Designer: Anthony Dihle

Client: Pleasant Pops

Size: 16 x 26 inches

Printing Process: Screenprint

Number of Inks: Six

When you combine like-minded creatives willing to go the extra mile, no matter what their business, the results can be sublime. Such was the case when DC designer Anthony Dihle produced a poster helping promote Pleasant Pops. The company's kitchen is just up the street from Dihle's print studio. He says, "But we are raising capital to add a brick-and-mortar store to their food truck business, and using the poster as one of the incentives they raised over $26,000 via Kickstarter."

Pleasant Pops make paletas, "which are Latin American popsicles using fresh local ingredients such as blueberries, pineapple, watermelon, sweet cream, and honey, among others," explains Dihle. It is their dedication to making a fresh and unique product that references their neighborhood, while providing enjoyment to the whole city, that makes them such a vital part of the new wave of cuisine in DC.

Dihle kept all of this in mind as he "collected background imagery from a variety of authentic sources including cigar boxes, fruit boxes, stock certificates, and old engraved miscellany." He stressed a desire to "have a sincere Latin feel, to match the product. Latin American art, culture, and advertising are something I have been drawn to more and more over the last couple of years," he adds. "I also wanted to do a visually decadent poster," he says. "A popsicle is sugary and colorful, but I didn't want to do anything too-cool-for-school."

Not only did he work tirelessly to keep the imagery true to the product, but when printing the posters, Dihle added six additional using gold ink, "just as an experiment and as something extra for the Pops' founders," he adds. He even made his own gold ink, "I always found store bought gold ink to be too yellow/mustardy," he explains. Adding a copper alloy as his "gold dust" to an acrylic base, he battled a clogging screen until he got the desired results.

Dihle then added a few more prints to go up around town to help promote the new space. "I love helping local businesses," he smiles. "Especially those with such a fantastic product."

I am sure Pleasant Pops would say the same thing about him.

You can always get John Foster's thoughts on posters in book form via New Masters of Poster Design, New Masters of Poster Design: Volume Two, 1,000 Indie Posters and many more.

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