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Donda (company)

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Donda
FoundedJanuary 5, 2012; 14 years ago (January 5, 2012)
FounderKanye West
Key peopleVirgil Abloh (creative director)
Joe Perez (art director)
Products
  • Films
  • music videos
  • cover art
  • prints
  • stage design
  • marketing
BrandsDonda Sports

Donda (styled in all caps) is a creative content company founded by American rapper Kanye West.[1] The company was named after West's late mother, Donda West, and shares the name with his tenth studio album, released in 2021.

History

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West announced the company on January 5, 2012, via a series of Twitter posts.[2] In his announcement, West proclaimed that the company would "pick up where Steve Jobs left off"; Donda would operate as "a design company which will galvanize amazing thinkers in a creative space to bounce their dreams and ideas" with the "goal to make products and experiences that people want and can afford."[3]

Culture

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West was secretive about the company's operations, maintaining neither an official website nor a social media presence.[4][5]

In stating Donda's creative philosophy, West articulated the need to "put creatives in a room together with like minds" in order to "simplify and aesthetically improve everything we see, taste, touch, and feel".[6] Contemporary critics have noted the consistent minimalistic aesthetic exhibited throughout Donda creative projects.[7][8][9]

Continuing a trend consistent in previous Kanye West projects,[10] an additional hallmark of Donda projects has been multi-disciplinary collaboration, often featuring prominent contributions from major figures in various creative fields. Prominent examples include painter George Condo, photographer Luis Tarin, video artist/film director Steve McQueen, performance artist Vanessa Beecroft, artist Wes Lang, stage designer Es Devlin, audio/visual designer Jadis Mercado, artist/sculptor Takashi Murakami, photographer Jackie Nickerson, fashion designer Riccardo Tisci, and fashion house Maison Martin Margiela.[11][12][13][14] NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown is the chair president of the sports fashion line Donda Sports.[15]

Projects

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Film

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On May 23, 2012, Donda debuted its inaugural creative project, a film entitled Cruel Summer, as part of the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. The film is a seven-screen surround vision experience.

Cruel Summer was shot using a specialized camera rig, which allowed the directors to capture multiple angles simultaneously.[16] The film, developed in collaboration with the Doha Film Institute, design firm 2x4 and architecture firm OMA, was presented in a specially designed theater — christened "Surround Vision" — featuring seven screens which surrounded the audience.[17]

On March 7, 2015, West debuted a collaborative short film with director Steve McQueen entitled All Day/I Feel Like That.[18] The film premiered at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, France, followed by its American debut at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in July 2015.[19]

Album/singles art

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Donda provided packaging design for the following albums and singles:

Music videos

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Print

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  • Complex "GOOD Music: New Religion" cover story and article, printed on July 23, 2012.[30]
  • Kanye West and Adidas Originals — Season 1 Zine. Photography by Jackie Nickerson. Released on March 11, 2015.[28]
  • Kim Kardashian, Selfish, published on May 5, 2015.[31]
  • Rich Wilkerson Jr., Sandcastle Kings: Meeting Jesus in a Spiritually Bankrupt World cover art, published on November 10, 2015.[32]

Stage design

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Marketing

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The video for West's "New Slaves" was projected using guerrilla methods on over 60 buildings worldwide.

Prominent marketing projects include:

