El Rey del Compás

My first proper tabloid-size poster since my school days, inspired by a very famous tango composer that I’ve sketched before here . This is part of the new special branded collection of tango-related art and design that I’m in the process of creating, and will be adding to my site very soon. The headline type is adapted from a midcentury speedball manual from my personal collection, and the subhead is BN Gamma, by independent type designer Brandon Nickerson. Eventually I hope to create a mini-series of three featuring other famous orchestras in similar styles.

This was the first draft, in postcard form. Unlike the poster, this was created entirely on procreate with hand lettered type, and presented the usual challenge of balancing competing elements into a cohesive (and legible) whole — a challenge that I only accomplished by cropping poor Juan more than I would have preferred. I think it works much better on the posters size, as all the elements are able to speak for themselves unhindered.

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