03 Matisyahuism Wordicon

Description

I believe that this project demonstrated to me the real power that a graphic symbol can be for communicating a message to a group of people for social benefit. The Wordicon is an icon/typography combination that is meant to communicate a message to an emerging, undefined subculture.

Matisyahuism
In 2006 the music world was shook when a hasidic Jewish singer rose to the top of the reggae and hip hop charts. Matisyahu Miller with his unique blend of music that defies definitions slowly gained wide acceptance in the music and secular world. To observant Jewish people everywhere especially the youth, Matisyahu became a symbol of success not inspite of his Judaism but because of it. Here was a reggae singer dressed in full hasidic garb with a yakama and untrimmed beard and people loved him!

In 2011 Matisyahu shocked his fan base and all those observant Jewish youth by shaving his beard and hair and ditching the yamaka and prayer shall for a more "hip hop" appearance thus violating many of the mitzvahs of orthodox Judaism. To many of his fans this represents a compromise that no real Jew could ever make. Matisyahu may or may not have compromised to the world but the principals and ideals he stood for as representing one’s self as Jewish still hold firm. He in this regard can become a symbol. The phrase “reveal your soul” being borrowed form the artist’s chart topping single King Without a Crown. Fans can fill in the lyrics of this well known single almost automatically “Strip away the layers and reveal your soul.” Beneath the beard, the faith upon which the artist stand still holds even if he has denied it. This is a message to the observant Jewish fan-base of Matisyahu about keeping the faith even if idols have failed to always represent themselves with the integrity you would expect.