The 27 Club - A Very Short Brief

This design was a quick response to the 27 Club brief to depict an artist who died at 27. I chose Robert Johnson who had a particularly interesting music style and history.

Rationale: Most of Johnson's life was shrouded in mystery and there is a particular legend about him that suggests he gained his musical talents by making a bargain with the devil (hence the devil ears.) Son House, a famed blues musician and a contemporary of Johnson, claimed that he was always a terrible guitarist - until he disappeared for a few weeks in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Legend has it that Johnson took his guitar to the crossroads of Highways 49 and 61, where he made a deal with the devil, who retuned his guitar in exchange for his soul. The sinister design is to reflect this mysterious, darker side to his life, it is even speculated that he died by poisoning.

To make it I painted a rough portrait of Johnson and then inverted it, this meant it looked far darker and supernatural. The devil horns were added to accentuate this point, with the flat red contrasting well with the smudges of the painting. However, the eyes were illustrated over, is inverted it meant the pupils seemed insanely small - which seemed too much.

The exhibition was wonderful to be a part of and seeing other designer's work was incredibly inspiring.