Mr. Robot Key Art Concept
MOCEAN collaborated with Upcomers to present a design brief to designers looking for industry experience. The brief was to design key art for MR. ROBOT — MOCEAN has previously created the key art for the past 3 seasons and tasked designers to use creative analog processes as part of the brief. Mine was the winning submission that led to a stint at the production house. This was one of my favorite projects, as I was able to try unconventional methods to create images.
Referencing Banksy’s “shredded art” and the idea of destroyed art is destroyed society, I looked at graffiti, subtle destructive processes, and subversive vintage art styles, particularly with the use of red monochrome aesthetic in propaganda and music/cinema.
Echoing themes of government surveillance and the common people as victims in an unjust society of power imbalance, I wanted to explore the use of technology in an analog way to create unique portraiture. Similarly, images of the hero being watched, lens effects, and distortion also evoke those themes.
This concept focuses on Elliot’s face, and using analog tools, shows his hyperfocus through scattered or repetitive distortions. I looked at 35mm film errors and surreal distorted faces in contemporary art.