With over 150 million active users, TikTok has dominated the internet, and subsequently, the music industry. The app presents an ever-increasing demand for artists and bands to brand, market and commodify their sound in order to rise to the top of the algorithm, and, in turn, the top of the charts. Constantly creating content has become an expectation of the modern day musician, but in such an inescapable digital world, how can design offer a moment of solace from the pressure to post and consume content online?
Reflector, a series of interviews published in print, allows for discovery of emerging musicians untethered from their feed. To contrast the endless scroll on TikTok, Reflector facilitates focus on one artist at a time by providing a slow-paced reading of a thoughtful interview. Reflector’s design rebels against TikTok’s over saturation of content through curating a limited amount of material and prioritizing a handmade approach. The series achieves an intimate reading experience through duotone color, Risograph printing and 70s-inspired type.