"What in the hell is V…O…C?" A graphic interview with artist Matt Winecke and director Paul Celestin.

Graphic artists are like ninjas or special forces sent in before the army to soften up enemy defenses.  Their work is the tip of the sword in a marketing war.  For every product brought to market there is some thought put into, who are we selling this to?  With that in mind, a film is no different, but adds a layer of complexity because a film has an inherent visual style that needs to be captured and communicated by the graphic artist.  The logo for Victims of Circumstance went through a few versions before it was ultimately polished and locked.  My first notes were, “definitely something strong, I’m seeing black and red”. 

“What the hell is V…O…C?” was Matt’s first question.

But he set to work and within a couple of days he produced some first pass ideas.  One of which you can see below on the left.  A few weeks later we had the final on the right.

The following is taken from an NSA intercept transcript:

 

Unidentified Agent:  What’s your favorite part of the logo?

MW:  Typography, the fonts are my favorite.  That’s the coolest thing I like about the logo.

PC:  The letters look like weapons, totally fits with the theme of assassination in the film.

Unidentified Agent:  Well now that the logo has been launched and has gone international, how do you feel about that kind of pressure?

MW:  I don’t view it as a pressure.    I view it as a challenge.  I think ‘how can I build them an image that meets their needs’?  It’s very cool.

As it turns out the O was a creative lark that ended up being a key component in the final design.  According to director Paul Celestin “[It’s] such a catchy logo….it just pops.  Whether I’m two feet from it or twenty it just catches the eye.”  If you like Matt’s work, drop us a line.

#vocfilm