Religious spirit infuses Western pop

The brief was to blend African imagery with the Eastern idea of karma (or ‘what goes around comes around’ to most of us) and the Western idea of ‘cola’ for a new, ethically sourced soft drink.

For Beck, who worked with designers from Special Group and their client All Good Drinks to produce the Karma Cola image, it was a chance to immerse himself in another culture.

‘When I work on a job I like to surround myself with reference material relating to the job and relevant music to listen to,’ says Beck. ‘I love African dance and music, so this job was a dream for me. I listened to music from Sierra Leone - where the drink’s cola nuts come from - to get into the mood and then started to look into African deities.

He based his first drawings on an Mami Wata, an African water spirit who embodies both good and evil. The image went through many reincarnations before evolving into the final bottle illustration.

Beck found working with the design team particularly stimulating. ‘Special Group is an inspiring group of people to work with. This project was truly a group effort with the client, Special and myself all working together to create something great.’

The hard work was also for a great cause, with Karma Cola earning the ingredients’ suppliers a Fairtrade premium. Two cents from the sale of each bottle also goes directly to the Mende people in Boma village, Sierra Leone as well as money from the purchase of their nuts.