ART OF IRVING BERLIN

Creating original artwork for the new website of Irving Berlin, the greatest songwriter who ever lived, was one of the greatest honors of my career. From “White Christmas” and “Puttin’ on the Ritz” to “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” Berlin’s extraordinary legacy deserved a visual identity that honored his place in music history.

Each piece was designed to evoke the world and era that shaped Berlin’s work, layering textured collage elements against the backdrop of early 20th-century New York. Vintage imagery and tactile details brought a sense of history and place to each composition, while a cohesive color palette tied the artwork seamlessly into the website’s visual language.

To help bring the visual identity to life beyond the website, I transformed elements from the original artwork into a series of animated social media assets for the launch. These were posted to the official Irving Berlin social media channels. By giving the collage elements movement, the imagery became more dynamic and playful, creating a whimsical visual language that extended the spirit of the artwork into motion.

In keeping with the collage aesthetic, I was asked to create a special piece of artwork highlighting Halloween classics from the Irving Berlin catalog. Drawing from the visual language established for the website, the piece brought together vintage imagery and period-inspired textures.