"Roleplay"

To roleplay is to act out or perform the part of a person or character. Like actors on the big screen, when we wake up each morning, we choose to either roleplay as our true selves or as the characters we want the world to perceive

us as. 

The purpose of Roleplay is to use experiences from my life to create visual snapshots of queer culture and to highlight what being a gay man means to me. I created illustrations that touch on club culture, femininity, representation, and freedom to express that being gay is not something that should be viewed in a negative light. Instead, it is a sense of liberation away from society’s expectations of what a man should be and towards a personal manifestation of what a man could be. As a gay man, I have found that being part of the queer community has given me the confidence to abandon society’s traditional male role and to roleplay as my true self. 

To me, graphic design is not just one thing, but rather a combination of everything around us. I draw most of my design inspiration from the art world, looking closely at the works of David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and other artists who blur the line between art and design and who are not afraid to embrace politics and social matters. Like those who inspire me, I want the work I produce to tell stories and start conversations.  

ALEX MARCANTEL

  

@alexmarcdesign