Utopia has finally arrived. And while plenty of us are focused on the music and picking out our favorite pieces from the 19-track album, the visuals have also been very memorable.
The clear influence that Ye and his album Yeezus had on Utopia has already been talked about. But Travis also took some cues from another classic Ye project by offering multiple covers, similar to the various George Condo paintings that were featured on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It may come as no surprise, but various creatives that have collaborated with Ye on visuals in recent years have also contributed to the five Utopia album covers you have seen for Utopia.
But it isn’t just multiple album covers. On Thursday night, a film produced by A24 and co-directed by Travis Scott, Gaspar Noe, Nicolas Winding-Refn, Harmony Korine, Valdimar Johannsson and Kahil Joseph titled Circus Maximus premiered in theaters across the United States. Today, a 112-page Utopia zine was released on Travis Scott’s web store. 12 visual artists are listed as contributors including Dodleyz, Jon Rafman, Lara Joy Evans, and Matthew Angelo Harrison. Editing and graphic design was handled by Opioid Crisis Look Book and Rochelle Bambury is credited with production. Travis made sure to give fans a well-rounded experience for his fourth album.
It’s easy to give credit to Travis, but it’s also always good to spotlight the people behind the scenes of these blockbuster projects. This is not everyone who contributed to the Utopia visuals, but learn a bit more about the creatives credited on the five covers of Utopia, below.
Creative Director: Nicklas Bildstein Zaar
Nicklas Bildstein Zaar is the creative director behind the Utopia covers, the Utopia zine, and the “K-Pop” single cover. Zaar is the creative director of Sub, a Berlin-based art studio, alongside architect Andrea Farguna. Some of Sub’s biggest work to date has been with Demna’s Balenciaga creating the scenography for the brand’s memorable runway presentations like its show at the New York Stock Exchange in May 2022 and Summer 2023 “Mud” show. It is also responsible for the Brutalist build outs for its various retail stores around the world.
Photographer: Pieter Hugo
This South African photographer is responsible for the images featured on the second and third covers of Utopia. Hugo has gained a reputation for his raw depiction of various marginalized communities in Africa and subcultures around the world. His photos that appear across Utopia covers and the Utopia zine include a man in a striped T-shirt clutching money while sitting in a car and blankly gazing into the camera, a white woman surrounded by a group of shirtless Black men, and twins in blue gowns standing in a supermarket aisle. Hugo has worked with another name you may be familiar with in the past. In 2016, Shayne Oliver of Hood By Air tapped Hugo to create a photo book of Jamaican porn stars and Kingston’s “Gully Queens.” Some of the imagery was later featured on Hood By Air apparel that same year.
Photographer: Kristina Nagel
Kristina Nagel is the Berlin-based photographer behind the main and fifth Utopia covers. The main cover sees an image of Travis falling into a black background, while the fifth is a black and white image of his smiling face. More of her photos are featured in the Utopia zine. Some of Nagel’s notable past work includes shooting campaigns for Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga, Rick Owens, and Balenciaga’s Crocs collaboration. A signature element of her work is the distortion and blurring of the human form. Given the strong influence Ye seems to have had on the creation of Utopia, it makes perfect sense to see someone from his circle involved with the project.
Stylists: Peri Rosenzweig and Nick Royal (Hardstyle)
Peri Rosenzweig and Nick Royal are credited with styling Travis on the main cover of Utopia. The duo, named Hardstyle, has been working closely with Travis over the past year. They styled him for other Utopia promotional materials —a custom plastron (shoulder pad) in Circus Maximus and patchwork jersey in the “K-Pop” video by designer Courtney McWilliams, and a corset hoodie by Timothy Gibbons in Utopia zine photos. They have also styled him for recent public appearances like the Cannes Film Festival back in May. He donned a Givenchy suit. Other notable styling credits between the duo include Pusha T’s “Diet Coke” video, the infamous Yeezy Season 9 show, and editorial campaigns for brands like Camper and Comme des Garçons.
Designer: Arlette
Mexican artist Arlette is responsible for the belts Travis wore on the main Utopia cover. Arlette also worked alongside stylist Taylor McNeill to create various custom pieces worn by Kendrick Lamar during his Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers tour including a belt similar to the one seen on the Utopia cover, chunky black boots with silver stirrups, a cap with silver and gold paneling, and leather shorts with chainmail-like overlays. Ib Kamara has also styled supermodel Naomi Campbell in her pieces. Arlette has found a lane for herself through these modern takes on traditional cowboy attire that nod to elements of her Mexican heritage.