Kasabian
The Alchemist's Euphoria
- Art Direction
- Campaign
- CGI / Animation
- Environment
- Packaging
- Type Design
The Alchemist’s Euphoria signals a new chapter for Kasabian. HS were commissioned to create the identity and visual world for the Æ album campaign. Exploring themes of alchemy and reinvention, the resulting language is rooted in themes of astrology, time travel and anthropology.
Working closely with the band, our visual world was introduced through a number of instalments. The first of these was the Alchemist’s typeface; a full character set of 120 hybrid letterforms takes reference from alchemist symbology and iconography found on analogue audio equipment. Designed around a simple 4×4 grid, the typographic language established our blueprint for the campaign.
Secondly we introduced the Alchemists’ mask. Created in entirely in CG, the mask is a collision of contrasting components; cables, visors, cabling, speaker bins, microphones and other found ephemera. This formed the focal point of the campaign, appearing across multiple touch points, including print, physical and digital environments.
The third instalment was the integration into live tour visuals. Hingston worked closely with Renegade Lighting to develop the creative direction and design of the show. Taking the Alchemist typeface as our starting point, Renegade expanded the 4×4 grid on which the font is based into a dimensional backdrop. Linear fixtures were integrated into a custom 3D framework, enabling them to construct an animated landscape that housed all the lighting. This central structure was bookended vertical screens which played host to a series of animated typographic sequences designed by HS.
Credits
Campaign Credits:
Design & Creative Direction: Hingston Studio & Serge Pizzorno
CG Director of Photography: Markus Lehtonen at Hingston Studio
3D/CG Modelling & Motion Design: Markus Lehtonen & Tiago Higgs
Mask Concept Development: Lo Lo No
Æ Typeface Design: Sam Norris at Hingston Studio
Music: Æ Space
Live Credits:
Creative Direction & Screen Content: Hingston Studio and Renegade Lighting
Show & Lighting Design: Renegade Lighting
Alchemist Typeface Design: Sam Norris at Hingston Studio
Lead animator: Markus Lehtonen at Hingston Studio
Lighting Supplier: Zeal Live
Lighting Operator: Elliot Mountford TI22 Design
Crew chief: Richard Parks
Stills photography: Luke Dyson
Film: Tom Sweetland
Hingston worked closely with Renegade Lighting to develop the creative direction and design of the show. Taking the Alchemist typeface as our starting point, Renegade expanded the 4×4 grid on which the font is based into a dimensional backdrop. Linear fixtures were integrated into a custom 3D framework, enabling them to construct an animated landscape that housed all the lighting. This central structure was bookended vertical screens which played host to a series of animated typographic sequences designed by HS.
