From a Shikeith monograph to the In the Black Fantastic book, Rush Jackson amplifies the culture at every turn

Rush Jackson refers to themself separately as an independent designer and artist. Which is a wonder because their design is art, and their art is by design. Throughout their range of projects, there is a quality so consistent that when you get the chance to see it collated, all together, you get one step closer to comprehending the breadth of Black visual culture.

The designer owes much of their beginnings to the creative community and DIY culture found in Philadelphia. “I was living in artist-run spaces, designing posters for the music community, and got my first go at design (in an arts context) while interning at the ICA.” While working at the institute Rush met Walker Center design director, Mark Owens, who taught them more about publications and the business of it. “After that, I realised the best context for design work could be found in community-driven initiatives,” they tells us.

Today, Rush can be found maintaining their full-service studio, prioritising publication design – from monographs to exhibition catalogues, photobooks, cookbooks and more – that they use as a tool to amplify diverse cultural voices throughout the Black community. I, like many viewers, came across their work long before knowing their name. It was specifically when gazing at the cover and perusing through the Pennsylvanian visual artist Shikeith’s debut monograph, Notes towards Becoming a Spill nearly two years ago (which was also an AIGA 50 Books 50 Covers 2022 winner). To me the design perfectly captured the allure of Shikeith’s erotic universe, while also leaving something to the imagination.

This feeling is felt throughout Rush’s portfolio, where they are consistently communicating the cultural significance of a body of work, exhibition or project, while leaving room for its enigmatic qualities to breathe. And there is also this quality about it that allows it to live beyond the work’s intended realm. Take their design for the BlackStar Projects, an online resource and Philadelphia festival amplifying the voices of artists of colour, particularly in film. Rush created apparel for its ten-year anniversary ‘capsule’, where their use of the logo, imagery and poignant community slogans amplify it beyond apparel for a film festival; they usher it into a sphere for any and all people who identify with the message. And with Rush, that seems to be the message, every fragment of every piece of work they put their hands to builds on the culture and community.