Madonna
To quote Madonna from the opening lines of her 1991 documentary, Truth or Dare: “you know, I think I’m in a state of shock…” This is what I kept repeating the week I set out to get my work seen by Madonna. If you had asked me when I was a little boy if I’d ever get the chance to work with the woman who would eventually provide the soundtrack to my life, I would have probably laughed it off or blushed from embarrassment. I remember wishing that one day I would get the chance to meet her but thinking that the likelihood of that actually happening was nearly impossible given her massive global following. Little did I know that in 2022 that childhood dream of mine would come a billion steps closer to becoming a reality.
Final single art was created using a stylized version of a photo by fashion photographer Elys Berroteran, in combination with illustration with a hand-written title treatment.
Spray painted stencil and initial typographic concept for the “Hung Up on Tokischa” single art. This typography wasn’t used in the final cover, but it was considered for inclusion in the music video.
This early version of the cover was created from a selfie that Madonna had posted to her stories. I liked the almost sinister take that this illustration took on. This is a woman who has been waiting for your call, baby, night and day.
This is the original photo taken by Elys Berroteran on the set of the official music video for “Hung Up on Tokischa.” You can see that I tried hard to keep the essence of the original, while infusing it with an extra burst of energy and emotion.