The Brief Create an album cover for Secret 7 This brief asks us to create a front cover for 2 out of 7 album covers. We are given the freedom of choosing one of the album covers and designing it however we wish. Secret 7 is a competition that is very open to design and this makes it more fun and interesting. I am looking forward to creating an album cover for this brief. After listening to each artist I have chosen Jack Garratt - worry and Etta James - At last because these lyrics relate most to me. This makes me want to design something that would make you think as to why I have designed this.
Daniel Carter - OUGD503 - Studio Brief 01 - Secret 7
Research Researching album covers
The Used
Album covers are something that do not even relate back to the lyrics. However, I personally find it more interesting if you can relate back to the lyrics. Lyrics are there to make you think. If you can visualise that then it makes it easier for the audience to understand the artist and why he has chosen those words. I intend to make each album cover personal to the lyrics even if it uses just a word.
The album is showing the death of love. The heart represents love and the heart is being hung; therefore it is the death of love. This album cover reminds me of the film ‘The Conjurting’ which also uses a tree and a rope to show that it is a horror movie. I also like that the typeface looks hand rendered and is also very exaggerated. The background colour is very dim and shady and matches the ‘death of love’ story.
The XX This is one of my favourite album covers because of the simplicity and how easily recognisable it is. A huge bold X right in the centre of the album makes me question why only one X and not two X’s. But I personally like controversial album covers because it makes you talk more about the design of the work. I myself love monochrome colours and designs hence why I would say this is my favourite album. It also explains a lot about the simplicity of the music which is very condensed. Avenged Sevenfold Designers have a role to set visuals to promote their music. Avenged Sevenfold are Rock artists and you can visually tell in this album cover. By using a dark dim black it exaggerates the skull and the wings to make it look alarming and chilling. The simplicity of the design makes you curious of who these artists are. After listening to Avenged Sevenfold you can instantly relate back to the album cover and why it was designed with such purpose. The theme of the album is expressive in the way that it is crude and evil in a sense. I personally really like how minimalistic it is.
Daniel Carter - OUGD503 - Studio Brief 01 - Secret 7
What can I take from this research? From this research I’ve noticed that the best album covers are simplistic, expressive and iconic. For an album cover to work it needs to be recognisable. The album covers that focus on detail are the ones that I normally do not understand. From this research i’m going to keep it simple yet recognisable. For the album cover it has to be complimentary to the genre of music. From this research you can tell from the album covers what genre of music is what. I also looked at Dance, funk and soul music as these are the two genres of music that I am covering.
Initial Ideas Initial sketches I wanted to create a word map. I wanted to stick away from the obvious whilst still linking it back to the lyrics. I had to try recreate the word headache which I found difficult at first. I drew a sketch of a face and put lightning strike around to demonstrate the pain of a headache. The strike down the middle of the face is to represent the two sides that you feel when you get a headache. It is showing how split in two you are. The eye relates back to the words confusion hence why the question mark in a shape of a pupil. I wanted the eye lashes to be the centre point of attention with the eyelashes being different colours to represent sunshine as it was one of my chosen words. Red lips placed in the centre of the CD cover with puzzle pieces left around. This is meant to show the lips of the girl that he(the artist) will not see again as he picks up the pieces. The closed eyes are very simplistic and easy to understand. The eyes almost look disappointed which again I try to show confusion. In the lyrics the woman has her eyes closed and this makes the image more recognisable and controversial as
Daniel Carter - OUGD503 - Studio Brief 01 - Secret 7
Experinting with words and illustrations.
Development Initial idea development Etta James - At last. With the use of skies and blues I created my own brush stroke and then started dabbing it around the page. I focused on the word Heaven, Skies and God. We have never seen the face of God so why not illustrate a higher power with no face. The colour is very gentle and warm and links back to the word ‘emotion and love’. Again, using a different brush stroke I created something that would remind you of dreams. Dreams are something that your mind makes up and create an image of thought. I wanted the blue to be something warm with belief.
Etta James - At last.
Etta James - At last.
Blue relating back to dreams
Blue relating back to the sky
Jack Garratt - Worry
Jack Garratt - Worry
Lips stick within a completed rubics cube
Red lips
Jack Garratt - Worry A simplistic image that I wish I took forward. For me I panic when I think of solving a rubics cube. The Red lips were meant to show the woman who he has last and is now trying to pick apart the pieces. In this situation the pieces are pieced together but they can very easily be disjointed and broken again. After using the same brush as I have done with my Etta James album cover, I decided to create it more into lips. This reminds me of a kiss on some paper and not all of the lipstick has stuck to the paper. The lips are not exactly lips but they could represent many words that I have looked at; broken, damaged, women, gentle, red lips.
Daniel Carter - OUGD503 - Studio Brief 01 - Secret 7
Final Outcome Final album designs. Jack Garratt - Worry I decided to put in an illustration of a woman with red lip stick instead of focusing on purely the red lip stick. The jigsaw pieces are meant to represent the lyrics: “My nights are broken up by the sounds of women I’ll never meet And when my eyes are closed I can start to feel you staring at me. Pick apart the pieces you left” The woman is meant to have pieces missing showing how he is picking up the pieces of puzzles that she has left behind hence why the piece isn’t fully complete of the woman. Etta James - At last I decided to go back to my notes book and play around with the brush stroke. I decided to use the brush stroke that I used in my development and expand it so that there is more subtle blue with bits of white on it. A white dove symbolises peace for its purity and serenity and relates back to the word heaven. The song is very calm and touching and I thought it needed to be minimal whilst being subtle with the doves which are all flying up towards the heavens. “The skies above are blue My heart was wrapped up in clover The night I looked at you” “Oh and then the spell was cast And here we are in heaven for you are mine...” Daniel Carter - OUGD503 - Studio Brief 01 - Secret 7
Final book cover (2)
Final book cover (3)
Dot to dot theme
Contemporary Berlin theme