Wes Wilson was a poster designer in 1960’s California and one of the lead designers of the psychedelic poster movement of the time. He defined the style that we now associate with the 1960’s, and many of the other designers followed his lead in create trippy poster art.
He grew up in Sacramento and came from a printing background, working as a printer until the psychedelic poster craze when he began taking commissions. Wilson often designed posters with a strong socio-political message, such as a swastika imprinted with the American flag.
It was around this time in which he invented the font now associated with the 1960’s psychedelic poster style, with its flowing and dripping letters simulating a swirling LSD trip. His posters sold rapidly, becoming a benchmark for hippies and artists and everyone who believed that the United States should be making love, not war.
Like many other poster artists at the time, Wilson was designing for The Grateful Dead, and he received a National Endowment for the Arts in 1968. His posters can be found in many modern art museums as well as in the hands of collectors, and if you wanted to see his work it can be viewed in the Smithsonian, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art.
Wes Wilson passed away from cancer just recently on January 24th, 2020 at the age of 82.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wes_Wilson