Designs for David

Bowie Blackstar Album Art

Jonathan Barnbrook’s give away of the David Bowie Blackstar album art work is probably the coolest tribute yet to the late legend’s legacy. And there’s been a lot of them.

I, admittedly, am very late to the party…ahh, to pass on my condolences. Mr. David Bowie left us over a month ago, January 16. Like most, his passing shocked me. I was also surprised by the outpouring of RIPs which flooded social media. A proud card carrying member of the National Cynics Society*, I saw many of the sad faces that flooded my news feed as less than genuine.

Well my darkstar of a heart was wrong. Partly. While not all the people who rushed to post their I-heard-it-first RIPs could tell a Man Who Fell to Earth from a Thin White Duke, the passing of David Bowie did led many people to (re)discover the music. A testament to the tunes is that their swell in popularity is showing some resiliency. At post time Blackstar is sitting at 22 on the Billboard 200. Up 20 spots from last weeks 42. (I’ve never felt more like Casey Kassem in my life.)

As the tributes have poured in over the last month we’ve also been reminded that Bowie was a fan of self-expression in its many forms. Fine Art, theatre, film, you name it.

Barnbrook’s release of the Bowie Blackstar album art work is a generous tip of the hat to his late employer, while offering fans the gift of creation. We can download design elements of Blackstar and use as we please, just not for profit. Use the pieces to create T-shirts, tattoos, star-shaped burnt toast. Create something, it’ll make the Starman up there very happy.

Find Bowie Blackstar album art here bowieblackstar.net.

*Okay it’s not a thing, but if it was I’d bet the were a bunch of posers.