Heat Eaters
First We Feast approached our team at Complex to create a visual brand identity for their new, spicy food adventure YouTube show, Heat Eaters. My responsibilities were to create photo direction and a brand identity for the show’s key art promotional material. The responsibilities also consisted of creating: a logo, graphics show package, and motion toolkit. My process began with researching old diner signage and food packaging. This inspiration would aid the strategic approach in designing a fun, modern identity for the Youtube show that allows it to have its own personality while still falling under the Hot Ones’ umbrella.
Category: Art direction, photo direction, GFX package, Brand identity
Client: Complex / First We Feast
AD: Ben Kopp / Elijah Justice
Design: Elijah Justice
Motion GFX: Dan Mcnamara
Complex Sneakers Social Shoots
Complex Sneakers wanted to showcase upcoming sneaker releases and increase engagement across their social channels. I needed to create an art direction unique to their channel and it had to be something that could be setup for weekly shoots.
The solution I came up with placed emphasis on one of the most important factors in buying sneakers: the colorway. Each shoot had strategically picked colors that complimented the shoes, but never overpowered them.
The concept of the shot list was to take the audience on a sneaker unboxing, highlighting every aspect of the sneaker. It was important that the photos make the viewer feel like the shoes are in front of them and they are unboxing it for themselves. Each shoot had ten selects that were posted on Complex Sneakers’ Instagram.
Category: Art direction, Photo direction, Visual identity
Client: Complex
Photographer: Omari Graham
Art Director: Elijah Justice
Senior Social Strategist, Sneakers: Ben Felderstein
Photo Assistant: Jermaine Dyson
JFG X MCA Presents: “The Youth in You is Happy”
Under the creative direction of Joe Freshgoods, I created graphics, illustrations and paintings for a collaborative clothing collection between Joe Freshgoods and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The collection was inspired by learning, creativity, and staying true to your inner kid. I revisited my own childhood art projects and researched family photos of black families to bring Joe’s vision to life.
Category: Apparel design, illustration
Client: Joe Freshgoods
Creative Direction: Joe Freshgoods
Billie Eilish & VERBAL Take Over Tokyo Arcade
Billie Eilish & VERBAL meet at an arcade in Tokyo to discuss their favorite current artists, Billie’s new album ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT’, and their shared love for anime and Japanese streetwear.
My responsibilities for this graphics package were concepting a fun, cohesive art direction system and executing all static branding/on-screen graphic elements. The overall goal for this Youtube show was to create an identity that blended the fun, vibrancy of Japanese arcade culture with Complex’s design sense.
Category: Art direction, GFX package, Brand identity, GFX package
Client: Complex
DD: Ben Kopp
AD & Design: Elijah Justice
Motion GFX: Dan Mcnamara
West Date Ever
West Date Ever follows breakout reality star and Complex creator West Wilson as he takes celebrities and influencers on dates that turn competition into chemistry. Watch as they go head-to-head in fun challenges and engage in revealing conversations about life and love.
My responsibilities were to create photo direction and a brand identity for West Date Ever’s key art promotional material. I collaborated with the show’s director and star talent to create a fun, sporty, 2000s rom-com inspired photoshoot. The logo and visual identity combines the look of 70s tennis posters with modern dating shows. While on set we utilized napkin sketches, tennis gear, flowers, and engaging poses to create a date night atmosphere with light humor to show West isn’t too cool to put his heart on the line.
Category: Art direction, Photo direction, Brand identity, Logo design
Client: Complex
WDE Director: Viviane Feldman
Photographer: David Cabrera
AD & Design: Elijah Justice
Self-Care by Elijah Justice
Self-Care SS22 by Elijah Justice is inspired by the journey of healing and acceptance of self-love. This clothing collection was made for my self-titled apparel brand, Elijah Justice. The collection was a response to experiences I had during and after Covid-19. I created the art direction, photo direction, and apparel graphics. The graphics were hand drawn to keep an organic tone and puff ink was used for additional texture. Then I collaborated with friends who are photographers, social strategists, project managers, and models to create this lookbook.
It was important that the photoshoot felt like a release of stress and anxiety. I wanted everyone to leave the set feeling relaxed and happy, like how one feels leaving a therapy session. We used color theory to strategically place each garment and model on a colored backdrop. After shooting the lookbook, the collection was sold on my brand’s website, where I then packaged and shipped the items myself.
