In the spring of my junior year at Webster University, I enrolled in a course called "Advertising Production for Print". The first day of class, we were given one overarching assignment that would continue through the semester: the creation of our very own book, which we would see through every step of the way from the initial pitching of ideas all the way to submitting our finished file for publishing.
The book could be about any topic of our choosing - after some thought, I decided that the focus of mine would be St. Louis' very own Vintage Vinyl.
My initial goal with the project was to examine Vintage Vinyl's place in and impact on St. Louis' history; however, the more research I did, the more I realized just how much of an impact it had on my own history as well - Vintage Vinyl stoked my interest in independent record stores from an extremely young age, and has been responsible for the discovery of many artists I now count among my favorites - and so I widened my scope, turning it into a sort of love letter as well as a historical summary.
The final spec sheet for my project.
In designing the visual aspect of the book itself, I not only wanted to pay homage to the store, but make it easily recognizable to people who, like myself, were fans or at least familiar with it, so I decided to model it after the iconic pink-and-black vinyl bumper stickers seen all over the city. Additionally, I used both original photography as well as images from Vintage Vinyl's archives to showcase the store, its clientele, and its esteemed musical guests throughout the years, from its humble beginnings in the early 1980s to the present day. Interstitial photos, treated with a Polaroid-like halftone effect, demarcate each section as well.
When it came to writing this book, I realized early on that, as much as I could research myself, the real meat of the Vintage Vinyl story comes from its owners and staff, and decided that the majority of it would consist of interviews - the chief of which being with its owners, Tom Ray and Lew Prince. I was unfortunately unable to get an interview with Ray in time, but after contacting Prince, we conducted the interview that takes up a significant portion of the final product. Going in, I must admit I was nervous at the prospect of interviewing someone who had indirectly shaped a lot of my passion for music in such a significant way, but almost immediately, we hit it off and I began to see that the energy and infectious enthusiasm I always felt in the store wasn't something I'd imagined - it was tangible, it was real, and it lived in Lew Prince's every word.
Lew Prince showing off some of his 45's collection, the literal vintage vinyl.
By the end of the semester, the images had been proofed, the interviews had been done, and the book laid out and printed - and I had been changed as a designer, as a writer and as a person. This project pushed me out of so many comfort zones and taught me how to do things I never imagined I'd be capable of doing, and it gave me a whole new appreciation for Vintage Vinyl's rich and storied history. To this day, it remains the project I am most proud of and one of my favorite pieces I've ever made.
Listen Up! The Story of Vintage Vinyl can be purchased at the following link: http://www.lulu.com/shop/matt-braxmeier/listen-up-the-story-of-vintage-vinyl/paperback/product-21614558.html