Chris Chew is a designer, musician, and co-founder of design studio Chew—Chew. He is also a regular attendee of tennis tournaments on the east coast, including the US Open. Chris art directed the new issue of Tennis In Photographs focused on Coco Gauff. Below, he shares his love for design and tennis.
What do you like about designing for print?
I just love having a physical record of a thing. A print piece is like a timestamp once it is produced and in my hands. I use digital devices and consume media online a lot more; I look at images on-screen all day and read more on screens than in print, but that’s because it’s the default way to get a lot of information. Picking up a book or magazine allows people to deliberately focus on that single experience for a bit. There are ways to create meaningful design experiences on screen, too, of course, but for me personally as a viewer, it’s really easy to get side-tracked, or to skim the surface, and then just move on to something else.
Your design work ranges from print to apparel, accessories, exhibitions, and more. How was Tennis In Photographs different for you?
I like to try and do everything. My sister Allison is like that, too, and the projects we make together for Chew—Chew tend to be our purest “passion projects.” Well, we sell them, so maybe that’s not “pure,” but the creative choices aren’t filtered by others.
At my day job, I’m often designing for art exhibitions and working with curators, and that involves researching subjects that, inevitably, are fascinating on some level, but aren’t typically topics I was personally invested in beforehand.
Tennis In Photographs is kind of the unicorn where it’s a commissioned project about a topic that I happen to be obsessed with. So, of course, I was working to realize the overall vision, and the main focus was to showcase the incredible photographs, but I also wanted it to reflect my own love and appreciation for the sport. And I really appreciated the openness to my ideas! We probably spent more time nerding out about tennis over Zoom than talking business.
Knowing the goal was to make this issue feel specific to Coco and the 2023 US Open, and have more youthfulness to it, how did you approach what became the final result?
Coco is one of my favorite players, so I was super excited to hear that this issue was focused on her US Open run!
My taste and design sensibilities lean toward fun and playful—at least that’s the goal. Especially being playful with typography. So I kind of trusted that and was looking for connections to her game and personality rather than trying to force a “youthful aesthetic.” She’s one of the most dynamic movers, so I wanted to give the headline typography some movement and bounce.
You introduced an amazing range of colors, type arrangements, and illustrations that represent Coco and her energy. How did you balance these choices with the range of photographs and emotions of each chapter?
I wanted to reference the US Open court color and the kits she wore. It’s sort of an obvious solution, but I think it creates a nice relationship between the text and photos that let the reader go back and forth between the visual story and the written story. Adding the little drawings was a fun challenge. I felt like I needed something cool to follow up the amazing gestural lines from the last issue. The analogy of climbing/ascending was super helpful when coming up with things to draw.
Was there anything specific to Coco Gauff, her US Open championship win, or the photos that really inspired you in the design process?
Yeah, I’m such a fan of Coco as both a player and a personality. We talked about how she’s so poised and focused, but she also shows her personality and speaks her mind. She’s professional, but she’s not a PR bot, and she engages with the world beyond tennis. That isn’t always the case with athletes in the public eye. So, even though those ideas are a little more abstract, I took them into consideration when making choices about typefaces, layout, and the use of bold colors.
You went to one of Coco's 2023 US Open matches, right? What struck you the most about seeing her play in-person?
I actually think Coco is the tennis player I’ve seen play live the most! I saw her at the US Open in 2022 and at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth. When I went to Roland-Garros in 2023, the first court I went to was her practice, and Chris Eubanks was one of her hitting partners. I took videos of her backhand, so I could try to copy it…I’m not quite there yet! [Laughs]
One little moment that is an example of her level of personality peeking through the professional exterior: those practices are on small courts, and fans are pretty much court level yelling “Coco we love you!” nonstop. Like most players, she’s able to stay focused. The only thing I shouted as I was leaving was, “The shoes are fire, Coco!” and she couldn’t contain a chuckle, so I knew she heard and appreciated it!
Anyways, about her actually playing…I was at the much-hyped match against Mirra Andreeva at the 2022 US Open. I love to watch quick movers, and the power of her backhand is crazy. It’s just impressive to watch her both when she’s ahead in the point and when she’s scrambling and defending; she looks confident in any scenario.