How cool is this client!?
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client.
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playboy magazine
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art director.
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cristela tschumy
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design & illustration.
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alex varanese
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This is an illustration I did for Beer Wars, an article in Playboy's January 2011 issue on a Brooklyn micro brewery's quest to construct the perfect beer. They wanted to capture the sense of inventive drive and constant refinement that the micro brewery spirit exemplifies, which led me to frame the piece in rocket scaffolding complete with a gantry crane and launch pad. They specifically requested the incorporation of the chemical elements that go into beer as well, which went over really well with me as I'd just started season 3 of Breaking Bad and practically had the periodic table memorized. One of the last requests on their part was some kind of small, human element to suggest a massive scale, a problem I solved by creating the tiny fork lifts near the bottom. They're not exactly my most stylistic accomplishments, but they were a lot of fun to add and lend the piece a welcome sense of playfulness.
The issue also features Pamela Anderson, which I take as conclusive evidence that Hugh Hefner has perfected time travel technology and refuses to share it with the world. Look—I obviously condone his quest to pioneer anachronistic pornography. The possibilities are endless: Cleopatra, Gertrude Stein, Abe Lincoln's wife, whatever. I get it. I just feel there are plenty of other applications we could be exploring in parallel. That's all I'm saying.
On a broader note, Playboy is probably the coolest client a designer could possibly work with. They're totally laid back, extremely flexible and clearly value creative insight more than anything else. This is my second project with them and both experiences have been excellent. They even let me work my AMV logo into the finished piece. How cool is that?
There's also just something awesome about a project that begins with one of the most iconic brands in the history of publishing and ends on a magazine rack in a creepy liquor store.
And no, I haven't visited the mansion yet.
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