What began in Madison, Wisconsin, as a sideline venture producing silkscreen posters for local band P’Elvis has evolved into Aesthetic Apparatus, a two-person design studio operating from Minneapolis with a nationwide clientele. Michael Byzewski and Dan Ibarra formed Aesthetic Apparatus while working together at Planet Propaganda, a major design firm in Madison. A bold use of eclectic typography, a free-floating compositional simplicity, and a seemingly endless supply of found imagery constitute the design elements of their coveted limited-edition posters for bands such as Har Mar Superstar, Mark Mallman, Atmosphere, Wire, Mission of Burma, Lydia Lunch, and the Meat Puppets. As Brad Zeller wrote in a City Pages profile, Byzewski and Ibarra are “creating some of the most distinct and distinguished posters in a now seri-ously crowded field.” Although their warehouse screenprinting operation matches both their “lo-fi” aesthetics and the garage band culture, their work extends beyond posters with a roster of clients that includes Virgin Records, Capitol Records, ReadyMade magazine, Mister Hip-Hop, and CMJ Music Monthly.
