Meantimeboards

Brief 09_M E A N T I M E the brief

M E A NT I M E

Meantime are a guitar pop band with an English country twist. Catchy tunes with storybook lyrics to match, its Squeeze meets The Beatles, meets The Neighbors.

Meantime’s upbeat riffs, insightful lyrics and great harmonies make a memorable ten-song track list for the self-titled record.

THE BRIEF

The brief is to create a set of record sleeves for the band Meantime. The four sleeves you will be designing will be three singles including ‘Blinded,’ ‘Take Me Home’ and ‘This is the Life.’ The last sleeve will be the bands full track listing. Consider the relationship between type and image and how through the use of visuals you could best display the song, do the lyrics have to be a key influence in the design outcome? The design outcome is broad; whatever method, technique or process you choose is up to you. You must also think about a band logo or consistent typeface to use throughout the designs.

P R E P E R AT I O N You will need to look at record sleeves that will inspire, look at what is contemporary, see how you can create a consistent set of sleeves that depict areas of the lyrics and that can be reflected through the visuals used. You will need to look at the lyrics or song titles to get a better understanding of the music and to see whether this could inform your design.

Brief 09_M E A N T I M E research

R E S EA R C H

I looked into contemporary album art that I particularly liked and took influence from.

Early on I decided I wanted photography to be my main source of visuals for this brief. I wanted to look at how I could rearrange the images in an interesting way and so looked at some examples of photomontages and reworked/manipulated photographs.

Primary research: I thought it was important to look at contemporary album art work being sold in music shops and other stores to get an idea of style. At this moment in time there appears to be a certain trend with album art work which I think, visually, looks quite interesting and what I have tried to bear in mind when designing mine.

Brief 09_M E A N T I M E collection

M E A NT I M E

THIS IS THE LIFE

BLINDED

M E A NT I M E

M E A NT I M E

BLINDED 'I was so blinded by the beauty of it all, and I don't need to be reminded of how I took a fall...'

For this album cover I wanted to look at lighting in photography, a simple link with the song name, blinded. The song title, for me, has connotations of being blinded by light and the significant line of the song, with the word beauty lightens the overall feel and image. I tried to use various photographs depicting soft lighting and subtle tones that would compliment each other when being layered in a photomontage style.

M E A NT I M E

TAKE ME HOME

TA K E M E H O M E Take Me Home - this is the third single from the record, my idea is really obvious.

I have used an image that I have taken which I think works well for the song, its image is of a deserted landscape sunset where one window from a faded house is visible, by itself. That is the image of home in this track.

M E A NT I M E This is the design for the record, the overall album. I think in all three single designs and this design our consistent in terms of style, all photography based, collage, pattern and logo. The album front cover doesn't have a concept behind the design, I just thought the image suited the style of the band and that visually it was interesting enough to use. This was a photo taken on a similar camera to the previous photos of the band.

I started looking at light images again as I had used these throughout the design of the sleeves. When scanning it in I experimented with the scanning outcomes which I thought made the image look more interesting and fitting with the sound and style of the group.

THIS IS THE LIFE This is the starting song on the record. I decided to use photographs of the band, as a sort of introduction, photos capturing them. I basically wanted to create a photomontage pattern depicting the band in a causal social situation.

The images really help the design as the colours in the prints are nice and interesting.

