PROJECT VISION
This is a personal recreation of Kanye West’s fifth album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, in the form of a music poster. This is a more complex and detailed design compared to the album cover. However, there were multiple different covers and arts created for this album. This project was made using Adobe Photoshop.
OVERVIEW
Role
Graphic Design
Duration
2 Weeks
Type
Poster Design
Team
1 person design team
CHALLENGE
To recreate Kanye West fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Adding a unique twist and its own personality in a form of a poster while keeping the same theme and feeling of the original album cover.
INSPIRATION
I had a desire to recreate this album because it’s one of my favorite albums to date. I can easily say that this album is one of the best produced album of all time. Each track feels completely different and it honestly feels like an organized mess of sound. This wasn’t an album that I liked when I first heard it, but over time it grew on me and I learned to appreciate its craft. I’m not the only one who appreciate this album either, Billboard named this album “Album of The Decade”. With this album holding a place in my heart, I wanted to see what I could do with my skill set at the time; to experiment with different elements for this poster.
THEME
I wanted to keep the same theme of the current album cover(s) as I loved the unique art style. The album cover and the other alternative photos/paintings was created by George Condo. I loved all the different album covers that Condo painted as they were all amazing in their own right. I decided that in my poster that I would add them all but add a personal touch. Condo’s paintings felt chaotic and I wanted to simulate a similar feeling while not making the poster overwhelming.
Censored version as the uncensored versions couldn’t be sold in-stores
Uncensored version of the album cover
PAINTINGS
There are many different versions of the album cover and they are unique and amazing in their own ways. I had no favorites and I wanted to add them all in within my poster to show appreciation towards the album.
Different album covers made for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
I made the first photo, Kanye with a harpy, the main center photo as that was the official original album cover. I added paint scratches to make it feel like the painting was unfinished and fading into the background. I placed a white paint stroke on the upper right corner to make it seem like it was an error made while painting.
I placed the calligraphy painting of the words “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” at the very top and centered. It gives it the effect where the title is presenting the poster itself.
For the rest of the paintings that I’ve placed, I placed it on each side of the center painting. I used a dripping/melting like effect to make painting was almost melting away. I found it to be really appealing. I did it to each individual painting on each side and enjoyed how it added to the overall feeling of the poster.
Before and after adding the melting effect
OTHER DETAILS
The background for the poster was the iconic red that’s on the original album cover. The red is actually painted as if you look closer, you can notice the texture and brush strokes.
Zoomed in to further show the texture and the brush strokes of the background
For the font, I decided to use Vladimir Script as I felt cursive fit the theme the most. These paintings made by George Condo almost reminded me of renaissance paintings and I familiarized that era with cursive writing.
I added roses and a skull with the same melt out on a whim because I was testing around with details to add. However I decided to leave them in as further fit a somewhat renaissance painting feeling.
Lastly I added Kanye West’s record label logo, GOOD Music, and his signature at the bottom. I did this because I felt that since it was his album, it was only natural to add his signature and record label on a poster based off his fifth studio album. I added Parental Advisory as any album with explicit content is require to have these.
Record label logo (left) and Kanye West signature (right)
