Album Cover
Problem
Scene
All great art we see today are, to varying extents, influenced by past artists and history’s monumental art movements, Renaissance, Bauhaus, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco to name a few. I was tasked with designing a vinyl album cover for a musician of my choosing in the style of a historically famous artist. The artist’s aesthetic and corresponding art movement had to work to amplify the musician’s songs and message.
Objective
Design a front and back album cover, and the corresponding vinyl. Requirements were a track list, thoughtful typographic decisions making, and an excerpt about both artists.
Process
Research
At the time of creating this piece, I was a big fan of Melanie Martinez and her ability to mix societal criticism with grotesque visuals, while maintaining her coquette aesthetic. I wanted to find an artist that delivers the same cynical humor as she does, but also invokes thought and raises awareness for unjust social norms. This search for a liberal designer lead me to Hannah Hoch of DaDaism, a movement from 1916.
Inspiration
After my research, I wanted to amplify the modern day’s double standard towards women by centering the imagery around Martinez’s song, “Potato Head,” and its music video.
From the music video, I saw a that pink or blue setting was used to show significant mood changes. Some common motifs I saw were roses, medical equipment, and sweets. To imitate Hoch’s scrapbooking style, I selected three of her works to base my design on.
Iterations
Sketches
Critiques
My first iteration mostly conveyed my image. However, the extra texture and overall placement of the text was dull and not very legible. It looked too“ photoshop-y,” and Hoch’s style was lost.
Refining
Final Product
Take-away
I learned that less can sometimes be more. I was very ambitious with my research and photo editing, making my first iteration much messier than it should’ve been. Furthermore, I’ve learned that typography is just as important as visuals. Typography is an “invisible” art. However, the effect it has on mood is greater than I’d originally believed.
