We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Justin Froning a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Justin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

There are a lot of projects I’ve been proud of or that put some pep in my step, but there were a few that come to mind as projects that made a profound impact on my development or greatly impacted my confidence as a creative (I’ve learned that I’m not alone in experiencing impostor syndrome). It wasn’t my first gig poster, but the first time I worked with an artist that I’d admired for years was my poster for Wilco’s show in Seattle back in 2015. I loved the concept of a songbird casting a shadow that turns into an owl peering back at him imposingly. The idea was that this thing he feared was also a powerful presence inside himself, and that resonated with me. Apparently it resonated with fans, too, because that sold out at the show and was one of my quickest sellouts of artist prints. Working with bands that I’ve loved for decades like The Get Up Kids, Sunny Day Real Estate, or Death Cab for Cutie also continued to fuel the tank, but I’ll never forget when I was approached by Disney about working with them on a promotional poster for Thor: Love & Thunder when it was being released in theaters. They knew my work well, and that felt incredible. What was craziest about the whole thing was that the person who brought me onto the project learned about me by purchasing a poster at a Wilco concert in Santa Barbara, CA and seeing my website printed on the poster. Small world.

Justin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve always loved art, though my last formal training was in Mr. Buchanon’s 7th Grade Art Class. I picked up a guitar in Junior High and never looked back. I played in bands through high school and college, and then eventually became the bassist in an indie band called Deas Vail and had the good fortune of touring professionally for years. While on the road, I honed the graphic design skills I’d picked up while making DIY posters for my first bands. I was introduced the the world of limited edition screen print concert posters and fell in love. I collected those for years (and still do) and eventually wanted to join in. There’s something special about still being able to participate in the music and touring world I loved while drawing from the comfort of my couch with my wife and kids by my side. Gig posters have been my specialty, though COVID forced my hand to leap into the world of alternative movie posters when all of my band work for 2020 had to go on hold. I’ve always loved AMPs, but that world felt so unfamiliar, but it’s turned out to be more open and inviting to other artists than I could have ever imagined. I’ve made some of my best artist friends through pop culture work with gallery shows. I’d have never believed you if you’d have told me at the start of 2020 that in a year, I’d be working with Bottleneck Gallery, Hero Complex Gallery, Gallery1988, and Moor-Art Gallery, creating licensed artwork for companies like Hasbro and Lucasfilm. I think my gig poster approach to movie posters sets me apart a bit. I see prints come out every day with 12 and 16 inks, and they look great, but I’m always trying to see what I can create with 2 to 4 inks (5 tops). That’s because I’m used to working with indie bands and budgets, and I’ve come to find that box of limitations to be invigorating and a part of my style. I love working with intellectual properties that are widely loved and nostalgic to me, but it’s also really nice to have a band say, “do you have any ideas for our November tour?” and I get to just go into my head to see what’s laying around in there. At the end of the day, I have a passion for storytelling, and I love that this medium allows me to explore that. It’s cathartic to me, and it means the world to me that clients place their trust in me to represent them visually.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I’ve been working with the Adobe Suite since I was 16. I was the editor for the high school yearbook, and I was making flyers all the time for my band’s concerts. While touring, I worked with a lot of other bands and small companies doing all kinds of things. I talked with some of my friends who were in design careers and asked if I should go back to school for a design degree and they all told me that my portfolio showed that I knew what I needed to know. Armed with this and a Psychology degree, I applied for my first job as a graphic designer for the marketing department at a community college. After a lengthy application process (I even had to go get my old college transcript), there were two questions: “Do you have the required work experience?” Yes. “Do you have the required degree?” I call the school’s HR department and explain that I feel Psychology is very much related to marketing. They say, “You have to mark that field, ‘No.'” After an automatic rejection, I looked up the head of the Marketing Department, called him, and explained that I knew I could do the job well and asked that he consider looking at my portfolio. Fast forward a few years and I was running the department. I share that with people because I think tenacity is pretty essential in today’s marketplace. You have to believe in yourself, and certainly have to value your skillset more than the software running an application process.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is getting to be a part of something bigger than yourself. I always feel that way when I’m getting to create something for an IP I’m particularly fond of or that holds strong childhood memories. The first time I made a licensed piece for Star Wars, it just felt crazy that I was getting paid to draw Darth Vader. The first time I was working with Moor-Art Gallery on a project with Hasbro for Transformers, I just kept thinking of how many times I played with those toys as a kid, or watched the shows or the movie (the real one — the 1985 animated one) and how that kid, now 35 years older, is creating something that is officially a part of that world. That is something profound. It’s just a poster, but it’s so much more. It’s a piece of paper with ink on it that says you can grow up and become a part of the things that put a sparkle in your eye when you were a kid, and that’s pretty beautiful to me.

I feel similarly when I work with bands whose songs got me through tough times in high school. Lending a visual to something primarily aural is exciting, and it takes a lot of trust and vulnerability on both sides, but when it works, it’s really great. There’s also the community side of things that I touched on before — the friends I’ve made through creating this kind of art are truly great, and though some of us have never had the opportunity to meet in person, we look forward to that day and are quick to share exciting as well as tough news with each other to celebrate one another’s successes and empathize through the struggles.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thehousebear.com
• Instagram: @housebear
• Facebook: housebeardesign
• Linkedin: Justin Froning
• Twitter: @housebeardesign