Will Jeffrey
Context
Studio Brief_1 North Luna
Bad Taste Records is a Hip Hop and Electronic music label, originally from Sheffield but now also based in London.
OUGD605
Brief
Design the artwork and packaging for the new ‘North Luna’ LP from Trellion & Sniff, released on Bad Taste Records.
Deliverables
- Limited Edition Vinyl Packaging - Artwork - Documentation in the form of a blog
The label is releasing a limited edition 16 track LP from artists Trellion and Sniff.
Target Audience
UK Hip-hop and overall urban/underground music fans
#01
Reference Imagery & Research
Will Jeffrey
Trellion & Sniff
Studio Brief_1 North Luna
Looking at imagery from and of the artists, I found there is clearly a very similar aesthetic throughout - dark black and white photography that appears quite sinister-like and mysterious. This kind of represents the mysteriousness of them as artists and their existence within the underground hip hop scene. Considering this though I didn’t think a change from this would do any harm.
Music
OUGD605
Listing to the music I listed words that I felt well summed it up: Rough /Raw/Chilled out/Dopey/Dumb/Dark /Dirty /Twisted/Demented/Trippy/Old School/Haunting/Grimey/Heavy/Fantasy I felt I definitely want to try and project these adjectives visually into the aesthetics and artwork concept. As well as this many of the lyrics from their songs were really inspiring in terms of visual thinking as they allowed me to come up with a variety of ‘scenarios’ that I could design. .
#02
Direction
Direction
Will Jeffrey
I decided that as this was limited edition I wanted it to be slightly more interactive than a standard vinyl sleeve. Idea development led me to the concept of a fold open sleeve, with custom imagery on the front and back and information/tracklisting on the inside of the fold open cover. I felt this would give the product a mysterious appeal and also mean there could be 2 different artworks contained on it.
Artwork Concept
Studio Brief_1 North Luna
I wanted to play on my strengths when developing the artwork, so decided that I was going to illustrate the artists as strange, villanious alter-ego characters in a fantasy scenario. I felt that if I did it in a way that fit the dark grungey aesthetic of exsisting artworks then I could still communicate the same tone of voice, but make this one a bit more unique.
Sketching
OUGD605
I began by sketching character ideas and thinking about how they could interact with the layout.
As well as this, underground hip hop is linked with street art and graffiti (much of which is character based) so I felt that it would fit well.
#03
Developed Concept
Will Jeffrey
Development
Studio Brief_1 North Luna
Taking this further I then finalised how I wanted the designs to work. I decided that the characters were quite strong on their own so did not illustrate scenery.
Digital
OUGD605
These were then taken digital to perfect them further, add more detail and adjust sizing.
The final ideas meant one character would be on one side of the sleeve an one on the other.
#04
Reference Imagery
Will Jeffrey
Voodoo Symbols
Studio Brief_1 North Luna
To develop the aesthetic of the artwork I began looking into Voodoo symobols and markings. I really wanted to add extra wierdness and mysteriousness to the design and this sort of stuff really stood out to me.You can tell they represent something kind of scary and haunting without knowing what they actually mean.
The Black Math
OUGD605
I looked into the work of The Black Math as his work seems to encapsulate a real spookyness, referencing strange symbols and ritual imagery.
#05
Digital Development
Will Jeffrey
Studio Brief_1 North Luna
Photo Manipulation
OUGD605
I decided an good way to develop my image making skill would be to incorporate photography and photo manipulation into my illustration. I experimented with different photographs and textures to create a sinister backdrop.
#06
Decisions
Will Jeffrey
Typeography
Studio Brief_1 North Luna
Taking inspiration from the strange symbols I had been looking at, I developed some hand-drawn type to be used within the sleeve. In itself I felt this was quite strong and engaging.
Photo Manipulation
OUGD605
The final choice for the photographic background takes a gloomy dark forest scene with a grungey print overlay.
#07
Final Outcome.
Will Jeffrey
Studio Brief_1 North Luna
Front & Back Artwork
OUGD605
Final Front and Back artwork present Treillion & Sniff’s cartoon alter egos. Using a mix of vector based imagery and photography, the artwork brings to life the mysterious, sinister fantasy world of the hip hop duo.
#08
Final Outcome.
Will Jeffrey
Fold-Open Sleeve
Studio Brief_1 North Luna
The fold-open sleeve design means that there are four designed sections, with the record information and tracklisting being on the inside of the fold back door.
Design
OUGD605
The design elements are flexible meaning they can be applied to more than just the sleeve.
The lack of text and information on the front and back of the closed sleeve adds mystery/memorability, and means that it has to be interacted with.
#09