The Making of Iconographic
“This wallpaper represents all the icons of modern history that in some way, shape, or form molded me into what I am today. I truly believe in what each of them have given the world, and their influence will continue to grow in an impactful way forever." — Terry Crews
We are so excited to announce the launch of our biggest collaboration yet: Iconographic, by Astek x Terry Crews!
This wallcovering was created out of a desire to celebrate the iconic figures who have inspired Terry throughout his multifaceted life and career. He provided us with an extensive list of pioneers and changemakers across entertainment, art, architecture, and sports who have, in some way, influenced who he is today. The Midnight Marauders album by A Tribe Called Quest also had an impact on him, and the album art inspired the final layout of the wallcovering pattern.
This project was divided into two phases. In the first phase, Terry and our design team selected 39 total portraits to illustrate from the list. Our design team drew the portraits in a manner similar to Terry’s signature graphite-on-paper style, and throughout the pattern, you can see the hands of different artists at work– a testament to the collaborative and elaborate nature of the project. Terry’s portraits all have his signature nestled among the lines — see if you can spot them all!
The second phase was key to unifying the artistic styles to bring this pattern to life. Members of the Astek design team worked to research, illustrate, and apply colorful graphic elements to each portrait that represent that person’s life. Yayoi Kusama’s iconic dots form the highlights on her still more iconic bob. Zaha Hadid’s Heydar Aliyev Center building forms her wardrobe. Salvador Dali’s melting clock tie is reminiscent of his infamous painting, The Persistence of Memory. The more you look, the more you find — with different Easter eggs resonating with different viewers.
The portrait of Terry Crews himself was, itself, an Easter egg. Our team illustrated him as a surprise, and included him in the constellation of stars who have inspired him. His outfit and the stars behind him reflect his work as the host of America’s Got Talent, and the enamel pins on his lapel represent the different areas of his varied career.
Once the first two phases were completed, it was time to focus on the fun part: color! Iconographic’s original colors are represented in the bright and expressive “Multi” colorway. “Greyscale” uses shades of warm grey throughout the pattern for a more subtle look, and “Monochrome” uses shades of pink and red in addition to the black and white faces. “Complementary,” comprised of of sunset hues, was named due to the complementary colors of purple and yellow that make up this colorway
As we were developing this wallcovering, our production team was hard at work perfecting our new spot gloss technique. The two projects dovetailed beautifully, and the colorful elements of Iconographic’s design are brought to life with the high-gloss varnish, adding extra depth and shine to the characters depicted in the pattern.
We are so grateful to Terry for his authenticity, artistic talent and whole-hearted enthusiasm about the project from start to finish. This wallcovering has launched with a bang, and we’re so excited to see where it goes!
VIew the collaboration here.
