For Kelly Badak, the primal beats and retina-splitting lasers of raves are more than just a party backdrop. They are the raw material that feeds her creative process.
Armed with a vast unrestricted spiral-bound mental sketchbook, Badak is a graphic designer who translates the pulsating energy around her into digital brushstrokes for clients. She has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, where she unearths rare sources dating back to DIY punk and rave posters of yesteryear, a lost art after the advent of the digital age.
After moving from Miami to the Big Apple three years ago, Badak enrolled at New York Law School, based in Tribeca, where she studies intellectual property and trademark law. Before graduating in May, she is studying for the grueling New York State bar exam and managing the balancing act of boosting business for her own creative design agency.
It's a familiar struggle for many in your field. Client reviews, creative roadblocks, and persistent pressure to deliver new ideas can leave even the most passionate designer feeling deflated. But for Badak, the frenetic energy of a rave is the antidote to it.
Back in his home studio, the glow of the rave galvanizes his creativity. Her faces, a mosaic of unfiltered joy, become the basis of the mood board for her next project, and the kaleidoscopic images become a fascinating flowchart in her mind.
Badak traces his love of dance music to 2013, when he saw Avicii and Hardwell take the stages at Ultra Music Festival in performances that are now considered iconic. More than a decade later, he prefers the fierce, industrial sound of techno music, which he finds “relaxing” while working because it facilitates a complete descent into a stream of consciousness without the distraction of lyricism.
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Much of his work, he says, is inspired by images he sees at shows. A performance by South African dance music icon Black Coffee was a particular touchstone, her sultry beats weaving live imagery in ways she'd never seen before. The same goes for a show headlined by renowned duo Amê, whose imagery featured a spinning chrome ball that now serves as the source of its own aesthetic.
Badak isn't just replicating what he sees: he's trying to capture the uninhibited movement and shared euphoria that we all feel at raves but can't explain to our families at Thanksgiving dinner. And in that sense, his work is a testament to the transformative power of rave culture, a chrome bridge between the unbridled dominance of electronic dance music and the structured world of graphic design.
We sat down with Badak to look through the mirror at his creative process. In his own words, here are some creative tips for graphic designers to find inspiration in his work in the weird and wonderful world of electronic music.
Immerse yourself in the atmosphere
Next time you're at a rave, try studying the visual effects and lighting and see how they connect and blend with the music. Lighting designers and VJs inspire me a lot.
Appreciate the images
There's nothing wrong with recording at a show for the beauty of the moment. I record mainly for images to inspire me later when I'm working on my art.
Try recreating an image as practice from a show you attend.
Really, the best way to improve your work is to practice. By recreating a work of art, with the addition of your personal touch, you will be able to really hone the skills you already possess and understand the original artist's thought process.
Practice creating visual narratives.
Each track tells a story to evoke a certain emotion in its listeners. Try creating a design that complements a song you like to listen to by translating the emotions you feel into your artwork.
Appreciate the subgenres of EDM.
Whether it's industrial techno, trance, gabber, hardstyle or house, understanding the differences will help you design artwork more effectively for events related to that specific genre. Pay attention to the frequent combinations of colors, motifs and recurring images in the music artwork.
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Get inspired by event brochures
Look at the use of fonts, colors, images, and overall tone of the artwork and how it aligns with the genre of music it promotes. There are tons of websites with archived rave flyers from the '90s that I use to influence my work.
Stay in tune with trends
Stay up to date with relevant blogs, social media accounts and other artists to stay informed on growing trends in DJ visual works and artwork. I like to attend shows regularly to see how both DJs and their visual artists improve and update their work.
Stay true to your own style
It is important to be innovative in the work you produce, and it is equally important to remain authentic to the energy that the music emanates. Try to avoid clichés and hackneyed artistic elements, and try to create artwork that resonates with your target audience with the addition of your personal style.
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