hipfresh.com approached us with an idea of creating an entertainment and artistic new website for the Hip Hop genertation. The challenge was to create an aesthetically pleasing, dynamic website with bright color schemes, easy navigation, and search engine optimization.

Approach:

Hip Hop websites come a dime a dozen, therefore, we at Aswad Creative had to think of creative ways to make hipfresh.com stand apart from other Hip Hop websites. We shared our ideas with hipfresh.com about creating a niche website that focused on profiling “hipfresh affiliates” (up and coming independent artists and established music industry artists that push the creative envelope). Creating affiliate profiles helped legitamize hipfresh.com as well as drive traffic to the site. The next step was to make the site aesthetically pleasing with inviting colors schemes, clean layout of pages, and easy access to media (pictures, music and video).

Delivery:

The outcome was a comprehensive, content driven Hip Hop website, that’s updated through a CMS (Content Management System), which makes it easily updated by the most novice of users. The search engine optimization features on the site allow it to be discovered by the average Hip Hop fan through a google search of random news topics.

Brief:

Each of the above artists were looking for album artwork designs that were simple, yet eye-catching. These artists wanted their individual character and personality to translate well through their album artwork.

Approach:

Aswad Creative’s goal for each design was to invoke the viewer to think, analyze, interpret, and purchase the music of each artist based solely on the album’s artwork. Each graphic was designed to leave the “clutter” out that’s prevalent on the artwork of many Hip Hop albums. We believed that less “bling” would bring about more integrity in the design. Additonally, we based the designs on the theme of the music on the albums. Therefore, “The Growth’s” design shows a Weldon Merrial deep in thought, which is reflective of the albums introspective mood. I Am We, is an album based on the concept of “Sankofa”, which means to “go back and fetch it”. The I Am We artwork displays the Sankofa bird, which symbolizes looking back and learning from the past in order to impact your future. The Blues People cover displays a picture of the historical “Uptown Theater”, a theater where Blues, Jazz, and Soul Legends once performed on a nightly basis. The theme of the Blues People album is to show that Hip Hop is an inherited form of music that’s an extension of Blues, Jazz, and Soul music. Displaying an old and boarded up, Uptown Theater, symbolizes what Hip Hop has inherited in the “old” and “dusty” Blues, Jazz, and Soul records that many artists sample from for music today.

Delivery:

Based on the approach, the end result is three album covers that invoke the viewer to think, analyze, interpret, and purchase the music of each artist based solely on the album’s artwork. The designs are simple, yet eye-catching, and all speak to the theme of each album. Aswad Creative and the artists consistently receive positive feedback on the designs of the album covers.

The Friends Neighborhood Guild site of the Philadelphia Freedom Schools summer program approached us about their need for a yearbook. Philadelphia Freedom Schools is a wonderful summer program that focuses on cultural enrichment through literature. Each scholar is required to read culturally rich books all summer long, while of course, having fun and taking trips.

Approach:

Capturing the moments of a memorable summer and the best times of a child’s life can be a challenge, but that’s exactly what we sought out to do. Taking on this project was no easy task, as all we had to work with were digital camera shots of the Freedom School Scholars and a thin outline of what content would be in the yearbook. That meant literally creating the publication from scratch, including the written content. With that said, that allowed us to be freely creative in the designing of this yearbook. Our goal was to make the yearbook stand the test of time, by retouching and enhancing the photographs to give them a “vintage” feel. Additionally, considering that this was another youth focused publication, we incorporated multiple colors and graphics that vary from page to page.

Delivery:

The outcome was a yearbook that aesthetically has the feel of a magazine. The yearbook’s photographs capture the feel of the moments of this memorable summer for the Freedom School Scholars. Overall, it’s a great yearbook that is reflective of a fun summer.

Exit Magazine is a community based publication that’s youth driven. The youth create the concepts for the stories and content, as well as write the stories for the magazine. Aswad Creative was approached by Exit Magazine to create the design and layout for the publication.

Approach:

The approach was to separate Exit Magazine from the other “community based publications” and “youth driven publications” by creating a truly unique design that intrigued the reader. Since the magazine was youth driven, we saw it fitting to use a lot of colors in the design, however, we decided to give the layout a more professional fell as well. Thus merging the qualities of “cool” and “professional” into the design.

Delivery:

The result was a magazine that the youth were proud and excited to have put together. The design speaks for itself, and is steps above your normal “community based publication”.