Willem Dafoe broke The Internet
You could say "We're in the digital era" and you could say "Print is dead" but this couldn't be far from the truth. Step into any corner shop, supermarket, book store and alike and you'll see a massive section dedicated to all things Magazine. You get fashion, toys, crafts, music and more for a rather hefty price to be honest. They are also competing for your eyes with their cover designs. Who has the most trendy celeb? Who has the best brand on the cover? Who has the exclusive insights? Who cares when they all look like absolute crap. Throughout the years the desire to create something truly unique using top-notch design, photography and graphics has gone down the drain and all focus is on who is the cover star. But not GQ. They have broken the boring design rules and we are so grateful for it.
GQ Italia's Men of the Year issue stars the legendary and always captivating actor Willen Dafoe dressed in all Prada. The campaign is a collection of beautifully crafted early 20th-century photography starring the actor in charismatic outfits, and props and him giving us creepy, avant-garde, lovable, stylish, iconic sides of him. The photos speak of how great Dafoe is as an actor and in captivating the audience with one pose and glance.
The article itself talks about Dafoe's career and his lifelong achievements. But, we're not here for that. We are here to celebrate the crew who achieved this dark yet not-so-mysterious series of photographs. The photos are not black and white but, what I would say, off-black and off-white. A tint of warmth that comes through in places.
We are genuinely so impressed and in complete awe of these photos that we wanted to give a special thanks to the crew that brought it to life with the highest quality finish.
Thank you, for bringing back great photography. Thank you.
The Crew
Photographer: Szilveszter Mako
Styling: Lisa Jarvis
Set Design: Edith Di Monda
Grooming: Elisa Zamparelli
Head of Editorial Content: Federico Sarica
Art Director: Federigo Gabellieri
Photo Assistant: Gianluca Malavolta
Styling Assistant: Vania Monteiro
You can read the article and see more photos from this campaign HERE.