The process of this piece was an extremely enjoyable experience. In the early conceptual and research stages, there were 10 different idioms that were considered for the final piece. People in the 19th century were religious and this saying was originally a warning not to speak the devil’s name for fear that he would send his demons to drag you to hell.
The idiom today is seen as light-hearted and does not carry the same weight as it did in the past. The full saying is “Speak of the devil, and he shall appear” however in order to achieve the concept of yourself as the devil, the saying changed to “speak of the devil, and they shall appear” so it would not be limited to a single gender. Leaning into the historical design aspects of wooden boxes, hand lettered script, and stamped fonts allowed for a vintage feel. Stylizing the type to make it more metaphorical created a cartoonish yet interesting visual.