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Destefano, Mike (January 16, 2020). "Joe Perez Spent Eight Years Working for Kanye West and Now He's Revealing His Donda Archive. Here's Why". Complex. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  2. ↑ Osei, Anthony (January 5, 2012). "Kanye West Announces Creative Company Donda". Complex. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  3. ↑ Graham, Mark, Kanye West's Epic 1600-word Twitter Rant: Neatly Organized for your Reading Pleasure Archived February 27, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, January 5, 2012, VH1, retrieved August 4, 2015.
  4. ↑ Hope, Clover, Kanye West has a Dream: Inside his Creative Agency Donda, August 19, 2013, Vibe, retrieved August 4, 2015.
  5. ↑ Pasori, Cedar, How Kanye West's Creative Company Donda is making its own Brand of Cool, November 3, 2014, Complex, retrieved August 4, 2015.
  6. ↑ Graham, Mark, Kanye West's Epic 1600-word Twitter Rant: Neatly Organized for your Reading Pleasure Archived February 27, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, January 5, 2012, VH1, retrieved August 4, 2015.
  7. ↑ Sargent, Jordan, Donda: Kanye West Goes G.O.O.D. Trill Hunting with His Minimalist Design Company, November 13, 2013, Spin, retrieved August 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ Babcock, Gregory, Kanye's Stylish Pastor Releases Donda-Designed Book, June 23, 2015, Complex, retrieved August 4, 2015.
  9. ↑ Lewis, Brittany, Every Music Cover Kanye West's Creative House Donda Has Created So Far…, November 3, 2014, Global Grind, retrieved August 4, 2015.
  10. ↑ McQueen, Steve, Kanye West, January 19, 2014, Interview, retrieved August 5, 2015.
  11. ↑ Alexander, Ella, Why Margiela Teamed Up With Kanye Archived September 6, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, November 6, 2013, Vogue, retrieved August 4, 2015.
  12. ↑ Staff, Behind Kanye West's Methodical Conquest of the Art World, November 28, 2013, Artspace, retrieved August 4, 2015.
  13. ↑ Saka, Ren & Castro, Vanessa,12 Things to Know About Vanessa Beecroft, Kanye West's Visual Art Collaborator, December 5, 2013, Complex, retrieved August 4, 2015.
  14. ↑ Deleon, Jian, Wes Lang Designed Kanye West's Tour T-Shirts, and Now You Can Buy Them At PacSun, 2013, 'GQ', retrieved August 4, 2015.
  15. ↑ Rose, Jordan (February 7, 2022). "Antonio Brown Announces He's President of Ye's Donda Sports, Locks Down $2 Million Super Bowl Suite 'for the Kids'". Complex.
  16. ↑ Staff, Kanye West Cruel Summer Pavilion Archived January 1, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, 2x4, retrieved January 9, 2012.
  17. ↑ Rosenfeld, Karissa, Kanye West's seven-screen pavilion / OMA, May 24, 2012, ArchDaily, retrieved January 9, 2012.
  18. ↑ Malle, Chloe, West with the Night: Kanye Takes over The Fondation Louis Vuitton Archived July 27, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, March 8, 2015, Vogue, retrieved August 5, 2015.
  19. ↑ Williams, Maxwell, Kanye West and Steve McQueen Debut Collaborative 'All Day/I Feel LIke That' Video at LACMA Gathering, July 25, 2015, The Hollywood Reporter, retrieved August 5, 2015.
  20. ↑ Meek Mill - Burn Feat. Big Sean (Prod. By Jahlil Beats) | Stream & Listen [New Song], May 4, 2012, retrieved August 11, 2015
  21. ↑ "New Music: Kanye West and Pusha T - "New God Flow"". July 2, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  22. ↑ Greenwald, David, 2 Chainz Enlists Kanye West's Donda For Album Art, July 5, 2012, Billboard, retrieved January 9, 2012.
  23. ↑ "Clique". Joe Perez. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  24. ↑ Diep, Eric, Kanye West Reveals "Cruel Summer" Album Art, August 2, 2012, Complex, retrieved January 9, 2012.
  25. ↑ Minsker, Evan (October 8, 2012). "Listen: Pusha-T Featuring Future: "Pain"". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Pusha T featuring Popcaan & Travi$ Scott – Blocka (Produced by Young Chop)". HYPETRAK. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  27. ↑ Strong, Nolan, Kanye West's Company Donda Designs Artwork For Lil Wayne Album, January 30, 2013, AllHipHop, retrieved January 31, 2013.
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "2015 - The Year of Kanye West & DONDA". Hypebeast. December 31, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  29. ↑ "Video: Big Sean f/ Lil Wayne & Jhené Aiko – 'Beware'". Rap-Up. October 18, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
  30. ↑ Callahan-Bever, Noah, G.O.O.D. Music: New Religion, July 23, 2012, Complex, retrieved August 4, 2015.
  31. ↑ Fox, T.S., G.O.O.D. Music: New Religion, January 20, 2015, Hypebeast, retrieved August 5, 2015.
  32. ↑ "News: Rich Wilkerson Jr. Releases Debut Book, Sandcastle Kings - The Gospel Music Association". June 24, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  33. ↑ Schwarz, Hunter, Kanye West Projected "New Slaves" And A Video With Scott Disick Onto The Sides Of Buildings Last Night, June 16, 2013, BuzzFeed, retrieved August 4, 2015.
  34. ↑ Green, Mark Anthony, Kanye West Gets New Creative Direction, May 2013, GQ, retrieved August 4, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Watch Kanye West's American Psycho-Themed Short Film Starring Scott Disick and Jonathan Cheban". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 20, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  36. ↑ "Watch Kanye West's Remixed Canyons Trailer". Vulture. August 2, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  37. ↑ Li, Arby, The Kanye West for adidas Yeezy Season 1 Anorak, February 12, 2015, Hypebeast, retrieved August 4, 2015.
  38. ↑ Marcus, Ezra, Kanye West Sends Out Mysterious New York Fashion Week Invites Archived August 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, February 11, 2012, Radio.com, retrieved August 4, 2015.
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