A Signature Style: 50 Years of Music Icons
TYPOGRAPHY II
Visual Systems · Type Design
50 Years of Music Icons is a typographic poster series designed for an exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. With the objective being to create cohesive visual systems with an emphasis on typography, the series celebrates the contributions Madonna, Jimi Hendrix, and Ravi Shankar made to the world of music.
The concept, titled “A Signature Style”, fuses the widely recognized physical styles of these icons with their groundbreaking contribution to the music scene.
Type Exploration
The first phase of my design process involved physical experimentation with type through folding, bending, cutting, layering, soaking and smearing.
Research and Concept Sketches
Material, Type, and Color Exploration
Continuing along my fashion theme, I sifted through scrap fabrics until I landed upon materials that captured the essence of each artist. I selected a reflective and holographic material to correspond with Madonna’s flashy and glamorous look, red velvet for Jimi Hendrix in tribute to his iconic red velvet suit, and desi patterned fabric to pay homage to Ravi Shankar’s Indian roots.
For the information portion of the poster series, I chose to use the typeface Futura, as it conveys boldness and forwardness which are qualities deeply expressed by these influential music icons.
HEX #1C255B
RGB 28, 37, 91
CMYK 100, 95, 34, 28
HEX #4A161A
RGB 74, 22, 26
CMYK 43, 85, 72, 65
HEX #7E401A
RGB 126, 64, 26
CMYK 33, 75, 100, 35
Layout
I moved into the next phase of my ideation process by experimenting with various arrangements of my textiles and type, beginning with Madonna. In order to better compliment the artist, I altered the colors in Photoshop.
After realizing I preferred the clumped, central style best, I applied it to all of my subjects. I created multiple configurations using twisted fabrics and physical cutouts of the type.
Madonna's flashy and edgy attire visually represents the provocative themes in her music, which served to promote freedom of expression.
The deep purple background symbolizes her feminine boldness in a time period where that quality, like purple, was rare.
Jimi Hendrix’s funky style often included red velvet, which symbolized his lively and vivacious stage presence and mirrored his movement to challenge what exactly was considered to be music during the time period.
In order to parallel his passionate performances, a crimson red serves as the background.
Ravi Shankar’s traditional desi apparel symbolizes the classical Indian culture and music style he remained true to despite cross-collaborating with the Western world.
The dark terracotta colored background delivers a warm mood and reflects the security Shankar had in his identity.