Brief 09_M E A N T I M E sleeve one

M E A NT I M E

SIDE_ A

THIS IS THE LIFE IM ON FIRE 03_ D O A S I S AY 04_TY P H O I D M A RY 05_ B L I N D E D

M E A NT I M E

SIDE_ B

G OT T O B E ST R O N G O L D N EW Y O R K 08_T A K E M E H O M E 09_ OV E R Y O U 10_ J U M P

01_

06_

02_

07_

M E A NT I M E

M E A NT I M E

Brief 09_M E A N T I M E sleeve two

THIS IS THE LIFE

THIS IS THE LIFE

WELL WHAT YOU BEEN THROUGH HAVE YOUR DAYS TURNED BLUE HAS YOUR FLAME GONE COLD AND YOUR FEET REFUSE TO MOVE, YOUR FEET REFUSE TO MOVE IS IT BAD, TOO BAD IS IT SAD, SO SAD IS IT ROUGH, YEAH ROUGH HAVE YOU DIED ENOUGH, HAVE YOU DIED ENOUGH THIS IS THE LIFE, THIS IS THE LIFE OF OPPORTUNITY EVERYTHING SOLD BY THE POUND IN BABYLON, WELL THAT’S MY KIND OF TOWN THIS IS THE LIFE, NO TIME FOR INSECURITY EVERYTHING SOLD BY THE POUND, COME ON AND PUT YOUR MONEY DOWN SO THIS IS WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT, I SAID IN DISBELIEF AS I LEFT MY MOTHERS ARMS AND TOOK A KICK STRAIGHT TO THE TEETH IF THIS IS RIGHT I MUST BE WRONG, I MUST BE OFF MY HEAD I JUST DON’T SEEM TO GET ALONG WITH ANYTHING SHE SAYS, WITH ANYTHING SHE SAYS

THIS IS THE LIFE, THIS IS THE LIFE OF OPPORTUNITY EVERYTHING SOLD BY THE POUND IN BABYLON, WELL THAT’S MY KIND OF TOWN THIS IS THE LIFE, NO TIME FOR INSECURITY EVERYTHING SOLD BY THE POUND, COME ON AND PUT YOUR MONEY DOWN A MAN WALKS THROUGH HIS FATHER’S LAND IN HUNGER AND THE HEAT HE LOOKS UP AT THE LAGOS HILTON AND DOWN AT HIS BARE FEET WELL MONEY TALKS IN PARADISE, THE SAME AS IN THE WEST THAT’S JUST THE WAY THE MONEY GOES, SO DON’T YOU GET DEPRESSED BOYS, YOU BETTER NOT BE DEPRESSED THIS IS THE LIFE, THIS IS THE LIFE OF OPPORTUNITY EVERYTHING SOLD BY THE POUND IN BABYLON, WELL THAT’S MY KIND OF TOWN THIS IS THE LIFE, NO TIME FOR INSECURITY EVERYTHING SOLD BY THE POUND, COME ON AND PUT YOUR MONEY DOWN

WELL WHAT YOU BEEN THROUGH HAVE YOUR DAYS TURNED BLUE HAS YOUR FLAME GONE COLD AND YOUR FEET REFUSE TO MOVE, YOUR FEET REFUSE TO MOVE IS IT BAD, TOO BAD IS IT SAD, SO SAD IS IT ROUGH, YEAH ROUGH HAVE YOU DIED ENOUGH, HAVE YOU DIED ENOUGH

M E A NT I M E

THIS IS THE LIFE, THIS IS THE LIFE OF OPPORTUNITY EVERYTHING SOLD BY THE POUND IN BABYLON, WELL THAT’S MY KIND OF TOWN THIS IS THE LIFE, NO TIME FOR INSECURITY EVERYTHING SOLD BY THE POUND, COME ON AND PUT YOUR MONEY DOWN THIS IS THE LIFE, THIS IS THE LIFE OF OPPORTUNITY EVERYTHING SOLD BY THE POUND IN BABYLON, WELL THAT’S MY KIND OF TOWN THIS IS THE LIFE, NO TIME FOR INSECURITY EVERYTHING SOLD BY THE POUND, COME ON AND PUT YOUR MONEY DOWN

M E A NT I M E

M E A NT I M E

Brief 09_M E A N T I M E sleeve three

M E A NT I M E BLINDED

BLINDED

ONE STEP AT A TIME EVERYONE’S GOTTA BE SOMEBODY’S VALENTINE HUSH, DON’T SAY A WORD THIS COULD BE THE SADDEST STORY YOU’VE EVER HEARD

OH MEANWHILE IN THE KITCHEN HE REMEMBERS WHAT HE HAD

WHAT GOES UP, MUST COME DOWN WHEN IT DOES YOU’LL FIND IT’S THE TALK OF THE TOWN

EVERY NOW AND THEN WE SETTLE DOWN TO MAKE BELIEF

JUST THE WAY WE LAUGH ABOUT THE THINGS WE MISS THE MOST I’VE GOT SO MUCH TO TELL YOU THAT IT STICKS IN MY THROAT BUT I WAS SO BLINDED BY THE BEAUTY OF IT ALL AND I DON’T NEED TO BE REMINDED OF HOW I TOOK A FALL

IT DOESN’T TAKE SO LONG THESE DAYS TO MAKE EACH OTHER MAD

SITTING AT THE TABLE LIKE THE FRIENDS OF THE DECEASED COS I WAS SO BLINDED BY THE BEAUTY OF IT ALL AND I DIDN’T NEED TO BE REMINDED OF HOW I TOOK A FALL HOW MANY TIMES CAN WE MISS ALL THE SIGNS AND GO SAILING INTO THE STORM

