Narcos: Mexico
Narcos is more than just a series—It’s a franchise, with a unique cultural identity. And Narcos Mexico launched Rhubarb, as our very first project. As stewards of the brand identity for all three seasons of Narcos Mexico, Rhubarb has cultivated and maintained a consistent and authentic voice by partnering with artists who are representative of the themes and culture in the Narcos universe.
Narcos: Mexico was the project that launched Rhubarb, and it will always be a significant part of our identity.
Season 1
The world’s first look at the new chapter in the Narcos franchise was a map that was designed by Mexican artist Juan Luis Garcia. This map was a counterpart to the key art for season one of Narcos (Colombia), and the color scheme was designed to evoke the time period (1980s) and the vibrancy of Mexico.
We commissioned artist Miguel Valenzuela to paint elements of the campaign that paired with James Minchin's stunning photography. Miguel also painted character posters, as well as customized lotería cards.
Season 2
We were inspired by the work of Mexican artist Ernesto Muñiz, and we commissioned him to create the key art and campaign elements for Narcos Season 2. We worked with Ernesto to develop the composition of the key art, and directed a photoshoot with the cast in Mexico City. There we also photographed all of the props used in the art. Ernesto printed each photo, hand-cut the objects and characters, and assembled them manually using X-acto knives and glue.
Season 3
For the third and (sadly) final season, we went really epic and commissioned a grand scale and highly detailed painting by Gustavo Rimada. Because of the level of detail and complexity, the art took several months of nonstop work to complete.
For the date announcement, we worked with the artists at Mondlicht Studios to create an extraordinarily complex version of the Narcos Mexico title treatment inspired by the visual beauty of the weaponry used by the Mexican cartels. The letters in the title treatment were animated into a passionate dance against the backdrop of the familiar, hauntingly beautiful theme song "Tuyo".