PORTFOLIO
Graphic Design
Ben Asfaw
COMMISIONED WORK
PEDESTAL
This commision was for a UK magazine called Pedestal based in Sheffield. They commisioned me to make a poster for the main artist performing at their event. The graphic would be posted on the artist’s instagram profile and the pedestal profile as well. The idea behind this graphic was to keep it simple but be eyecatching at the same time, I tried to focus more on the font choice and the composition. I kept it simple with a single graphic in the middle. Overall I am happy with how it turned out, the graphic is both aesthetically pleasing, and it displayes all the relevant information about the event.
Date : 2023
Softwares used : All work completed in Photoshop
PEDESTAL
This was a commisioned piece for Pedestal Soultrapp event, this was a music event that mixes both rnb music (soul) and trap music which comes from hip hop (trap). For this poster I wanted to create a grunge aesthetic which is why I chose a residential city block as the background and overlayed it with different textures to get that desired grunge look. For the “Soultrapp” text I used futura bold and choose yellow as the colour and used red as the outer glow to make it stand out and made it look like a sign. I made the background a monotone grey colour to make the “Soultrapp” and artists graphic stand out.
Date : 2023
Softwares used : All work completed in Photoshop
SOUL TRAPP
COMMISIONED WORK MUSIC COVERS
D.T. & Why H
This was a comission for 3 different music covers for an artist called Dawit (D.T.) and 1 music cover for an artist called Why H. All 4 covers convey a different message from the graphic. This taught me how to liaise with the clients and be able to turn the ideas into an eye catching graphic.
Date : 2024 - 2025
Softwares used : Photoshop,
Procreate
POSTERS
2023
Masters Dissertation
Softwares Used : Photoshop, Word
This dissertation explores the connection between music and architecture. It does this by using the lyrics of Jay Z and his music in hip hop as a case study to see how he talked about the Marcy projects where he greww up. I did this dissertation in the art style of a hip hop magazine, I have attached the cover page and some pages to show my photoshop skills and my layout skills.
WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NEW YORK HOUSING PROJECTS IN THE BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN AND THE MUSIC OF THE ARTISTS THAT GREW UP IN THEM?
UNIVERSITY PROJECTS
MARCY MUSEUM OF HIP HOP & ARCHITECTURE
2023
Masters Year 2, Brooklyn New York Softwares Used : Rhino+Lumion+Photoshop
The main brief for this project is looking at the connection between the culture of hip hop music and architecture and how they link and affect each other. This was covered in my dissertation which looked at how Robert Moses’ public housing project failed the community (mostly black) that lived in them due to poor building and maintenance standards. Robert Moses was a city planner that oversaw all building projects in the 90’s. So when hip hop started growing and getting bigger they were mentioning how the government and NYCHA had failed them by talking about their everday lives filled with drugs and violence. The dissertation mostly covered Jay Z’s music and the Marcy housing projects.
The project will be a museum that is an archive space that helps to educate people about the important of hip hop music and architecture’s connection. It will be located right next to Marcy housing projects where jay Z grew up. The main idea of the museum is that it will be a journey that tells a story as they go through the building in chronological order. Not only this but the museum will have a classroom, workshop and a market stall space that will help benefit of residents of the housing projects to give them a better quality of life and improve their situation living in housing projects. The main idea of the museum is to expose how the housing authorities have treated those that live in housing projects and to show people the typical lives of the residents.
NEW YORK
New York Collage
UNIVERSITY PROJECTS
MANGIARE SANO DOME
2023
Masters Year 2, Hull, U.K
Softwares Used : Rhino+Photoshop
This project deals in a future scenario set in Hull in the year 2100. Hull has been flooded due to rising sea level caused by global warming. This has caused Hull to be flooded and divided in 2 sides, my project looks at parasitic architecture and the people of Hull adapting to situation using the dilapidated buildings. Below I have shown a render, collage and comic strip showing my photoshop skills and my design ability.
Hull Collage Vertical
PARTS OF HULL HAVE BEEN FLOODED
HULL AT RISK OF FLOODING AS
SO THE PEOPLE OF HULL DECIDE TO PROTEST AND FORCE THE GOVERNMENT TO MAKE CHANGES SINCE THEY ARE SERIOUS RISK OF FLOODING
HULL AT RISK OF FLOODING AS GLOBAL HULL DOESN’T MAKE ANY CHANGES ENVIRONMENTALLY WHICH CONTINUES TO PUT IT IN RISK OF MORE FLOOD-
HULL AND UK GOVERNMENT OFFCIALS COME TO AN AGREEMENT TO OFFICALLY INDETIFY HULL AS AN INDEPENDANT STATE
HULL NOW BEGINS TO BUILD AND IMPROVE INDEPENDANTLY AND IMPROVE THE CURRENT FLOOD SITUATION
HOWEVER MOST OF THE NEWER PROJECTS ARE BEING BUILT IN THE WEST WITH MOST OF THE BUDGET GOING THERE. LITTLE TO NO IMPROVEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE IN THE EAST OF HULL
THIS CAUSES TENSION TO RISE AND THE PEOPLE OF EAST HULL BEGIN TO PROTEST OVER THE FINANCIAL
