KING OF CONCRETE

Brand Identity, Graphic Design

King of Concrete is one of the longest running, multi-disciplinary UK BMX contest. Organizer Effraim Catlow contacted me to help with the brand identity and graphic design for the event. There were limited resources and a minimum / non-existent budget, but having spent so many great teenage years there, it was a project I couldn't refuse. One of the existing source materials was a photo of Declan Brooks (who has since become Bronze Olympic medalist) by Matthew Maber.

The aim was to get across an austere, classic, concrete almost Brutalist feel. Conceptually all the things which reflect the park and the 'King of Concrete' name.

There were a couple of challenges to overcome, firstly the fact that Declan isn't riding CONCRETE and is riding a wooden ramp. So a quick layer mask, some colour distortion, and a few erased ramp nails attempt to tackle the problem.

After retouching and a quick mock up. It's not looking great, the cropping has accentuated the wide angle distortion on the hand, the photo isn't sharp and it doesn't reflect Declan's ability.

The inevitable arrangement of asking Mathew and Declan to meet up for a photoshoot at Southsea skatepark is organized. This time armed with a brief of riding the concrete, the photos are looking more suitable.

The trees, lampost and other unnecessary clutter is removed with masking, cloning and airbrushing to enhance the visual impact.

There were 2 options - this one feels better for composition with a clearer view of the face. Background clutter is reduced for maximum impact. The next step was to work the type into the image, almost contradictory to removing the trees and lamppost, a strategically placed subject over type can help make a piece more dynamic.

After several type treatments and font searches, trying various bold, ultra heavy sans typefaces. I chose a classic serif - Baskerville bold, with high legibility for all sizes.

The final poster featuring sponsor logos.

King of Concrete t-shirt. The composition of the bottom half is rescaled and tweaked for portrait orientation.