In 2023, promotion company Kilimanjaro approached me with a clear but tricky challenge. They have a strong roster of iconic 80s artists and wanted a single, cohesive campaign that could present several of them together under one shared umbrella, rather than falling back on a basic listed approach. The goal was to create something memorable and ownable that celebrated the era while giving each act its own spotlight.
I devised the central concept of a stack of VHS tapes resting on a vintage VCR player. Each spine would carry the individual artwork for one of the artists, turning the physical format of the era into a clever, flexible visual device. The call to action lived naturally on the player itself at the bottom. Because the tapes were removable, the artwork had built-in longevity, shows that had already played could simply be taken out of the stack without breaking the overall composition. This single idea solved the brief elegantly and became the guiding creative direction for the entire campaign.
The theme rolled out across digital media with the tapes shown from the front, scattered on the floor surrounded by authentic 80s objects and tactile details that reinforced the nostalgia. The same visuals were used as striking title screens that led into video trailers for each act, with the artists appearing before the picture dissolved into classic VHS tracking lines and static. By sidestepping a straightforward list in favour of this unified, tactile metaphor, the campaign felt instantly of its time while remaining fresh and ownable. It proved highly effective at bringing a diverse line-up of legendary names together under one instantly recognisable banner, giving Kilimanjaro a distinctive visual language that felt authentic to the 80s without ever feeling pastiche.
