By Hadi Azad

Max Cohen, a 19-year-old graphic designer from Waterloo, Ont., went from making thumbnails for YouTubers to landing his artwork on the Billboard Hot 100.

Cohen started to develop his craft in high school with the support of the online gaming community.

“I started doing video game designs for YouTubers that played Call of Duty,” said Cohen. “Afterward, I saw people in that community transitioning over.” From there on out, Cohen chose to work in the music industry and began to upload alternate covers for artists to his Twitter. 

After building a platform for himself, Cohen found it easier to contact and work with well-known artists, especially in Toronto because of his reputation. Cohen’s artistic breakthrough happened when he designed the cover for Toronto rapper Killy’s hit record “Killamonjaro.”

Photo courtesy Max Cohen (mxxchn) on Instagram

 “We [Killy and Cohen] went back and forth, he had a concept and ended up on a theme. I sketched it out on a piece of paper, sent it to him and he said ‘Yeah that’s it,’ the layout was done,” said Cohen. “I then just made it on Photoshop, we both clicked on the idea and we both knew what we wanted.” 

Since then, Cohen’s designed covers for numerous hit records such as “Bloody Hands” by Pressa, “Sold Out Dates” by Gunna featuring Lil Baby, and his most recent artwork for Juice WRLD, “Bandit,” which peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Photo courtesy Max Cohen (mxxchn) on Instagram

Possibly the most meaningful moment for Cohen so far was the opportunity to create the posthumous cover of XXXTENTACION’s album, Members Only: Volume 4. The first alternate cover Cohen ever uploaded on Twitter was for Members Only in 2016. 

Working for an artist that truly resonated with Cohen meant a lot to him. 

“I’m sure people did doubt me and I kind of ignored it if anything,” said Cohen about the online graphic design community. “I just kept on going and seeing my own progress, I knew I’d make it.”

Cohen values patience and hard work. His close attention to detail makes his work stand out in a very competitive market. 

“A lot of designers are solely focused on text and they don’t put as much detail into the work,” said Cohen. “Especially when you’re starting off, just making sure all the little things are looking good and focusing on putting in more detail [to stand out from others].” 

Cohen’s main goal at the moment is to graduate from Wilfrid Laurier University and to maintain a good balance between school and his career.

“I’ll keep on putting out quality work and to extend my network — I take things as they come,” he said. “I want to transition this into marketing more and to continue in that path.” 

Despite all he’s accomplished at a young age, it seems like Cohen’s just getting started on his road to excellence in his field.