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| DKNG Studios | |
|---|---|
| Name | DKNG Studios |
| Type | Private |
| Industry | Art studio, Graphic design, Illustration |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founders | Dan Kuhlken; Nathan Goldman |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Products | Posters, Album art, Branding, Packaging |
DKNG Studios DKNG Studios is a Los Angeles–based art studio specializing in poster design, illustration, and branding for entertainment and cultural clients. The studio has produced work for music festivals, film releases, corporate campaigns, and nonprofits, collaborating with major organizations across the arts and commercial sectors. DKNG's output is noted for its poster series, album covers, limited-edition prints, and cross-disciplinary projects.
DKNG traces roots to the Los Angeles art and design communities of the 2000s, interacting with scenes around Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, SXSW, New York Comic Con, MoPOP, Staples Center, and Hollywood Bowl. Early collaborations connected the studio to musicians and film festivals such as Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, and Toronto International Film Festival. The studio's timeline intersects with gallery exhibitions at institutions including Gallery 1988, Powell's Books, Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, The Andy Warhol Museum, and The Smithsonian Institution.
Founded in 2009 by former classmates who worked together in design programs affiliated with ArtCenter College of Design, DKNG's principal partners have engaged networks spanning agencies such as Pentagram, Sagmeister & Walsh, IDEO, Landor Associates, and MetaDesign. Key personnel include founders who previously collaborated with studios servicing clients like Nike, Adidas, Disney, Warner Bros., and Universal Pictures. The team has expanded through hires from firms including R/GA, Droga5, AKQA, TBWA\Chiat\Day, and Wieden+Kennedy, and features freelancers and illustrators who have contributed to projects for The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, NPR Music, and BBC Music.
DKNG's portfolio includes poster series and commissions for artists and institutions including Foo Fighters, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, The Rolling Stones, Billie Eilish, Paul McCartney, The Flaming Lips, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, St. Vincent, Vampire Weekend, The National, Tame Impala, The Black Keys, Phish, Dave Matthews Band, Pharrell Williams, and Neil Young. Film-related projects tie to studios and distributors such as A24, Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Studios, Sony Pictures Classics, Focus Features, Lionsgate, and Warner Bros. Pictures for special-edition posters and festival materials. Festival and venue collaborations include work for Glastonbury Festival, Madison Square Garden, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Roskilde Festival, Outside Lands, and Brixton Academy. Brand partnerships have encompassed campaigns with Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Apple Inc., Netflix, Spotify, Amazon Studios, HBO, and Starbucks.
DKNG's aesthetic draws from traditions linked to Milton Glaser, Saul Bass, Paul Rand, Tadanori Yokoo, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Andy Warhol, Shepard Fairey, Alphonse Mucha, Wes Wilson, and Rockwell Kent. Visual language often references poster movements associated with Art Nouveau, Pop Art, Psychedelia, Modernism, and Bauhaus, and shows affinities with contemporaries such as Olly Moss, Hydro74, Mike Mitchell (illustrator), Aaron Horkey, and James Jean. Typography choices echo historical foundries like Monotype, Linotype, and Hoefler & Co. while color palettes and screen-print techniques align with practices used by collectives such as The Poster Society, Little Friends of Printmaking, and The Society of Illustrators.
DKNG operates as a client-service studio providing posters, album art, packaging, branding, and limited-edition prints for clients across music, film, publishing, and corporate sectors. Services mirror offerings from commercial studios and agencies including concept development, art direction, illustration, and production coordination seen at IDEO, Pentagram, Frog Design, Huge, and Wieden+Kennedy. The studio sells original screen prints through gallery partners such as Mondo, Gallery1988, and Rotofugi, and participates in events like DesignerCon, ComplexCon, AIGA Design Conference, TypeCon, and PRINT's Fair. Licensing and merchandising agreements have involved partners like Bravado, Live Nation Merchandise, Third Man Records, and Sub Pop Records.
DKNG's work has been recognized by award programs and institutions including AIGA, The One Club for Creativity, Society of Illustrators, Type Directors Club, Communication Arts, Print Magazine, D&AD, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Clio Awards, Art Directors Club, ADC Awards, Graphis, and HOW Design competitions. Projects have been featured in yearbooks and exhibitions at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and in publications such as The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Wired, Fast Company, and GQ.
DKNG's outputs are cited in discussions of contemporary poster revival alongside studios and artists such as Mondo, Olly Moss, Justin Santora, Brian Ewing, Frank Kozik, and Emek (artist). The studio's approach to limited-edition screen printing, client collaboration, and festival merchandising has influenced practices at agencies and collectives including Rivet, Print All Over Me, Threadless, and Designspiration. Educational outreach and talks have occurred at institutions such as ArtCenter College of Design, University of Southern California, California Institute of the Arts, School of Visual Arts, Pratt Institute, and Rhode Island School of Design, contributing to curricula and workshops addressing commercial illustration, poster design, and print production.
Category:Design studios Category:Graphic design firms