All About Brooke All About Brooke All About Brooke

Brooke Finegold is:
A hilarious stand up comedian based in Brooklyn, NY.
She’s also, some might say more importantly, my sister!
Below is some of my work I’ve done for her.

Pig Recital 2024

Brief

Create a compelling and visually unique poster for "Pig Recital," a poetry salon hosted by Brooke at The Standard, High Line, in New York City. The event serves as an open mic night for amateur poets, offering an opportunity for those who participated in Brooke's Poetry Is Gay (PIG) workshops to share their work. The design should reflect the playful, queer-centric vibe of the salon while maintaining a polished and professional look. Incorporating the theme, "Shit Girls Carry," the poster should balance bold, colorful aesthetics with clear, accessible typography to effectively communicate event details. Additionally, the design should feature Brooke as the central figure, drawing attention to her role as the host and the creative energy behind the event.

Approach & Result

Approach
The title was created in Illustrator using 3D effects for a polished, shiny look that feels playful yet modern. In Photoshop, Brooke’s portrait was enhanced by cleaning up distractions with generative AI and amplifying colors to align with the vibrant text and theme. A clear layout was developed to highlight event details while keeping the design cohesive and visually striking.

Result
The poster successfully captures the playful, creative spirit of Pig Recital. Its bold colors and polished visuals appeal to the target audience, making the event exciting and accessible while showcasing Brooke’s unique vision and the community-driven energy of Poetry Is Gay.

The Town Cryer 2023

Brief

Brooke asked me to design a poster for her comedy show, The Town Cryer, hosted at Fiction Bar Cafe in Brooklyn. The show features a mix of comedy, music, poetry, and storytelling, and Brooke wanted the design to embody the bold, colorful energy of vintage comic book art. The poster needed to reflect her vibrant personality and humor while highlighting her as the central figure. To promote multiple events, I also needed to create variations of the poster, each tailored to a specific theme, such as "An Ode to Modern Love." The goal was to create a series of visually striking and cohesive designs that would grab attention, convey the playful tone of the show, and appeal to a wide audience.

Approach & Result

Approach
I illustrated Brooke in a classic comic book style, exaggerating her expression for humor and drama. Halftone patterns and textured overlays were added to enhance the vintage feel, while thought and speech bubbles were used to organize event information in a playful way. I custom-designed the title font to evoke the nostalgic energy of retro comics, paired with a dynamic layout and a bold purple and yellow color scheme to make the poster pop.

ResultThe final design captures the energy and humor of The Town Cryer, blending Brooke’s vibrant personality with a nostalgic comic book aesthetic. It creates a strong visual identity for the show, successfully drawing attention and generating excitement while staying true to the playful, creative spirit of the event.

More variations

Brooke also commissioned a second poster variation to highlight the comedians performing and the unique experiences offered at the show. This version incorporated an homage to the original poster by including the signature stamp design featuring Brooke's comic-style portrait.

To maintain consistency with the established visual identity, the design adhered closely to the comic book aesthetic of the previous posters, utilizing bold typography, thought bubbles, and a comic book font. For the Ode to Modern Love show, the poster replaced the action-style bubbles with hearts to reflect the romantic theme.

(It should be noted: The images are the same on both posters. The old comedians images were deleted when I made the newer variation.)

The Town Cryer Font 2023

Brief, Approach, & Result

Brooke commissioned me to design her own font for The Town Cryer, which also serves as the logo for her email newsletter. She wanted something playful and full of personality, so I created a whimsical typeface with a bold rainbow gradient to reflect her vibrant energy. The design is meant to grab attention and set a fun, lighthearted tone at the top of every email she sends out, sharing her life updates, recent news, and poetry. The result is a colorful, standout logo that feels uniquely hers and perfectly matches the creative, personal vibe of her newsletter.

Calendar Girls 2022

Brief

My sister Brooke and her friend Kylie, both LA-based comedians, asked me to design a poster for their stand-up show Calendar Girls in Silverlake, featuring a lineup of queer comedians. They wanted the design to mimic a vintage Playboy cover, reimagined through a queer and modern lens, with the classic Playboy font and layout elements for a bold, nostalgic look. The poster needed to feature Brooke and Kylie as models, with striking colors and playful details that captured the vibe of the event and its audience.

Approach & Result

Approach
I studied vintage Playboy covers to recreate their iconic layout and typography. Using the Playboy title font and 1970s-inspired elements, I styled Brooke and Kylie to reflect the confident, playful energy of a retro cover with a queer twist. Grain and texture added a worn, vintage feel, while the bold red background and vibrant green-yellow text grabbed attention.

Result
The final poster was a hit, generating excitement for Calendar Girls and helping the event sell out. It captured the nostalgic yet modern aesthetic Brooke and Kylie envisioned, standing out as a bold and memorable promotional piece. Attendees praised the design for its creative, playful energy that perfectly set the tone for the show.

Bird 2022

Brief

Kylie Vincent, a comedian and friend, asked me to design a poster for her solo show BIRD, directed by Barbara McAdams. The show mixes humor with raw reflections on trauma and chaos. Kylie wanted a design inspired by vintage magazine covers—funky, bold, nostalgic, yet modern and eye-catching. She requested elements like a "15¢" detail to enhance the magazine concept while showcasing her personality and hinting at the show's themes.

Approach & Result

Approach
I created a custom bold, funky title font for BIRD, paired with clean, classic typography for supporting text. Using the photo's naturally dark background, I enhanced colors, adjusted curves, and refined the composition to create warmth and depth. Nostalgic details like the "15¢" feature and a vintage-inspired layout tied the design together.

Result
The final poster combined a vintage magazine aesthetic with Kylie's bold personality, drawing attention with its striking title font and enhanced imagery. It successfully captured the tone of BIRD, providing a compelling visual preview that intrigued audiences and set the stage for her show.

Final Reflections:

Creating posters for Brooke, from Pig Recital to The Town Cryer, Calendar Girls, and BIRD, pushed me to become a better designer. She challenged me to think creatively and refine my skills while bringing her ideas to life. Each project helped me grow as a designer and showed me the power of connecting with people through visuals. Working with her has been such a meaningful part of my journey.

2022 2024

Brooke

Kylie

Illustrator + Photoshop + Procreate