Heart and Torch, Big Brother & the Holding Company, Santana, Chicago Transit Authority, September 12-14, Filmore West

Known for his complex but legible designs, Rick Griffin often combined eclectic typefaces and decorative borders of brilliant colors in his concert posters. For this 1968 poster announcing a concert at the Fillmore West, Griffin spells out the headliner acts Big Brother and Santana with tendril-like lettering that surrounds a central heart and torch motif symbolizing unity, enlightenment, and the life force. The motif’s similarity to the Christian sacred heart symbol was likely intentional, as Griffin would later identify as a born-again Christian.