Awaken, My Love!

Awaken, My Love!

Graphic Design

This is a picture of Childish Gambino's "Awaken, My Love" album cover. I chose this item because it has a beautiful design and Gambino's follow up album was released this morning. The artwork is striking and bold which was something seemed to represent his new approach to music. Previously, he focused on Rap/Hip-Hop but with this album, experimented with Funk and R&B. Another interesting aspect of this piece is that it features a custom headdress made by an NYC independent clothing company. It seems as if it's spokes are pointing outward resembling a flower or sunshine. Both ideas represent new life and happiness which connect with the album's underlying purpose which was to welcome his children into the world. The darkness surrounding the human face could be to represent birth and the absence of life. Combined with the gleaming blue light and the water-like color of the bubbles surrounding the face could symbolize the the wisdom he is teaching his children as they grow up. Spiritually, the color blue represents trust, loyalty, and confidence which not only describes the lessons for his children but also describes his dedication to his craft.

The artwork is purposefully similar to Funkadelic's "Maggot Brain" album cover which was a huge inspiration to Childish Gambino when writing this album. This album cover was perfect because it was drastically different than his previous covers and prepped listeners for a new style. It also helped new listeners develop an image of this artist that was different from his previous, "childish" self.

Donald Glover

3/22/2020

Digital Image