Fresh, mixed media gets noticed. The 2005 Hip-Hop Theater Festival poster combines gritty photography with intense, music-inspired illustration.


Imagery of youthful style, music, and city scenery brace a hiphop theme. Image 22381776, Stockbyte.

You’ve got to break out of the mold to attract a hip-hop crowd. Think freestyling, using colors and imagery found on the street and in the city, getting out of that corporate rut, and incorporating a more individualized theme. For this hip-hop color palette, we focused on a poster composited by artist D. Kiku Yamaguchi of the Hip-Hop Theater Festival, where it’s all about the music.

The purpose of the festival, founded in 1999, is to invigorate hip-hop and theater by nurturing creative work in the field. It presents art relevant to a young, urban generation, and serves these communities by celebrating their language and culture. The organization fills a definite need for inner-city youth. Kiku has been working with the Hip-Hop Theater Festival since its inception, and she and executive director Clyde Valentin wanted the poster campaign to highlight local artists. “It’s keeping in theme with the flavor of what the festival is all about, combining an array of art mediums—dance, theater, spoken word,” Kiku says.

The poster at top right was created for this year’s festival by mixing Kiku’s photography of the city with artist Chris Mendoza’s urban-style illustrations, all in Photoshop layers. A notable feature in much of Kiku’s work, the poster’s colors reflect city life— evening-sky blue, rust, textures from the street, along with the stark contrast of black and white.

Kiku combined a silhouette of a featured artist and his equipment with images of the city, while Mendoza integrated turntables, microphones, and subway cars into his illustrations to round out the mixed-media piece. “It’s a mix of street elements with a stage setting,” Kiku explains.