most recent cover I have designed for Starcherone Books.

©2013 / Design: Julian Montague

Recent Design Work

11x17 Poster/mailer for Connect Historic Boston

8.5x19 poster/mailer for the Squeaky Wheel Media Buffalo Media Resources art event Peep Show.

State of America Prints Round 2 / Set 2

Available on PrintCollection.com

State of America Prints Round 2 / Set 1

As I posted the day before yesterday, the full set of State of America prints are now available at PrintCollection.com. I'll be posting them in groups over the next week.