Category: Art direction, Photo direction, Apparel design, E-commerce
Creative Director: Elijah Justice
Photographer: @girlgone.gotham
Producer: @world_of_andrew
Assistant Producer: @Kent_h
Styling Assistant: @jamieleebu
Models: @thecherokeeeffect, @codey___, @jorpanda, @justasksav, @downthreeone, @cashmeretote
Kerwin Frost Talks
Kerwin Frost is back on the scene with his hit show, “Kerwin Frost Talks”, where he discusses any and everything with his friends and tastemakers in music, fashion, culture, etc.
Since Kerwin’s hit show found a new home at Complex, I was tasked with creating a visual identity that consisted of logo design, a graphics package, and key art. My process began with researching the first edition of Kerwin Frost Talks, previous Kerwin Frost branded projects and Kerwin’s personality. This research for the art and photo direction would guide me as I designed all static on-screen graphic elements and key art promotional material. I worked with the team to put together photo direction for a quick photoshoot in the woods outside of Los Angeles and everything started to come together. Once all static graphics were made, I provided direction for motion team. The end result being a fun and quirky show package that mixes hand drawn illustrations with clean typography to keep viewers engaged as they listen to exclusive interviews only Kerwin can pull off.
Category: Art direction, Photo direction, GFX package, Brand identity
Client: Complex
DD: Ben Kopp
AD & Design: Elijah Justice
Motion GFX: Dan Mcnamara
Pizza Wars: Quest for the Perfect Slice
On this special episode of Pizza Wars: Quest for the Perfect Slice, host Nicole Russell is on a mission to better understand the current state of the $1 slice in NYC.
My responsibilities were to create photo direction and a brand identity for the show’s key art promotional material. I collaborated with the First We Feast team and star talent, Nicole Russell, to create an engaging pizza eating, wheat paste inspired photoshoot. The goal for the key art was to communicate that Nicole is out in the streets of NYC searching for the perfect slice of pizza.
The logo and visual identity builds off the existing Pizza Wars branding while combining the look of 80s video games with modern twist. While on set we had boxes of pepperoni pizza and shot a variety of poses to create a series of key art promotional posters that will make your stomach growl.
Category: Art direction, Photo direction, Brand identity, Logo design
Client: Complex / First We Feast
Photographer: Buzzfeed Inc
AD & Design: Elijah Justice
The Best and Worst Years in Rap History
Complex NTWRK released two new stories "Ranking the 20 Best Years in Rap History" and "Ranking the 10 Worst Years in Rap History". For these features I wanted to create an art direction and design system for both social and website channels that pulled inspiration from a few points of hip-hop history. These sources of inspiration were:
1.) The old rap collages I seen in barbershops growing up. These posters always featured artists like Biggie, Tupac, Lil Kim, etc. 2.) Early forms of music consumption. I studied a variety of cassette tapes and their cover designs. This helped me create something that felt organic to the history the team was researching. 3.) Then I needed to add some of Complex's DNA into the art direction, so I looked at how vinyls, cassette tapes, CDs, and modern day streaming services utilized typography to market rollouts.
Overall this is the final execution of the art direction and design for Complex's "Ranking the 20 Best Years in Rap History".
Category: Art direction, Brand Design, Design System
Client: Complex
DD: Ben Kopp
AD: Elijah Justice
Design: Jefte Castillo, Elijah Justice
Editorial Lead Design
A strong lead image makes a viewer want to click and read an article. These are a few editorial lead images that I’ve designed for Complex. Each of them have design characteristics that have become essential in my toolkit of making great imagery. Some of these essential characteristics include: grunge textures, collage, mixed media, illustration, color theory, humor, strong composition and layout.
Category: Editorial design & illustration
Logo Design
Various logos designed for commercial clients.
Category: Logo & brand design
Album Art Design
Album art is often times a music lovers first interaction with a new song. Having strong art will make a user play your song. These are a few album and single art that I’ve designed for various music artists (credits are below). Usually each album is accompanied with a systemic single art rollout leading to the album. My role in each of these projects ranged from using grunge textures, collage, mixed media, painting, color theory, strong composition and layout, typography, logo design, photo retouching, etc.