Yung Buda is a Brazilian artist that utilizes a diverse amount of references such as anime, video games, and geek culture to create a unique aesthetic that carries through his musical talent.
In 2020, he released a side project called HOW TO KILL, naming himself ‘‘7K’’ and bringing an even stronger experimental approach to the work he had already been developing in the previous years.
I was very interested in the tracks of the project and went out to seek more information regarding the concept/idea/meaning of ‘‘7K’’, which he explained came from the Japanese Kanji of water, which resembles the number 7 and the letter K together. The idea of using the Kanji came from a quote from Bruce Lee that references water, one of the inspirations of the artist when he was growing up.
After understanding a bit more of how it all started I felt inspired to add another layer of detail to the project by creating a visual identity for Yung Buda 7k and the album HOW TO KILL, since none of them had an original visual representation.
My approach started with utilizing some futuristic Japanese typefaces to create forms that would bring the hand-drawn feel of the Kanji to a solid emblem with sharp edges and angles.
With the symbol done, I started to experiment with some artworks in various types of audio media, having an edgy approach that would match the artist’s style. This resulted in the creation of a minidisc, tape, floppy disk, and vinyl.
After I had all the assets done I went a bit extra and did animations for a video showcasing all the media and a video promoting the new album.
“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend”