Dilla

Dilla (2018)

Created using Adobe InDesign

During my time at EVC (Graphic Design II), we learned how to use Adobe InDesign to create various graphics. One of these graphics was how to create a magazine cover. One of my biggest passions is music, and during this time in class, while thinking of what I wanted to do for the magazine cover, I decided to go with the music I was listening to. J Dilla. I was listening to his music during the time of creation and his music really resonated with me as I was creating this. I knew automatically which font I wanted to use to fit the theme of hip-hop, to which pictures would fit the design I wanted to create. The design itself is not meant to be taken seriously as it was only designed for the class, but it ironically turned out to be one of my favorite designs that I have created.

In regards to J Dilla, I was always a huge fan of his music. It started when I first watched Samurai Champloo. They showcased tons of music from the artist, Nujabes. For most of my time in highschool and college, I would spend hours listening to Nujabes, even before lo-fi hip-hop became a trend. I wanted to experiment with different artists, to which J Dilla (and his various other collaborations) appeared in my music and I really enjoyed his smooth, classic boom-bap vibes in his music. When I researched him more, I was devastated to find out he passed away in 2006 due to cardiac arrest. Hearing this made me enjoy his music even more because he was VERY skilled and brought a unique style to his music. He was so unique that he popularized the Quintuplet swing (More information on that here) which I thought was amazing! I believe by creating this cover, it not only shows my love for his music, but how much I want to spread the joy I felt listening to his music to other people. Just as J Dilla believed when he created those amazing beats.