Album Cover Redesign
The goal of this project was to create a CD cover, back cover, spine, booklet, tray card, and label for an existing album that communicates its sound and stands out in a record store among thousands of other beautifully designed album covers.
Planning
I chose to design a cover for Ginkgo by Panchiko. This album has a sound unlike anything else I’ve ever heard, with an innocent, dream-like sound, reminiscent of childhood. When I listen to it I think of a calm spring breeze. I decided to photograph flowers, as they are a symbol of purity and a result of spring.
I found this kaleidoscope laying around and as soon as I looked through it, I knew taking pictures through it would be the perfect way to visualize the sound of Ginkgo.
Initial Shoot
Re-shoot
In Use
For my first round of photos I didn’t have my camera with me, so I experimented with my iPhone camera, walking around with the kaleidoscope and seeing what I could do with it. This led to a problem: the first 2 photos above are really strong and fit the vibe of the album, and I knew I couldn’t recreate them in the correct image format. However, when I went to the same flower bush with my camera to attempt to recreate it, I ended up with some unexpected images that communicated the same idea in a different way.
Front Drafts
Booklet Drafts
Back Drafts
Adding Type
For the titles I used Lubalin, a geometric sans serif typeface, to mirror the geometric imagery that a kaleidoscope produces. The greatest challenge in adding type was finding a legible, breathable space for the type, since the images are so busy. I preferred images with a lot of negative space for the covers
Final Covers
The kaleidoscope
