- MENU
- MMA News Home
- RECENT POSTS
- ‘Ninja’ Relishing Prospect Of Watson Showdown At BAMMA 6 Mills Only Needs Validation From Himself As He Continues To Impress MMA Link Club: The Strikeforce/UFC Chatter Continues MMA Rankings: Melendez Is The New #1 Weekend Preview: Diaz vs. Daley, Melendez vs. Kawajiri, Askren vs. Thompson & Jimmo vs. Newton (VIDEO) MMA Link Club: Dana’s Greatest F-Bombs & More (VIDEO) Down With Diaz (VIDEO) Melendez On A Mission (Video) Putting Things In Context: Why Bellator Should Sign More UFC & WEC Veterans MMA Rankings: Alvarez & Wilcox Stay Put At Lightweight
Jacob Bannon: Distance and Meaning
-
Thursday, July 30th, 2009 at 6:00 am
by admin
(Submitted photo.)
by FIGHT! contributor Romey Louangvilay
Few MMA fans know the name Jacob Bannon but they know the artist’s style. His audience is limited but his work is influential, a precursor to the noisy, layered prints favored by MMA gear companies.
Bannon, an artist, entrepreneur, and musician, began designing demo covers and t-shirts for his band at the age of 13. He refers to himself as a “life artist,” because of the way his art seamlessly incorporates his influences – fine art, heavy metal, and skateboard/BMX culture – and in turn influences everything he touches. The designer rose to prominence in the late 1990s hardcore scene when his designs became synonymous with his critically acclaimed hardcore punk band Converge.
A 1998 graduate of the Art Institute of Boston, is often credited with inventing the so-called skull with wings aesthetic that became so popular in the punk underground and mixed martial arts scenes that today knockoffs are available in stores like Target and Marshalls. “I do see a lot of visuals that I’ve made in the past currently influencing visuals in mainstream culture,” Bannon says. “Emulation is a form of flattery. It tells me that I am creating imagery that is powerful, and that’s a meaningful thing for me.”
(Jacob Bannon created this image for the Deathwish Records release “Sundowning” by This Is Hell.)
According to Paul Gorman, author of The Look: Adventures in Rock and Pop Fashion, punk style was an anti-fashion that was perceived by the masses as aggressive and intimidating. That attitude found its match in mixed martial arts, and Bannon began following the sport in 1996. “I personally see a lot of parallels between the aggressive music community and the fight world,” Bannon said.
With fighters sporting this style, the masses continue to incorporate it in their everyday wear. “I’ve noticed a clear influence that the fight world has had on street wear, from preps incorporating a dagger pendant on their wardrobe to jocks wearing ‘noisy’ graphics on wovens,” says fashion stylist David A. McKnight. “Whenever fashion and comfort merges effortlessly, it’s a welcomed change.”
(Jacob Bannon created this image for the Deathwish Records release “To Die For” by Integrity.)
Bannon recently came full circle by sponsoring select fighters. In 2008, Deathwish Records began sponsoring Joe and Dan Lauzon, Toby Grear and several local grapplers. “We just want to help out like minded individuals attain their goals within their respective combat sports,” Bannon added. “As I have some affiliations with local shows and the regional MMA community, most, if not all, of our Deathwish sponsored MMA fighters have come through friends in some way.”
Though Bannon started designing for his own band, his artistry has continued to inspire mainstream culture today. From the clothes the fighters wear to the rock music played during bouts and fight teasers, his influential “life art” is well documented in mainstream society by the people who wear it and brands like Silver Star, Affliction, Eternal Clothing and many others that incorporate his aesthetic in their pieces.
“I just enjoy making powerful art and design work,“ Bannon says. “I just try to create the best visuals I can for a project. It’s not about asserting my style; it’s about adapting it to the visual problems in front of me.”
(Jacob Bannon created this image for the Converge albume “Jane Doe.”)
To learn more visit Jacobbannon.com, Deathwish.com, and Convergecult.com.
Watch the video for “No Heroes,” the title track from Converge’s 2006 album.
20 Responses to “Jacob Bannon: Distance and Meaning”
Interesting article there, Romey! Pretty cool to hear about the dude credited with creating a trend!
-Matt
mburosh@gmail.com
http://www.myspace.com/mattyclips
yeah he’s cool. he very artistic and humble despite all his accomplishments.
Great article Romey! Very interesting and cool artist. Kept thinking his designs would make great tattoos.
-Bonnie-
i love converge, bannon, and MMA… and especially Fight! for bringing them all together. Its not too hard to draw a parallel between Converge’s music and MMA. I’d sure as hell fight someone to it.
Nice!
really good article. i got a 2/3 art recognition, which makes me wonder how i didn’t piece this together before. i’m actually a little surprised to hear the Bannon is a humble guy, because if i was as influential as i consider him to be, i might let it get to my head. it’s also nice to hear that Deathwish is sponsoring (some) fighters; the more angles sponsors come in from, the better. i’m also looking forward to converge’s new album, they’re such a great band.
hilarious…about two years ago, I’m in Target and start throwing a hissy-fit at all the t-shirts in there because I’m picturing all the money that should be going Jake’s way for the way people have ripped him off….then this article confirmed it…
Jake is a great, humble guy. A good training partner and a friend who tries to help the MMA community in many ways.
Oh wow, his work is really amazing!!!
umm… converge is my favorite band in the world.. and they like MMA! oh good lord.
Daniel – yeah from the contact that i had with JB, he seems really nice, chill and humble. glad you like his work, both visual and musically.
I had no idea Bannon was so tightly connected to the MMA community. Makes sense though – the attitudes and work ethics of pro fighters and Deathwish bands run parallel in so many ways.
Can’t wait for the new Converge album…
i know JB more from musical and visual works. and yeah, he’s genius.
If you like his art, you’ll love his music. Converge kills it with every song.
Favorite band of all time. If I start fighting I would want Deathwish to sponsor me. I could only be so lucky. Amazing artist, co-owner of one of the best labels ever (they NEVER disappoint), and vocalist for such a crucial band. Definitely someone I look up to.
[...] expensive shirts. Converge is one of Casey’s favorite bands. So it was exciting to read a FIGHT! Magazine feature on Bannon, whose Deathwish Records also sponsors fighters like Dan and Joe Lauzon. We’re thrilled about [...]
Cool article. I want a Deathwish sponsorship
I’ve always said that about half the Jane Doe album makes me want to punch someone. I guess that’s what he was going for.
I liked this. It’s good to give Jacob credit for his hard work and his contribution, which is unquestionably influential beyond those who know him by name. The one thing that is a shame is that with being so influential, people have come in and reduced his aesthetic down to a mere formula: a skull, a battle helmet or anything… slap some wings on it… logo in Old English and make it look “distressed.” It’s gotten so played-out. But you can still look at Jacob’s work and compare it to “other” designs and you can see in the little nuances and details who’s really putting themselves into the work and who’s just trying to hustle merch.
I have met the guy also and I can vouch he is very humble. I appreciate the man for every thing he has done for these various communities.