Let’s be honest: Hanging cheap-looking sci-fi movie and television posters on your wall is a bit gauche.
But if you can’t resist, we found an Etsy-based store who reimagines popular images from nerd culture into hip, must-have room decorations that will appease any design-minded geek in your family. It’s called the Geekerie, and it makes pictures and quotes from Star Wars, Doctor Who, and BBC’s Sherlock (to name a few) to look like they belong in the Museum of Modern Art.
“We like to think our products offer a snarky twist on popular sci fi and fantasy subject matter while breaking new ground in retro-futuristic and minimalist art trends,” explained store owner Christian Petersen, adding that his store skews toward the “geek fringes” of pop culture.
Started in 2011, Petersen said his Etsy store is a solo shop, where he designs, prints, and ships each poster. The Columbia, S.C. resident actually spends his days, though, as a digital artist for an industrial product manufacturer called The Neue Modern, which just so happens to run an Etsy shop that focuses on modern art.
For the Geekerie, he siphons suggestions from fans for what geek-related item he should design on a high-quality matte paper.
“So, to say that the fans run the store is no exaggeration,” Petersen said. “A large portion of the products we offer are based on suggestions from fans or culled from our library of custom orders.”
The most popular items fan suggest are typographical drawings of quotes from British comedy IT Crowd and pop art-inspired X-Men posters. Petersen said that everything from Doctor Who sells well. “People are nuts about Timelord,” he joked.
The Geekerie is kicking off the holiday season, Petersen’s favorite time of year, with discounted items. He’ll also add custom add-ons to orders, like handdrawn cards or special notes to his frequent customers.
“It is an unwritten understanding that Etsy sellers are going to be more receptive to personalization because, as a buyer, you know you are dealing with a small business, and not a mass-production facility,” he said.
Petersen is focused on selling his geek-minded art, but he hinted that there might be an expansion in his plans.
“There may come a time in the future where I can expand,” he said, “but for now, this is a humble home-based, part-time affectation to soothe the geek within.”
Photos by the Geekerie/Etsy