YESTERDAY, TOMORROW OR THE END OF THE WEEK I COULD SPEND A LIFETIME IF I WAIT FOR YOU TO SPEAK I REMEMBER WHEN WE FIRST MET AND YOU NEVER HAD TO TRY BUT NO TWO LOVERS EVER LOVE THE SAME AT ANYTIME AND I WAS SO BLINDED BY THE BEAUTY OF IT ALL AND I DIDN’T NEED TO BE REMINDED OF HOW I TOOK A FALL AND I WAS SO BLINDED BY THE BEAUTY OF IT ALL AND I DIDN’T NEED TO BE REMINDED OF HOW I TOOK A FALL

SHOULD I HOPE FOR THE BEST, HIT THE DECK AND GET WRECKED SHOULD I SWIM FOR THE BEACH, WHEN I KNOW ITS SO FAR OUT OF REACH, OUT OF REACH

M E A NT I M E

M E A NT I M E

Brief 09_M E A N T I M E sleeve four

TAKE ME HOME

TAKE ME HOME, TAKE ME HOME TAKE ME HOME, TAKE ME HOME TAKE ME HOME, TAKE ME THERE WAS SOMETHING IN YESTERDAY’S CONVERSATION YOU WERE SAYING SUDDENLY I KNEW WE ARE ESSENTIALLY ALONE AND ALL THE PEOPLE WE’RE SURROUNDED BY AND NEVER NOTICE STAND AT THE WINDOW SHOUTING SOMEWHERE OUT THERE, SOMEONE TAKE THE HOME OH I’VE BEEN STUMBLING AROUND HERE IN THE DARK WELL MAYBE I’LL BUILD MYSELF AND ARC BUT HERE THERE’S JUST NOWHERE TO PARK I WANNA WORLD OF MY OWN I MET A GIRL I FELL IN LOVE BUT THE ONLY THING SHE SAID TO ME WAS LONESOME IS AS LONESOME DOES YOU BETTER TAKE ME HOME TAKE ME HOME, WOOH WOOH WOOH

WELL THE SACRED COW THE HOLY GRAIL, TTHE BRIGHT LIGHTS BECOME SO PALE, AND EVERYONE LOOKS HARD AS NAILS AND COLDER THAN STONE, ALL THE BIGSHOTS AND THE HASBEENS, THE BYGONES AND THE BEAUTY QUEENS, WHEREVER IT IS, WHATEVER IT MEANS I JUST WANNA GO HOME, TAKE ME HOME, OH TAKE ME HOME WHERE MY FEET CAN TOUCH THE GROUND, TAKE ME HOME, WOOH TAKE ME HOME, SOMEWHERE OUT THERE SOMEONE TAKE ME HOME WELL THE SACRED COW, THE HOLY GRAIL, THE BRIGHT LIGHTS BECOME SO PALE, AND EVERYONE LOOKS HARD AS NAILS AND COLDER THAN STONE, I MET A GIRL, I FELL IN LOVE BUT THE ONLY THING SHE SAID TO ME WAS LONESOME IS AS LONESOME DOES YOU BETTER TAKE ME HOME

WELL I STARTED OUT TO GET MY SHARE BUT THE ONLY RULE IS NEVER PLAY FAIR I WANNA COME IN FROM OVER THERE AND I NEED TO REST MY BONES I’VE BEEN STUMBLING AROUND AND I’M IN A CAVE WHERE BEING RIGHT IS ALL THE RAGE AND ALL MY PROBLEMS COME OF AGE AND I JUST WANNA GO HOME

M E A NT I M E

TAKE ME HOME, OH TAKE ME HOME WHERE MY FEET CAN TOUCH THE GROUND, TAKE ME HOME, WOOH TAKE ME HOME, SOMEWHERE OUT THERE SOMEONE TAKE ME HOME TAKE ME HOME, SOMEWHERE OUT THERE SOMEONE TAKE ME SOMEWHERE OUT THERE, SOMEONE TAKE ME SOMEWHERE OUT THERE SOMEONE TAKE ME SOMEWHERE OUT THERE SOMEONE TAKE ME SOMEWHERE OUT THERE SOMEONE TAKE ME HOME

M E A NT I M E

M E A NT I M E

TAKE ME HOME