Music is the universal language. Through the manipulation of instruments and addition of lyrics, music makes up a large part of different cultures and societies. Another form of universal language is design. Products and advertisements are a part of every person’s daily life, both consciously and subconsciously. The basis of my thesis was to bridge these two languages together by exploring how design elements influence different music genres and successfully convey each genre to large audiences. By comparing design elements often used for each genre, we can better understand where their stereotypes come from, and which are still in place today.
Because we rely so heavily on visual information as humans, I was interested in analyzing how different music genres are depicted and summarized visually through elements of design. After researching the history of a few major music genres over the years, I created five event posters to represent the different elements of design commonly associated with its specific genre.
