In anticipation of attending Taylor Swift's Eras Tour when it passed through Foxborough, MA, I created a digital collage in Photoshop for use as a poster or shirt. I drew inspiration from Swift's official branding for her 2022 album Midnights, as well as from the imagery within its songs' lyrics.
Throughout the tour, friendship bracelets became a popular way to share in each other's excitement for particular songs, albums, and jokes. While the exchanging of bracelets at music events long predates Taylor Swift—think "candi" in the electronic music world—the new tradition was inspired by a lyric from Midight's fifth Track, "You're On Your Own, Kid:" "So, make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it."
From straightforward song titles to long initialisms representing bridges or the lyrics, the bracelets are quickly becoming ubiquitous beyond Taylor Swift's own shows. Swift fans who were unable to acquire tickets to live shows began trading bracelets through the mail and at "Taylor Swift Nights" at local bars. Experiencing the joy that accompanies bracelet assembly and exchange, some fans have taken to making bracelets for other artists to exchange with one another or gift to the musicians themselves.
Within Taylor Swift's fan-base, different colors are often used to indicate each album (or era). In the case of more obscure strings of letters, the bead colors are often used as shorthand to indicate the album of origin.
In celebration of this practice marrying creative expression and communal bonding, I made bead "emoji" to offer another way to express ideas for bracelets using digital beads.
Below is a photo collage banner I made for a Midnights album release party. I drew from the official album branding leading up to the release, including identifying the exact font and evoking a 70s soft rock look.
