Roller Derby Posters: A Visual Study

Carlson, Jennifer. “The Female Signifiant In All-Women’s Amateur Roller Derby.” Sociology Of Sport Journal 27.4 (2010): 428:440. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 10 April. 2015.

Branding and the consistency of brand recognition is the styling that dominates modern roller derby visuals. This allows the viewer to easily recognize skaters as part of a larger group, and focus less on the individual skater’s persona. 

Even in the international market, roller derby posters have become more mainstream media focused. Modern roller derby hopes to visually appeal to a wider audience. However, in doing so, these new visuals are more in line with the visuals used to advertise male professional sports. 

TXRD’s new bout posters and re-branding brings together a harmony of roller derby culture with the high level athleticism of modern roller derby.This serves as a great example of how an all-female sport can retain it’s identity as it integrates into mainstream sports. 

Texas Roller Derby, as the league that started the roller derby revival, created a new marketing campaign for their 2015 season. The idea was to re-brand the league as a group of elite athletes, while still retaining the original personality of TXRD. By highlighting the femininity and strength of these women, the re-branding became a huge success. In his article “Rhetoric, Humanism, and Design” Richard Buchanan explains “Few designers are content to describe their work as mere styling.  Yet, most recognize that the appearance and expressive quality of products is critically important not only in marketing but in the substantive contribution of daily living...The neopositive approach is to distinguish sharply between emotion and cognition, leaving expression as something emotive, irrational, intuitive, and noncognitive...expression does not clothe design thinking, it is design thinking” (244). Advertising must be true to the brand, but with a clear design standard that is easily recognizable by the audience. 

Pavildis, Adele, and Simone Fullagar. “Narrating the Multiplicity of ‘Derby Grrrl’: Exploring Intersectionality And The Dynamic of Affect In Roller Derby.” Lesisure Sciences 35.5 (2013): 42-437. Business Source Complete. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.

Much like the rhetoric of graffiti, bout posters have their own special meanings only those part of the culture understand. These images are clear enough that they appeal to a wider audience with their sleek, properly branded design, but also offer deeper meaning to those who have an in. 

Stopped by Bruised Boutique in Metairie to buy new laces for my skates. I was more than pleased to see derby posters from other Louisiana leagues! Shout out to my derby sisters in Baton Rouge and Thibodaux.

Finley, Nancy J. “Skating Femininity: Gender Maneuvering in Women’s Roller Derby.” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography vol. 39, no 4, pp. 359-387. Web. 14 April 2015.

The theatrical visuals of bout posters are used to appeal to certain demographics of roller derby enthusiasts. Counter cultural movement, like roller derby, purposely choose visual representations that are abrasive to the mainstream. These posters help the viewer visualize and interpret the alternative culture of derby. 

The hand drawn style dominates the early ascetics of bout posters in the early 2000s. Following in the footsteps of 1970′s punk counter cultural movement, roller derby aimed to market itself as theatrical, yet filled with personal identity.

La Gorce, Tammy (2008-11-07). "With Names That Could Kill, Women Rev Up Roller Derby". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-12-17. (New York print edition: 2008-11-09 p. NJ6)