About Our Art
The 40th Anniversary poster artwork aims to highlight and celebrate the VC archives through an homage to Steve Tatsukawa, a foundational figure at Visual Communications, highlighting his impactful contributions as VC’s founding Executive Director and beloved community activist. 2024 marks the 40th Anniversary of Steve’s passing.
At the artwork’s core is a portrait of Steve, holding a camera inspired by an old photograph of his, aptly capturing the essence of the festival. Life imitates art, and art imitates life. The filmmaker records the audience who looks back at the filmmaker, creating a fascinating loop of observation. It’s a reminder that every frame we capture—whether on film or in memory—holds layers of meaning and emotion. The filmmaker’s eye becomes a portal in this image, bridging the gap between the mundane and the extraordinary. Surrounding Steve are symbolic elements representing various festival pillars: archives, film reels, community, theater, audience, and artists. This portrayal reflects the festival’s immersive and celebratory nature, engaging and honoring its audiences through diverse offerings over the past 4 decades.
We’ve chosen an organic, textured style to mirror print media’s tactile essence and expanded upon the idea of autonomy over distribution reminiscent of small press practices. Employing a duotone approach for Steve’s portrait and an outline brush stroke style for surrounding illustrations, the artwork is divided into four segments – referencing the 4 decades of the festival, unifying the composition with colored shapes. A warm, muted color palette with vibrant accents imbues the piece with a soothing yet optimistic quality. The typography’s aesthetic aligns with the organic, hand-drawn style of the line-work present in the illustration. By blending this organic font with a cleaner, geometric typeface, we achieve a cohesive editorial layout that balances tight focus with the roughness of the strokes. This combination creates a harmonious visual contrast, enhancing the overall presentation with a clean, sharp design – blending elements of the past with the present.
Subtle animation breathes life into the artwork, with smaller illustrations surrounding Steve featuring gentle, frame-by-frame animation loops. Additionally, Steve’s portrait animates, with his hand moving to interact with the camera, adding a dynamic touch to the artwork.
About the Artists
Supernova Design is a WOC-owned and operated studio based in Los Angeles that helps innovative brands and businesses tell their unique stories in playful and creative ways. Creative Director Asavari Kumar and her team worked to create the 40th-anniversary artwork for VC Media. The team collaborated under the art direction of Shaivalini Kumar and production by Sidharth Zutshi, with animation work by Katherine Dallimore and Lissette Diaz.
As POC artists, Supernova focuses on partnering with organizations and causes that share their core beliefs. They are particularly drawn to projects that focus on community and social responsibility.
Website – www.supernovadesign.net
Instagram – @supernovadesigninc
