They can be subdued or suggestive and can grab your attention without you even knowing it.

To the average person, it's just something to glance at, but for those who create the fliers that advertise concerts, it's art.

Flier artists can be kids who print off of their personal computers or they can be college graduates who charge up to $150 per design.

From Lansing…

Craig Horky is one of the many artists who has moved from sketching fliers to high-quality productions.

Horky, who lives in Blissfield, Mich., spends much of his free time in the Lansing area going to concerts and has become a well-known name in the world of southern-Michigan flier art. When he's not in Lansing or designing flier art, Horky works as a graphic artist for Monroe Bank & Trust.

Most recently, the Art Institute of Pittsburgh graduate has been designing numerous fliers for the Brighter Days Infoshop, 1914 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing.

"I prefer to know the band; I try to use imagery that fits the band, and if I can't do that, I just try and make it look cool," he said. Horky also has designed flier art for performances at Caffe Latte, 110 Charles St., and The Elbow Room in Ypsilanti.

One of Horky's favorite fliers was made for the Lansing area group The Fundamentals. The flier depicts the face of Latin American revolutionary hero Ernesto "Che" Guevara with makeup along the lines of that of KISS guitarist Ace Frehley.

"They're all pretty big KISS fans and they're into socialism too, so I thought it would be a funny juxtaposition," he said.

Horky has been designing art that advertises bands since he was in middle school.

"My brother had a band - a real Ramones-style punk band - and they needed some advertising, and they knew I liked to draw," he said. "It started out as something for them, then it turned into something for myself, for my bands."

Now, Horky considers designing flier art a hobby and says he's always looking for new bands to draw for.

All of Horky's art starts out as a sketch, then he scans it into a computer where he colors it in.

Constant travel all around southern and central Michigan seems like a bit much, but Horky said he enjoys the travel.

"I don't mind riding 45 minutes to work and then driving up to Lansing to visit friends and meet with bands," he said.

Because Horky is a professional now, he does charge for his talents. But he said the payment doesn't always have to be made with bucks.

"I'm pretty flexible, because it's something I like to do," he said. "Some places pay me by letting me into shows for free."

Horky also gets lucky occasionally when he does a favor for someone with ties to recording studios.

Horky plays guitar in The Cartridge Family and bass guitar in the hard-rock group Samaira.

"Recording time is another payment, and that and free shows are both pretty valuable," he said.

… to Detroit

MSU graduate Tom Deja is one of the most well-known flier artists in the Detroit area. After graduating from MSU in 1994 with an art degree, he went to Detroit and joined a band. His experience in the Detroit music scene, he said, is what has launched his career as a flier artist.

"I became friends with a lot of those guys from The Dirtbombs and bands like that," he said. "I've made contacts at the Lager House (in Detroit) and at The Magic Stick (in Ferndale) with people I met through friends who were in bands, and they're generally the ones that contact me."

Deja has designed more than 300 concert fliers for bands and artists such as The Dirtbombs, The Von Bondies, The Electric Six, The Paybacks, The Verve Pipe and Holly Golightly.

Deja said he gets his inspiration for the fliers from all kinds of different places. He usually tries to make the fliers interesting and funny.

Much of Deja's flier art features pop-culture references or personal jokes.

"Inspiration can come from anything. I just did one for a Valentine's Day show that has a John Cusack kind of guy holding up a boombox," he said. "Everyone recognizes that it deals with love."

Depending on whether Deja knows the groups he is designing for, he usually tries to represent them. But there are bands he does work for that he's never heard - which makes things difficult, he said.

Charging anywhere from $50 to $150 for his original artwork, Deja said he receives e-mails from fans looking to collect fliers of their favorite bands.

Deja, who now lives in Chicago and works as a graphic designer by day and a freelance flier artist on his time off work, recently was contacted and invited to appear in a compilation book. Titled "The Art of Modern Rock," the book will feature flier artists and fliers for bands and artists all over the country. It's slated for release this spring.

Mass appeal

Aaron Dare, an advertising junior and manager for the local rock group Killer Miller, finds that the more professional the flier looks, the larger the crowd.

"You see this handmade black-and-white flier versus a classy, nice cardstock flier, I think it makes a big difference in people's minds," he said. "It's creating an image."

Dare said his friend, Ringling School of Arts student Steve Jacob, is the mastermind behind both the band's logo and posters.

"We got a logo from a piece of artwork he did back in high school that he always had thought would be great to use for a band," he said. "He's working on a design right now where we can get them mass-produced and it will look really professional; that's what it's all about."

Although some bands and venues hire artists, many local bars make their own.

Steve Lambert, the booking agent for Mac's Bar, 2700 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing, said he and fellow booking agent Mark Phillips usually make their own.

Lambert said the most important aspect of event fliers and posters is that they must clearly present the names of the performers and the location of the event.

"A flier can be colorful or black (and) white, on glossy paper or just plain paper, but I believe that its overall the way you present the names and event on the flier that helps a show," he said.

Jerome White, general manager at The Temple Club, 500 E. Grand River Ave. in Lansing's Old Town, said he has been designing fliers since 1994, starting with the rave scene.

Rave fliers were the only form of promotion for the events, White said, therefore revolutionizing the art of fliering.

"With the rave generation, the artwork was very creative and artistic," he said. "This generation helped bring a new kind of artwork into the public's eye, one that rarely received any attention previously or even recently because of its lack of practicality."

White said today's club scene still has a hint of the rave elements in a club's print materials and fliers - just not as extreme.

"Clubs nowadays must take a more conservative approach to fliers and posters, as to appeal to a broader market," he said.

White said he also tries to convey a late-'60s and early-'70s retro feel in the fliers because it appeals to the younger, club-going generations.

"Your art must accurately portray the general theme or feeling of the event and be eye-catching enough for people to want to pick it up or put it in their pocket," he said.