THE TRAVIS SCOTT DESIGN ALPHABET

ARCHITECTURE

Architecture is my true passion. I plan to apply to the architecture program at Harvard GSD when I’m done with music, which won’t be for a while. It would be dope to do both at the same time.

BRUTALISM

Brutalism is spare. That’s how I treat music. I like to take it all in and throw it down. In Brutalist architecture I find comfort in raw materials that serve a purpose.

CARS

I like cars. I’ve got a very rare collection, with a Mercedes Benz G-Wagen cabriolet and a 1988 BMW M3 E30. I’m not looking for something new when it comes to cars. I look for personality — my cars match my different personalities.

DRAWING

Drawing, and visual art in general, is one of my main inspirations, especially when I write music. Nothing brings words to the pad like art.

ENGINEERING

Engineering is the true foundation, the mechanics of it all — whether in architecture, design, or anything else. It’s especially important to music. I didn’t go to engineering school, but when I’m making music on the computer I’m a master engineer!

FURNITURE

I’m really into furniture that feels more like art, even if it might not always be the most comfortable. I have a bunch of pieces that are actually sculptures. Some of my artist friends are becoming really big now. My guy Dozie Kanu is the best.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

It’s one of my true passions. A lot goes into graphic design. You usually gravitate to what matches how you feel or what represents your personality — colors, artwork, it all plays a part. Among my favorite American logos are Campbell’s Soup, Brillo, and Frenchy’s Chicken, which is a restaurant in Houston.

HOME

It has to feel comfortable and warm. I like a space I feel matches my brain. The rooms can be their own worlds, but I like to have everything aesthetically connected. I have a dark cream color going through the house right now that links them all. I call it Cactus Jack tan. It’s a vibe. Shout out to Amy [Morgenstern] who did all the plasterwork in my house.

IMPACT

Making an impact is fun. But sometimes people also flip the question on you in weird ways. There are people who don’t understand why you’re influential, and it can become an issue. The person who had the greatest impact on me and my taste level was Virgil. He was a true inspiration.

JEWELRY

I’m really into fine jewelry — not only diamonds, but many different stones. I haven’t done custom jewelry since I made these pieces with Takashi Murakami. He drew something for me — it was a hand-painted ceramic — and then my friend Elliot [Eliantte] put the diamonds in. But I wouldn’t call that custom jewelry anymore — it’s art.

KITCHEN

You gotta have the perfect kitchen. I recently bought a French-style stove from La Cornue — it’s a perfect classic range. I like a kitchen to feel really full. It’s funny, because I don’t actually spend so much time there, but I do spend a lot of time in the pantry.

LANDSCAPE

I’m finishing the landscape at my house and studio and it’s going to be better than a botanical garden — very vibrant with lots of different flowers. I worked with a local company. It’s inspired by amusement parks and Disney’s vibrant landscaping, but we combined that with Japanese anime elements. We also took inspiration from golf courses and how they sculpt the landscape. Landscape is very important to me. I love walking around outdoors.

MPC

I made most of my new album on an MPC. I got new ones; I got some old ones. My favorite is the 2000XL. It produces a very distinctive sound that makes it feel alive.

NASA

That’s home base: Houston Space Center. The original. Growing up it always kept me thinking of outer space. It had a huge impact on me. The universe is way bigger than where we live.

ORNAMENT

Ornament is not a crime to me. When you’re in your head all the time you need somewhere to soak your inspiration. Ornamentation and decoration are a way to express things without having to talk.

POSTMODERNISM

Postmodernism allows you to revisit the past in a new way.

QUALITY

Quality over quantity. Always.

RENAISSANCE

Something everybody is after. You’re trying to achieve a cultural statement that’s both historical and contemporary.

SNEAKERS

Sneakers are your everyday life. I have a huge collection of sneakers. Once you collect so many sneakers, you get inspired to make them more fun and more creative. When I design sneakers I want people to be able to do anything in them — no limit.

TIME

Time is timelessness.

UTOPIA

Utopia is something that people feel is so far-fetched and out of reach, some perfect state of mind. But you create it yourself. There are people who achieve utopia every day. They may not be the richest people with the dopest cribs, but it’s a utopia wherever they are, and that’s the most you can have. With every album I live in these worlds in my mind — I’m trying to show people experiences where utopian things can exist, and you can enjoy yourself and have a good time. They can create energy that spews out magical things — new cures, new buildings, new avenues for people to move forward. People need to see that utopia is real.

VIRTUAL

I love video games. I’ve always wanted to create a world where everything was limitless, so when I did a concert in [online game] Fortnite it was dope to take the opportunity to design a virtual space and push it to the max.

WATCHES

I have a watch collection, but it’s selective. Movement is the most important detail to me: how you wear it, and how it can be worn. Nothing too big. Audemars Piguet make timeless designs.

X-FACTOR

Having an X-factor is key. A lot of designers’ stuff is underwhelming. The X-factor is elusive. But even IKEA has an X-factor. They just stay on it, man. It’s the idea of being able to give something to people that’s accessible and can still make their house feel next level. That’s the X-factor. Shout out to IKEA.

YACHT

A yacht’s aesthetic is interesting: it’s designed to navigate through endless waves, while also giving you the freedom of isolation and peace. I don’t have a boat, but the modern lines that make up my crib embody similar characteristics — the shapes, the sleek edges, the curves.

ZAHA

Zaha Hadid was revolutionary.