After Dark: Handouts worth keeping

They're small, portable, easy to distribute and they get the message across. Club flyers are more than just pieces of advertising - they are marvels of concise communication

Peeling club flyers off your car windscreen after a night out may seem like a bit of a chore, but next time you reach to scrunch them up, take a closer look. These days, clubs are putting more effort into creating an image; the result is a flourishing art form.

Over 15 years, flyers have developed their own idiom - occasionally bootleg, often raw, sometimes dazzling but never conventional.

"We want people to be impressed with our flyers. We want them to pin it on the board at work and keep it," says Melinda Shelbourne, co-promoter of Future Bitch.

Future Bitch (FB), launched earlier this month at Ministry of Sound, set tongues wagging in clubland. This one-off party was based around a fictional character and her distant world of revelry and style.

FB flyers are innovative and colourful (and will be featured in the Illustrator's Yearbook) while the much sought-after VIP passes were metallic tokens mounted inside a 3D see-through inflatable.

"There are so many flyers and clubs that you have to be imaginative," Shelbourne explains. "We had an image of the character; futuristic with a human edge, so we spoke to designer Will Harvey and gave him a wide brief. What he came back with was spot on."

But will any club ever rival the unique style of Puscha's promotional material? Since its inception six years ago, Pushca has become a byword for clubbing chic. The flyers are instantly recognisable, while the parties are legendary.

"I hope that our flyers look fashionable and sexy," says one half of Pushca, Debbie. "I want people who are those things to relate to them and say, `That's me'."

"It's about flamboyant escapism, the whole package," says partner Rick. "You wear things that you'd be embarrassed to wear during the daytime, that's how we keep our edge. Pushca isn't everybody's cup of tea but that's OK, we wouldn't have it any other way."

Pushca's long-term association with fashion illustrator Jason Brooks has meant that their flyers are instantly recognisable. "We didn't seek out a fashion illustrator,." says Debbie. "We just wanted a new look for our flyers and someone mentioned Jason. It's been a perfect marriage."

"He's a brilliant artist," agrees Rick. "He goes to New York, Paris and Milan and creates the flyers from what he sees on the catwalks. We are about fashion and that is how we stay ahead of the game."

However, success has its pitfalls. Rip-offs of Pushca's flyers have appeared as far afield as Japan, Barcelona and Milan, in addition to countless pirates in the UK. Their fame is such that one enterprising individual in Nottingham named her fashion store "Pushca" and had an image from a flyer blown up and painted onto her shop.

Small-time promoters stealing images could possibly be perceived as a back-handed compliment but, increasingly, interest comes from bigger fish.

Pushca have had to legally defend their copyright in the past and they are currently in litigation with a major fashion house over advertising for a new fragrance.

"We don't take kindly to people ripping us off," says Rick. "It's beyond youth culture. They've associated themselves with club culture and have now brought out a CD, have a club tour and advertise in club magazines."

Despite legal wranglings, Pushca are currently focused on the most outrageous New Year's Eve party to date. "We may not play so-called cutting-edge music but we do demand cutting-edge fashion and glamour," says Debbie. "There are thousands of dull clubs but if you want something different then Pushca gives it to you."

Can't wait to see the flyers!