I wanted to take everything I had been learning in Ableton and TouchDesigner and put it to the test—not just as random experiments, but as a fully realized project. So, I created Widowmaker, a fictional dubstep artist alias that would serve as my case study in music and visual design. The name came from one of my favorite cars, the Porsche 930 Turbo, which earned the infamous nickname due to its wild, unpredictable power. That same energy became the foundation for the project.
To establish an identity, I designed a logo as the first step in shaping the project’s aesthetic. I landed on a stacked “W” and “M” that resembled a spider, tying into the “widow” reference in the name. I also liked that the shape could be made with your hands, similar to the iconic logos of Excision or Zeds Dead, giving it a visual signature beyond just the graphics.
With the branding set, I treated the project as if I were working with a real artist. I first produced a track under the Widowmaker alias, then crafted the visuals to match—just like I would in a real-world collaboration. This process helped me refine my workflow between music production, generative visuals, and live performance tools, building my understanding of how these elements come together.
This project was a major step in applying creative technology to music and performance, and it’s something I plan to keep expanding on.
