The onstage graphic design for Fearless has always stood out to me as elegant and crisp. As I watched the video on the anniversary of the London livestream, I noticed the element of a Christian cross in the graphics, which reminded me of this post about the religious symbology in Walls.
Fearless is fundamentally a song about preserving the spirit of childhood— the spirit of curiosity, the willingness to take risks, to chase one’s dreams and have fun. So it’s cheeky for the graphic designers to incorporate symbols of childhood— the O’s and X’s on a tic-tac-toe game. The game is one of Louis’ tattoos.
But even in the very opening, we see that the X’s elongate into crosses.
The elements of this design (circle, crosses) also echoes Louis’ trademark smiley face:
— as well as the target (livestream version) and the halo.
In the London livestream, the cross is easily seen in several framings.
And we see it again at the Away From Home Festival.
We can see that the cross is distinctly separate from the ‘X’s. They are two discrete design elements.
I don’t have an interpretation for the incorporation of the cross, but I thought it was notable that the cross was prominently featured, and was carried over from the London livestream to the festival. (It’s also not just a cross. There’s a crosshatch across the top of it.)
Another cool little detail at the London livestream was the “picture-in-a-picture” infinity fade that is similar to the portal-within-a-portal design of the 369 merch. (Also the smiley face directly in front of the portal— both a way in, and a reminder to stay true to oneself: everything’s changed outside, I feel the same inside.)
The consistency of the symbols for the songs on Walls, the beauty and elegance of the designs, the directness of the message, the meta references and connections between songs continue to amaze and fascinate me endlessly!! This livestream really was perfect.
