This was one of those design wish list items came across my desk. The brief asked me to create a series of posters that visually communicated the central theme and message of each play for potential audiences, I thought: no problem!
The elaborate entrance of Chad Deity
Hir
Spinning into butter
Disgraced
The Christians
I pored through every script searching for through-lines or overlaps between these very distinctive plays, so that each creative would stand out on their own, yet also be easily recognizable as part of a larger series. I played off recognizable photographic elements with clean shape overlays to editorialize the effect. Paired with a minimal color styling to give these hero images and typography the focus they needed in the composition.
The overall layout of the project had copy that had to be set at specific ratios, as per the usage agreements with the showrunners and playwrights. This posed an interesting problem, as I wanted to create a cinematic release look that also kept the visual balance consistent. I solved this by laying out the information in title blocks. This allowed me to meet the specific requirements of the usage agreements, while also creating a visually appealing and consistent design.
The result was striking, memorable and flexible, as it had to be placed on merchandise and used as advertising for the plays themselves. The set piece won a silver award at the Las Vegas AIGA work show and the theater season was highly praised by critics for bringing awareness to race, gender, domestic abuse and mental health issues.
Art Director & Designer / Hernan Valencia Creative Director / Levi Frackrell
Cockroach Theater is now the Vegas Theater Company
Cockroach Theater is now the Vegas Theater Company
