Viktor Vaughn - Vaudeville Villain

Spring 2023 | Motion Design + Art Direction, Digital Marketing Campaign

Working on a project in the MF DOOM universe is tough. First, tons of content already exists. A YouTube search reveals hours of fan-made videos covering everything from the album's creation to fan theories. Second, the actual content is often minimal. We only had scans of the original artwork, our mock-ups, and a few low-res photos from the original marketing campaign in 2003 to work with.

DOOM's best, most complex, and most complete work is showcased in this album. However, it poses a dual challenge: many fans remain unacquainted with it since it falls outside the main-line MF DOOM records, while others love it but lack a deep understanding of its context. We had to devise a strategy to convey the concept, its context, and 20 years of history to both groups online in 1-minute or less.

I listened to the album for a week straight and noted key imagery, lyrics that stood out to me, and the overall timbre and texture of the production. Then, I searched for archival footage of 80s and 90s NYC, imagery referenced in the lyrics, etc etc, and processed it to match the grit and tone of the artwork.

It was scary to create new material for such a beloved piece of history. However, I was thrilled with the result. The approval, with almost no feedback, was one of those rare moments in my career that I’ll never forget.

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