Eyeing Up My Competition

As the deadline for the To Death With A Smile has been, I thought I would have a scout around the internet to see what I am competing with:

I found this on Behance by Ruchi Shah, from India:

This is by Andrew Campos, a graphic designer:

By Marina Linderman on a portfolio site in America:

By Yasmin Marquez:

They are all completely different interpretations to the idea death; some I like, some I'm not so keen on.

Day of The Dead in the Metro

Guitar Soundholes

For one of my ideas I want to make the skulls eyes, guitar soundholes. Here are some examples I have been looking at...

This one happens to be a Mexican Classical Guitar:

The detail for some of these are really intricate, especially the one below...

Travis Barker

This is an awesome skull I found while on the Travis Barker website, he has some pretty cool CD designs too (bottom 4 images).

Damien Hirst

I probably shouldn't have this on my blog but I thought it was apt, it's Damien Hirst (former LCA) and it's a skull... obviously. This is incredible, he must like precious stones, as I have a source who has been to his house and apparently he has a huge amethyst in his bathroom! 

In terms of my practice, this seems like a good structure for my designs, all the other skulls have had their mouth closed and been quite cartoony while this, especially the teeth seems more realistic.

Dia de muertos

This is quite an amusing representation of a skull, the sombrero and the moustache really give a Mexican vibe! This is for the celebration of the Day of the Dead, and the event includes live performances, traditional food - it sounds really good.

I love the colours used, and the style of the type is appropriate for the theme.

Ducked and Covered

Not related to my briefs but nevertheless I find it interesting and visually pleasing. The animation won quite a lot of awards across the USA and the UK, and their has been quite a lot of press coverage on it too. I love the simplicity of it all - the minimal colours, detail or images, and no fancy effects, but it still works really well and communicates what it should.

PRHT

Again, I absolutely love this, it reminds me of the Lionsgate ident, with the cogs turning and the camera panning in. This is also by the same person who did the skull montage. Taken from Vimeo.

Skull Montage

This ties in my research into skulls and my love of motion! I would love to create something like this, unfortunately at the moment I do not know how to use Cinema 4D. Taken from: http://www.motionserved.com/gallery/skull-montage/634311

Day of the Dead

It would be crazy for me not to post some Day of the Dead imagery, this is a competition in Mexico afterall:

A t-shirt design, taken from: http://www.frenzyart.com/product/ojos-de-fuego-trivet

From Up North

Some fantastic examples of skull imagery here:

Taken from: http://www.fromupnorth.com/2011/07/awesome-skull-designs-294/

Poison Apple

This is a really clever use of the skull, with the reference of skull and poison apple there is a really horrifying feel created here. The serifs on the type complement the style of the illustration, and a suitable colour palette has been used, although my attention is drawn to apple before poison...

Taken from http://logopond.com/gallery/detail/85656

Pirates of the Caribbean

Obviously, while I am on the pirates theme from the Deadman's Rum, I would have to include the skull used in POTC. I love the textures used throughout which really give it that old but solid feel. Here, the skull can be used in quite a menacing way.

Deadman's Rum

This is fantastic! I love the colours, the style, the type, it really works. This has a totally different feel from some of the other examples I have looked at. This does not even symbolise death in my opinion - I see it more as a metaphor.
Taken from http://logopond.com/gallery/detail/28833

Pixel or Pixskull?

This is cool, completely different from the skulls I have looked at so far, could be a great logo! As it lacks detail and tone I think it seems less doom and gloom that you normally get from a skull.
Taken from http://logopond.com/gallery/detail/42565

One 4 Sorrow

Beautiful skull illustration taken from http://one4sorrow.com/ where they sell limited edition t-shirts. I love the tonal quality used in this piece, and the Old English type with it, however I am not so sure on the layout for the type, it seems rather muddled.

I Want Your Skull

Book cover for I Want Your Skull Issue 9, a book put together showing different artist's illustrations of skulls. Found: www.iwantyourskull.com

A look inside the book...

I am not definitely sure I will be using skulls in my work, but I thought it would be a great starting point for visual investigation.

This is a cool cover for Issue 2:

Peter Anderson