Dare We Say

Photography by Kristianna Saleh | Senior Art Direction by Jesse McLean

In Summer 2022, I had the honor of Art Directing and designing the artwork and branding for Crooked Media’s first Gen Z-focused culture show: “Dare We Say.” Hosted by Gen Z influencers and actresses Josie Totah, Alycia Pascual-Peña, and Yasmine Hamady, “Dare We Say” was a hot and spicy new pod discussing what it’s like to grow up in the 21st century.

With this podcast, Crooked had the challenge of capturing a new age demographic amidst a very saturated market. Competing against influencer podcast juggernauts like Emma Chamberlain and Alex Cooper, “Dare We Say” needed to make a bold splash into the scene. Thus, the Crooked and the “Dare We Say” creative team were willing to take bigger risks in the branding and artwork of the show. So, we dared to enter uncharted territory: the company’s first full-scale photoshoot key art concept.

As a theatre kid, this premise was a dream come true. I pitched three directions: Barbie Dreamhouse, Baroque Bitches, and Hot Mess Express. Josie, Alycia, and Yasmine fell in love with the Baroque Bitches concept, and we were off to the races. For the styling, wanted to capture elements of playing dress-up, as if the girls are cosplaying a life of glamour. For the production design, we juxtaposed high and low brow culture, pairing elegant, gilded furniture with hot Cheetos and gummy worms.

With the stunning photos in hand, I moved onto building the brand and finalizing the key art. I wanted to create a visual language that matched the girls’ bold, sparkling personalities and contrasted Crooked’s existing millennial-centered brands. “Dare We Say” was Crooked’s first Gen Z podcast, and it needed to make a splash in a loud media landscape. I drew inspiration from the blingy Y2K aesthetic of mind and the girls’ childhoods, especially loving the over-the-top chrome and diamond details of the Baby Phat and Lisa Frank era — Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton became my holy trinity for the type and color palette. Additionally, I designed a collection of ironic holographic stickers for the girls to use across socials and their marketing materials.