INSPIRED SOUND TRACK
I was inspired to expand on the world of Kill Bill Vol. 1 and its soundtrack to create a new one, one compiled of new (and old) songs that felt like they resembled the grit and gore from the film. To take it a step further, I decided to create a whole visual campaign surrounding this new soundtrack playlist. Much like the film, anime, kung fu, and karate aesthetics drove what I designed.
Graphic Design
Product Design
Typography
With RZA as the producer, I was inspired by him to add songs by Wu-Tang Clan and it’s members to expand on the film’s kung fu aesthetics. The new soundtrack also consists of songs reminiscent of Western duels, tense chase scenes, and string based songs that reminded me of scenes from the film.
MOOD BOARD
My love for anime became a huge driver for this project. The first time I watched Kill Bill Vol. 1, I wasn’t an avid anime watcher, but after seeing it again with a new context, I could see a lot of overlap between the two. Not only does half of the film take place in Japan, but O-ren Ishii’s origin story is told through a string of anime scenes in the middle of the film. I took from this and vibrant Chinese and Japanese graphic media to inspire the visuals I created for the larger campaign.
THE NEW SOUNDTRACK
For the new album cover, I primarily relied on the aesthetics of Chinese and Japanese album covers that already existed in the world. I noticed a lot of vertical lock ups and striking character details that I paired that with imagery from the film to communicate the action that ensues. I chose to show what this would look like as a CD and on vinyl because I love physical music objects and feel like creating something tangible out of an auditory experience allows for a greater connection to the music.
PROMOTIONAL VISUALS
Coming from a marketing background, I wanted to create a campaign around the new soundtrack to develop the world building even further. For the first two graphics, I was influenced by Chinese and Japanese movie and anime posters. Similar to the album covers, these all used a lot of vertically oriented lock ups and action based imagery. In a real campaign, these graphics could be used for social media ads, key art posters, or in out of home placements. The final graphic is a gif that resembles a comic strip. Given the film’s anime influence, I was interested in the idea of creating a graphic that felt more like anime’s source material, manga.
MERCH & COLLECTIBLES
My favorite thing from movie or music campaigns are the physical items that come out of it, I absolutely love merch. I am especially drawn to the more niche items that you likely wouldn’t be able to get anywhere outside of the specific item release. I thought a custom lego Bride, sour gummy candy, and a sleeveless tank would be the perfect combination for the merch arm of the campaign. Lego figures are unique, nostalgic, and inherently childish, an unlikely pairing for such a graphic and absurd movie, but for me this adds more appeal. Next is The Flower of Carnage candy, its name coming directly from the original soundtrack. What is more physical than something you can actually consume? A poppy, graphic, and bright bag of candy was the perfect answer. Lastly is the tank, the most traditional piece of merch. This took inspiration from anime tees that rely heavily on large character graphics and flashy typography.