GDE730 - BRIEF TWO RESEARCH — SARA RUSSELL DESIGN

BRIEF TWO

RESEARCH & CASE STUDIES

Collaborations in Music

Inspired by the lecture focusing on graphic design collaborations, I rounded up some collabs in music that I feel have an equal push and pull, or call and response where both parties benefit from the creative partnership. I looked particularly at collabs between different art mediums, like music and photography, music and art, music and poetry. The Joni Mitchell one is just for fun, but I think her album covers that used her artwork did elevate her overall standing as an artist - not only arguably the world’s greatest songwriter, but a well-rounded visual artist too.

There can be complex power dynamics in collaborations if the parties involved are at unequal stages in their career, but I think the most important part of collaborations is an equal passion, skill and talent that both bring to the table.

CASE STUDIES

Questions I’d like to investigate and uncover that will help shape my brief two project:
How did this come about? Who approached who? Was the project already in the works? Who brought what to the table? Did they know each other before? What tools would assist in collaboration in music? Can I apply any of the same processes to the digital age?

Some partnerships started or evolved into romantic relationships like Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe, some collaborators moved in the same social circles like Keith Harring and Grace Jones, and some had the same ethos like Black Flag and Raymond Pettibon.

Allen Ginsberg and Phillip Glass’s collaboration come about in an unusual way, as the poem was written and spoken into a voice recorder by Ginsberg without the intention of a music response. I have seen the accompanying music piece performed live by Philip Glass a few years ago. In its live rendition, Glass plays the stunning accompanying piano piece while a recording of Ginsberg’s reading plays powerfully through speakers. You can hear the pacing and emphasis he gives to certain words, pauses, phrases, and sometimes words are hurriedly slurred together with powerful intent.

These collaborators were part of the same movement - the Beat Generation.

An excerpt from The Beat Poets, Poetry Foundation.

In the 1940s and 50s, a new generation of poets rebelled against the conventions of mainstream American life and writing. They became known as the Beat Poets–a name that evokes weariness, down-and-outness, the beat under a piece of music, and beatific spirituality (...)
Beat poets sought to write in an authentic, unfettered style. “First thought, best thought” was how central Beat poet Allen Ginsberg described their method of spontaneous writing. - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/collections/147552/an-introduction-to-the-beat-poets

Wichita Vortex Sutra (1988) is a haunting and graceful accompaniment for Allen Ginsberg's poem about the Vietnam War. The two friends bumped into each other in a bookstore in the East Village of New York and decided to collaborate. Glass wrote the music to mirror Ginsberg's reading of the poem. The beautiful, consonant harmonies juxtapose with the graphic images of war to create a disarming work. - https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/musicdb/pieces/2536/openingwichita-vortex-sutra

So, if Ginsberg and Glass didn’t bump into each other in that East Village bookstore that day - would their collaboration never happen? The tool I develop should allow for exploration of potential collaborators interested in the same genres or movements, or in the same location.

Visual Identity

I looked to the big music apps for some inspiration like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube. While they were mostlly easy to use, they didn’t have a strong brand identity once you remove album, single and playlist art. One thing that makes Spotify the strongest brand is its wrap-up graphics that take over social media every December: https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/spotify-wrapped-campaign-identity-2022-graphic-design-301122

After sharing some initial mockups with Stuart, he pointed me to this work which really helped me figure out how to reduce the visual clutter and keep things bold and slick: https://www.studio.build/case-studies