Rediscovering Kanye West's Lost Art and Design Tweets

Image via Complex Original

Being a Student More than a Celebrity

Ultimately, Kanye's relatability came through in the time he was on Twitter, especially in moments like this.

Being Understood as an Artist

Kanye shared a lot of deep thoughts when he tweeted more regularly, and this was definitely a highlight. Is it a blessing or a curse for an artist to be understood in their lifetime? Of course, the majority are not understood and may never be.

Marble Conference Tables

This was a real moment in Twitter history. Do you remember the countless blogs that took shots at this? It's easy to poke fun at his insistency on an object for a meeting, whether it be a joke or not, but this speaks to his good taste in design more than anything else.

We're All Works in Progress

Wise words from Yeezus.

Marc Newson Yacht

As one of the most successful industrial designers out there, Marc Newson is not only inspirational but a god of lavish design. Kanye's suggestion to have Marc Newson, Jeff Koons, and Picasso design a boat together is actually mind-blowing, if you think about it.

Director of Photography Reels

Forever the multi-tasker and bridge between the worlds of hip-hop and pop culture, Kanye's tweets remind us of his enthusiasm for doing so. Maybe he was looking for a DP for the Runaway film.

Getting Emotional Over Fonts

This is perhaps one of Kanye's most famous tweets about art and design. While some probably laughed when it went up, it's a clear indication of his love for typography, which we've seen in his album and video releases throughout the years. Virgil Abloh, Kanye's creative director, recently Instagrammed an image of the font they've created for Yeezus.

Persian Rugs With Cherub Imagery

We all get mad about things—getting our order wrong, losing things, or receiving the wrong type of Persian rug. uuuuugh!

Scientists and Designers

If only Kanye could tweet this out again after what happened yesterday. His understanding of science and design as essential to the furthering of our culture was constantly affirmed by his tweets.

I'm a Photographer's Dream

As of last Wednesday, apparently Rick Ross has become a videographer's nightmare.

Investing in Creativity

This kind of openness and transparency made Kanye's days of frequent tweeting a joy for fans to be a part of.

The Initial Ideas for DONDA

We hope we get to see the result of DONDA designing the MTV Awards in the near future. Kanye's stream of DONDA tweets will forever go down in history as a moment in idealism and attempting to bridge all areas of culture and design.

van Gogh

Tweets like this helped make #kanyetweets a real meme, and we support those who still relate being on their grind with being on your "van Gogh 1889."

Commercial Art

Kanye's exclamation points are missed. So are these realizations of what art means, especially in how it pertains to his work.

Picasso

"The problem is staying an artist when you grow up." Kanye's love for Picasso runs deep, and he tweeted about him often.

Designing the Typeface for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

As you'll see in even more of the following slides, typefaces and fonts were and remain important to Kanye, including for Yeezus.

Runaway Artwork

Amidst creative musings and ideas, Kanye would drop his own album artwork. The delivery was fluid and made it feel like his inspiration was just as important as the final product.

The Coolest Famous Creative People

Sade, Ali, Jay-Z, Johnny Depp, Ralph Lauren, Sean Penn, Mos Def, Lil Wayne, Angelina Jolie, Thom Yorke, Ellen, Spik Jonze, and M.I.A. are definitely some of the coolest famous creative people ever.

New Ideas, Exposure, and Fruition

Perhaps the inspiration behind G.O.O.D.? #GettingOutOurDreams

Being an Inventor or a Curator

"Sonic inventions curated by emotion." We miss that kind of talk.

Sketching Yeezi 3s

Damn, and we still don't have them! Look forward to the Red Air Yeezy 2s on June 18.

If Baroque and Mod Had a Car Crash

Read our Visual Guide to Understanding Kanye West's Art Tweets if you need a refresher on baroque and mod.

Artists as Too Cocky or Way Too Bashful

It's true, artists tend to be either one or the other.

Living Inside a Helmut Newton or Guy Bourdin Book

Read our Visual Guide to Understanding Kanye West's Art Tweets if you want a depiction of living inside a Helmut Newton or Guy Bourdin book.

Being Uncompromising as an Artist

It's no doubt a paradox that artists (and people in general) usually have to make a compromise in order to prosper, especially if you're of the opinion that artists are defined by being uncompromising.

Make a Mark That Lasts Forever

It's safe to say that he already has.

Calligraphy

We don't know exactly what Kanye used the calligraphers for, but this tweet was met with a lot of eager fans offering to be his calligraphers, of course.

Symmetry

Tweets like this help fans to realize how important an idea like symmetry is to Kanye. Most or all of his album covers and videos have been symmetrical and emote balance.

Gothic or Helvetic Fonts Only

Did you know the difference between Gothic and Helvetic fonts before Kanye told you what they were? Hopefully the label got the message.

French Book From the 1800s

Another thing we miss about Kanye's tweets is how they showed what was inspiring him at any given time, including (but not limited to) artists like Tom Sachs and Jeff Koons, the Palace of Versailles, and this French book from the 1800s.

Versace

Another thing that we miss about Kanye's tweets is the way they translated the realness of his music to his random thoughts on design. As a lover of fashion and Versace, he wasn't afraid to admit that this sofa looks potentially hood.

Pantone Charts

People often overlook Kanye's involvement the creation of his work beyond the music, whether it be the colors in the Runaway film, the design of his tours, or his album packaging. When he was on Twitter, fans got a chance to realize that he even had the Pantone charts out when working on a project.

I Feel the Glow

Another thing we miss about Kanye's tweets is how affirmative they often were. Don't front like seeing this tweet didn't help you to FEELTHEGLOW.

Projector

This is significant because it feels like a possible precursor to the idea for using projections of "New Slaves" around the world.