Journal #4

This SportCheck ad from 2015 is illustrating a scene about basketball in Toronto neighbourhoods. I think the design of this poster takes influence from hip-hop through the stylized black and white imagery. It is reminiscent of graffiti paste-ups, which are printed images that would be pasted directly onto a wall for quick and efficient application of their art.

These are some examples of paste ups on the street. They are mostly in black and white because I assume it was cheaper to print which led to its aesthetic. Whether it was intentional or not, the illustration in the poster is similar to the aesthetics of these paste ups.

Also, the subject matter plays a role in its hip-hop aesthetic because basketball is a sport many associate hip-hop to, especially in Toronto. Drake put Toronto on the map with his branding, such as referring to it as the “6” and through his support for the Raptors. This is where the saying “We the north” came from.  The type of the “my north” hash tag on the poster references graffiti tags from its handwritten and gestural quality. Also, the neighbourhood illustrated takes place on streets, which is where hip-hop originated.

An example of a graffiti tag usually of the artist's name.