Student Work: Jon Wong: Beast in a Neon Cage

This has been a week of stellar student work, and Jon Wong is no exception. He has a particular talent for book and publication design, as evidenced earlier by my post on his Exploradonia project. This new project, Beast in a Neon Cage, encompasses not only that, but also illustration, packaging and more. A bit of background from the designer himself is below, but you can also check out his process post on ISO50 for more.

Beast in a Neon Cage is the name of a film festival project for legendary cult director Seijun Suzuki. The name for the festival is a metaphor for the characters that appear in Suzuki’s films: gangsters and crooks who on the surface appear civilized, but underneath are wild beasts that are stuck in the “neon cage” of the Tokyo nightlife. Building on that idea and the psychedelic imagery of his films, the festival’s visuals burst with color. The sharp angles reflect the on-screen chaos and the cartoon imagery hints at the dark humor that frequents Suzuki’s work. Finally, the packaging of the products uses raw wood on the outside to mimic the sophisticated veneers of these characters, but inside they explode with color, achieved through the use of various sheets of colored plastic.