Jas Bell on crafting a visual solar system for SZA

It’s Nice That (INT): Tell us a bit about your life and creative journey? How did you come to find your niche in art directing and designing for music?

Jas Bell (JB): Growing up in St. Louis was inspiring from two perspectives. The first being that the city is rich in art and story – there’s so much untapped talent where I’m from. This leads me to my second perspective: there weren’t many examples to look to as a kid with the visions I had. That alone has driven me to show how important the arts are here, and to provide a blueprint that will hopefully inspire others.

All of my favourite athletes and musicians inspired me beyond belief. I had a folder that I would draw in, recreating their shoes, jerseys and jewellery from my own perspective. I had to be like 12 or 13 years old. So I think my creativity was always nudging me in this direction. I used to make music, actually, and when I did, I was always obsessed with everything around the music. The cover art, the merch, the rollout – all those things intrigued me and scratched a creative itch that nothing else could.

I was able to see this up close around 16 or 17 when I ended up on tour with Pharrell and N.E.R.D. A friend and I traveled city to city just for that indescribable feeling we’d encounter at each show – from the stage design to the merch, to the taste level in general. It’s funny, he saw us so much that he eventually just let us hang with him for the rest of the tour. I learned a lot from those moments. They helped shape my ideology in design through music. Seeing vision in sound, and watching it displayed in product, was a huge key for me. Ironically, I think it all crosses beautifully – art, music, fashion, sports and culture are at a special intersection. So I think whatever this thing is, it found me – or it’s been planted all along.

INT: How much of a role does SZA’s music play in informing your creative approach, process or vision?

JB: It plays 100 per cent of the role. The music is the anchor, it provides the coordinates for the worlds we create. Before I look at a moodboard or start designing, I usually like to be immersed in the records. The design is an extension of the sound. What’s incredible is seeing the artwork grow its own legs. When the design aspect can stand alone and remain just as impactful, it proves how powerful the design side of things we do really is.

INT: While each album and merch drop is different, it all feels very true to SZA. How do you go about creating a sense of consistency across albums and tours, while still creating something unique?

JB: She’s always been intentional about us creating a specific aesthetic as we float through these eras; honestly, she’s a genius at that. It makes designing so much easier because it builds off of that. My choice in fonts, lines, colours, textures and temperatures are there to tell a story that rests on an established foundation and universe in SZA’s solar system.

It’s like a book: the foundation is set, and a new era is simply a new chapter that provides the ‘new' but feels like home. That design thread we’ve established allows us to continue to weave and make it feel cohesive. I also believe in practicing a theory I call the ‘Uniform’: I believe when you create something so good, you’ll wear it every day if you have the chance. That’s when colourways come into play. We have some designs that are like grails, and colour is like perspective. Sometimes just a new colour on a piece will provide a completely new feeling, but still feel so welcoming because it’s a design you already love

INT: The Good Days track cover and SOS album cover are iconic – they’re referenced all the time and resurface online what feels like every week. What’s it like to have created something so lasting and so resonant? And why do you think they’ve resonated so much?

Thank you firstly. It’s a blessing. You always hope the work will land, but seeing it become part of history in the ways that it has is a different level of impact. I think it was important for us to make cultural reference points, when you see a certain cover (and it’s good) it’s almost like a time machine. You remember where you were, who you were with, and the feelings you felt. It’s a real time stamp in the best way. Executing her vision is always the most important, when she has these ideas I just want to make sure I’m part of the hands that make it come to life, everything else is just the icing

INT: Your merch for SZA is brilliant. How do you create something that doesn’t only show someone’s love for an artist, but is also a desirable fashion piece in its own right?

I appreciate that, truly. I think the key is respecting the medium, going back to what I was speaking about earlier in seeing these things done at the highest level before, up close. That intersection of music, fashion, culture and the execution of it all is very important to me.

I’m translating things sonically into something physical. It can’t just be something generic on a blank; it has to be about the silhouette, the texture and the graphic language. What feelings do we want it to have? For example: should we distress things to make it speak more? What’s the weight of the garment? How should it be cut? I think one thing we’re really good at is something I like to call complex simplicity. Some things are over done and don’t need to be. It’s something elemental I’ve learned in Paris from my studies there. Some things are elevated when they’re stripped down, and the complex layers are the storytelling that creates the garment and art on it. Some things need to be turned up, and then you go all out. Knowing when to do both is important when creating something in this space that can stand up in its own right.

My mindset is always: can this be worn day-to-day on one end, and also have the ability to be paired with, or under, a luxury piece if you wanted? I want it to be functional on both ends of the spectrum, from the way it looks to the way it feels.