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 Richie Nolan
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Role: Senior Designer and Retoucher | Project: STAGS | Paramount+

 
 
 
 

Nominated Best Key Visual, GEMA Awards 2024

TAGS follows groom-to-be Stu and his friends on his stag do in South America. What was meant to be a week of drink, drugs, and fun turns dark when instead of boarding a plane home, the group is thrown in to a notorious and depraved prison island run by two drug-dealing siblings and it becomes clear that the stags need to pick a side if they have any chance of survival. Friendships are tested and life-long loyalty is sacrificed as Stu and his friends begin to question, who will make it home?

As the lead graphic designer for STAGS, I helped guide the key art creative from inception to completion, overseeing every stage of the process. From conceptualisation to final retouching—a task I handled personally—I crafted a suite of compelling key art used extensively in the show's marketing and on the Paramount+ platform.

 
 
 
 

The concept for the key visual was based on the moment our stags arrive at El Puerco Negro.
Overwhelmed and underprepared, the realisation of just how f****d they are hits the group.

 
 
 
 

Cast Mugshot Portraits

View fullsize STAGS_Mugshot_Nico_1x1.jpg
View fullsize STAGS_Mugshot_Asim_1x1.jpg
View fullsize STAGS_Mugshot_Charlie_1x1_B.jpg
View fullsize STAGS_Mugshot_Jojo_1x1.jpg
View fullsize STAGS_Mugshot_Corin_1x1_B.jpg
View fullsize STAGS_Mugshot_Paul_1x1_B.jpg
View fullsize STAGS_Mugshot_Sophie_1x1_B.jpg
View fullsize STAGS_Mugshot_Cavan_1x1.jpg
 

Character Artwork

STAGS_Nico_Prop.jpg
STAGS_Corin_Prop.jpg
STAGS_Asim_Prop.jpg
STAGS_Sophie_Prop.jpg
STAGS_Jojo_Prop.jpg
STAGS_Paul_Prop.jpg
STAGS_Cavan_Prop.jpg
STAGS_Charlie_Prop.jpg
 

Key Art Scamp

 
 
 

Key Art Concept Explorations

Metal Detector: We use the fact that both airports (where the story starts) and prisons (where the story ends) use metal detectors. We treat this as a transition point that highlights how badly the stag do goes.

 
 

Mural: South America, where this show is set, has a rich culture of colourful street art. We would lean into this by painting our ensemble on the exterior of the prison wall. Red paint can act as a nod to blood alluding to the violent themes in the show. Narrative elements, like the monster hidden

 
 
 

Behind Bars: We collage two juxtaposing scenes - the group partying for the stag and them locked up in prison. The bars act as a visual divide allowing us to alternate the scenes while maintaining compositional continuity so there is flow.

 
 

Cavity search: We distill the horror of the show’s premise into a single “Oh no” moment. The prison setting, the cast performance, and the disembodied guard provocatively snapping on a rubber glove speak to moments before a cavity search.

 

Trailer

 

Senior Designer & Retoucher: Richie Nolan
Senior Creative: Ben Mahon
Art Director: Yeen Trinh
Production: Arianna Tipper
CGI: Giant Bonsai
Photographer: Matthias Clamer
Creative Director: Kate Dunn