09 XL: Experimental Portrait Poster with Editorial Styling

09 XL: Experimental Portrait Poster with Editorial Styling09 XL: Experimental Portrait Poster with Editorial Styling

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SPEX

• 7h

09 XL — From a Portrait to a Visual Story.

This one started with a simple black-and-white portrait, but I wanted to give it a little more personality. I began experimenting with contrast, grain, and shadows to build a raw, almost cinematic atmosphere.

Then came the fun part — playing around with typography, adding the black strip across the eyes, and using minimal details like 09 and XL to give the composition a subtle editorial feel.

Once the poster came together, I placed it in a real-world bus stop mockup to see how it would live outside the screen.

A little experimentation, a few happy accidents, and lots of tiny adjustments later — this was the result.

flyerdesign posterdesign adobephotoshop Visual Design Graphic Design Adobe Photoshop Affinity Designer

NIKHIL PATHAK

• 5h

Looking so premium !!

SPEX

• 2h

TYSM </3

Ivan Shtefan

pro

• 3h

The black bar across the eyes with 09 and XL on the sides turns a simple portrait into a bold poster, and the bus stop mockup shows it works at street scale. Is the grain added in Photoshop or part of the original photo?

SPEX

• 2h

The grain is added in Photoshop and black tape on the nose too !! And I also did color grading in the portrait ..

Arron Watson

pro

• Nov 6

Inspired by the vintage timepieces of the 80s and 90s, I created MONTEL, a concept showcase of luxury watches. Check it out.

Concept Art UI Design Graphic Design

Vansita Addanki

pro

• Nov 6

Looks beautiful!

Dane Kowachek

pro

• Nov 5

Lately, I’ve been spending more time illustrating. Not necessarily with a particular goal in mind, but simply because I enjoy it.

Working as a designer often means adapting to different visual languages. Every project comes with its own identity, references, and expectations. And while I love that part of the process, there’s something refreshing about creating without any of those things in mind.

I’ve started noticing certain patterns in my illustrations. The way I draw faces, exaggerate proportions, or approach particular details. Little decisions that I don’t necessarily think about while making them, but somehow keep appearing.

It’s interesting because I’ve never really sat down and decided what my illustration style should look like. It seems to be something that has developed naturally through repetition, experimentation, and probably a lot of things I’ve been influenced by along the way.

I think we sometimes put too much pressure on ourselves to develop a recognizable style, especially as creatives. But maybe it’s less about trying to create one and more about paying attention to the things we naturally gravitate toward.

There’s something quite satisfying about looking at something you’ve made and seeing a little bit of yourself in it.