My friend Danny Upshaw commissioned me to create a piece of art that represents his appreciation for Arizona and the intense habbobs we get around monsoon season. I saw this as a great opportunity to expand upon a style I created for the 2013-14 Fiesta Bowl Entertainment Guide.
In the previous illustration I worked a lot with typography and simple desert imagery—I wanted to take all of that to the next level. For this piece I wanted to make the typography the main feature with supporting elements wrapping around the message. The ligature of the 'O' and 'E' in Phœnix is a tribute to older Arizona advertising that took advantage of the œthel character for typesetting.
This illustration is my homage to Phoenix, Arizona and how great of a destination this part of the country is.
This illustration is my homage to Phoenix, Arizona and how great of a destination this part of the country is.
