Darth Vader - Designer Toy

Art Director / Design Manager

I worked as Art Director and Project Manager on the Darth Vader Designer Collectible Bust for Unruly Industries, collaborating with artist Jesse Hernandez (Urban Aztec) on his take on one of the most iconic villains ever put on screen. This one was a different kind of challenge since it wasn't about recreating Vader exactly as fans remember him, it was about blending Jesse's Urban Aztec style, that mix of graffiti and indigenous art influences, into something that still felt unmistakably Sith. A lot of the job was protecting that artistic vision while getting every design choice approved through Lucasfilm, then working with the production manager side of things to get the light-up saber feature working right and the piece out the door as a limited run of 750. Getting a stylized, street-art-inspired Vader had it’s challenges, but watching people's reaction to a Darth Vader that actually looks like nothing else on their shelf made it worth it.