It all started with an Instagram post. Ed Roberson, the host of the most popular podcast in the Rocky Mountain West, was in search of some unique graphic design that could speak to his diverse audience. His fans hold various titles like rancher, environmentalist, conservationist, oil field worker, ski bum, hippie, yuppie, and almost everything in between. Ed needed some art to represent not only M&P, but more importantly, his loyal and diverse audience.
Creating art for Mountain & Prairie was less of a challenge and more of a pleasure as it spoke to the heart of Simple Livestock and who we are. We’re children of the west, raised under the baby blue western Colorado skies. The scent of sagebrush in the early morning during a fall gather, a beam of sunlight through drifting dendrite snowflakes, or the clanky sounds of a ‘78 Ford truck modified into bullet-proof perfection, are all comforting sounds, scents, and scenarios to the Simple crew. We knew we were up for the challenge of creating art for Mountain & Prairie and we were excited to illustrate graphics that would blend tradition with modernism.
After an initial call with Ed and a few rounds of lookbook inspiration, we jumped head first into our library of western media. We scoured through photography books authored by legends like L.A. Huffman and William Henry Jackson, art collections of Charlie Russell and Edward Borein, and honed in on minute details like the shape of a rawhide quirt gripped by a steely-faced cowpoke atop a sunfishing bronc, or the intricacies of rose petals on sugar skulls painstakingly painted for a Dia De Los Muertos celebration. This is art that inspires us, art with a rich history created by people who held a deep connection to the American landscape. In the end we found great success and we were able to design and illustrate multiple graphics that blend elements of contemporary western art and modern day graphic design.
“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” -Theodore Roosevelt
Our final pieces include a diverse and ethnic group of bronc riders, both male and female, a charging bison silhouetted by a setting sun, a strenuous Theodore Roosevelt, and grizzly and bison sugar skulls intricately decorated with a labyrinth of colors. All the designs are versatile enough to be placed on light or dark backgrounds, printed on tee shirts, mugs, and stickers, and used across a wide range of print media. They are fun and exciting and they were a pure joy to create. Thank you for your business, Ed, and keep working hard to create a dynamic conversation about the west and all it's complexities!
To learn more about Ed Roberson and his amazing podcast, visit the link in the button below, but users be warned, Mountain & Prairie is some mind blowing content! 🤗
This incredible project was created with the following tools: