Josie Masset About Portfolio Shop

Lady Comics is a ten episode web-series featuring four green female stand-ups as they try to navigate the boys club atmosphere of the open mic scene in Chicago. I worked as the primary graphic artist for the show, as well as a social media manager and behind-the-scenes photographer. From the animated title sequence you see here to the end credits and poster drafts, this page shows the development of Lady Comics’ visual identity.

The title sequence started with a meeting with the show creators Kelsey and Erica, who described wanting the four main characters on stage performing. I was given an unfinished clip of the music to be used, and I created roughs that utilized semi-animated stills of the characters and a split background for visual interest. From there, I illustrated a background based on the graffiti on Chicago streets and in the grungy bathrooms of the bars hosting open mics. I integrated the names of the four main characters (Charlie, Steph, Sarika, and Faye), as well as references to different episodes and general stand-up cliches. Then, I divided the wall into fourths and recolored it to suit the characters as they enter the animation. The character animations were rotoscoped from film bits of each stand-up performing.

My process for the other show imagery began with this series of sketches, focusing on the four leads, imagery from the script like alcohol and microphones, and iconography associated with womanhood like the women’s restroom sign and Rosie the Riveter. The goal was to show the mix of proud women blending with the grunge of Chicago bar open mics. We also established the desire to use a bright palette, consisting of almost neon shades of pink, blue, purple, and orange.

After discussing which visuals were best with the directors, I created the title cards for each episode, seen below. Each title card features a reference to the script of the episode, while still employing my own imagery and a grungy but brightly-colored style. These title cards are reflective of the show’s themes, of the beautiful contradictions of womanhood in a world not meant to nurture it. The tone is defiance, a willingness to be bright and messy and a woman in a world that tries to stifle these traits.

I used a blend of behind-the-scenes photos and film stills to create the end credit cards and scrolling credits. These are meant to celebrate the amazing people who worked on the show (you can even find me in there!), and sticking to our core colors I made each card compelling, keeping visual contrast between each card, while ensuring the names and credits were clear.

Finally, below are a set of concepts I did for series posters. The first four were made with stills from the show, while the following four were made with a combination of stills and BTS photos.