BASK
Myself and the client had discussed how they wanted these themes of nostalgia to be represented visually on the album sleeve; they had expressed preference for things that would not be immediately obvious as ‘nostalgic’ (for example, Tamagotchi toys or old logos) and favoured more personal elements, or items that would represent the fondness of a memory rather than a specific period in time. The usage of old pennies from Jersey - a place close to the client’s heart - as well as items from their childhood bedroom were brought in to show the personal significance of the track to its creator, alongside more generic items that one would keep as souvenirs of good experiences, like rocks or shells. The back cover features a cassette tape styled to look as though it would play this album, a self-referential nod to the usage of vinyl as a ‘vintage’ method of music collection and going one step further back in time to the most popular method of playing music before vinyl records were brought into the mainstream. All items were hand-drawn to further the ‘personal touch’ element; it gave the cover qualities that resembles scrapbooks or journals, of something that one may use to document their memories.
The vinyl record itself was designed with the assistance of the cutting house. The colours of the cover design were used alongside a specific technique of wax melting to create wispy, smoky textures between the two colours, furthering the dreamy atmosphere of the tracks. The centre labels are also hand-drawn and represent the passage of time, a reminder that life will persist whilst you are caught in memories of the past. One subtle touch that I felt was well-excecuted was the clock hands pointing to 04:12, a number that is significant to the artist themselves and is prevelant across their personal branding.
The completed design files were then sent to a cutting house, who discussed the mastering preferences with the client before bringing the album into physical form.
As the client does not have a specific label and all production is their own, a QR code was added to the back (in lieu of a real barcode) containing links to their music, along with small personal touches such as a dummy barcode referencing their Instagram handle and credit to myself as designer as per their request.