Childish Gambino Poster

As a hugely influential figure in modern rap and hip-hop, I was surprised to see to that Childish Gambino’s tour posters tended to be more retro, inspired by 60s colours and styles. To better reflect Gambino’s experimental approach to music, I set myself the brief of creating a more contemporary and distinct poster. Having originally been labelled a ‘comic rapper’ evolving to discuss more serious and introspective topics, I wanted to present this focus on self and identity within these visual. The article linked below was hugely inspirational to this work, detailing the developments in the persona of Childish Gambino.

A line that stood out to me from this article comes in its conclusion, describing 2013 song ‘IV. Sweatpants’ as ‘a holistic critique of duality’. This links closely to the artist himself, with Glover various alternate names, including Childish Gambino, to release music. I began some simple sketches – With Donald Glover’s notoriety and considering the genre conventions of music tour posters, I established early on that the artists image would be essential to this project.

Wanting this the outcome to appear complex and technical, much of the experimentation happened digitally, with only the core concept coming from sketches. I trialled and combined different ways of blurring and distorting the image, wanting to present a clear contrast or difference between the top and bottom version. The title typography present between the two images had to replicate this highly stylistic and contemporary aesthetic, combining a strong sans serif with a more retro, geometric font, linking to the influences on Gambino’s music.

To add more visual interest and present the layered complexity of Childish Gambino’s music, I began adding additional elements, adding more depth to the design. While not hugely noticeable due to their subtle layering, colouring, or sizes, these elements help to add visual texture to the concept, making it more engaging. The added grain heightens this, while further bringing the ideas of nostalgia into this concept.

The final design undeniably presents the concept of duality and the artist’s contemporary, experimental style to the forefront of his visuals. Despite Glover being a successful musician and personality, the important of consistency is essential to creating a brand people can truly connect with and feel they understand. Having tour posters that better match the aesthetics and style of the music will serve to strengthen their connection, allowing the visuals to compliment the artist’s work.