Music and art has always walked hand in hand with one another. It makes all the sense in the world if you think about it. Both are a highly creative outlet in expression. In fact, music was the initial spark that got me interested in design in the first place. People like Art Chantry, Gary Panter, and SHAG were key influences in opening up this new interest. Any project where I can use my musical ingenuity is often riddled with intense creativity. Plus, it’s the scene that I was born out of. It’s my niche.
One such project came in the form of a CD package for my cohorts in crime, The Reckless Hearts. The Reckless Hearts personify the high-energy morals of the mod movement through a punk swagger that you can’t help but dance to. So when they signed a record deal (har har) with Australia’s Off The Hip Records, they called upon my services to see what I might be able to come up with as far as a cover. My initial plan was to keep it real slick and sharp like an old jazz record from the 30’s. This morphed over time to accommodate changing trends. Thomas, the lead singer, gathered a plethora of record covers that he liked and presented them to me. There was a lot of elements to choose from and I made notes on the things that I felt would work better than others.
I created a few mock-ups and through a series of emails and phone calls, we settled on one particular theme. The next trick was to refine and finesse that mock up to make way for a more developed idea. Here are the initial mockups:
After a series of tweaks and minor manipulations we eventually came up the finished product. Thomas provided the inner sleeve collage, as he himself was an esteemed Photoshop novice. The typography aspect was the most thrilling adventure for me. Everything was created in Illustrator and I used a slight rounded edge to a very rigid western-type font. This portrayed a sense of warmth to an otherwise cold typeface. I also think it gives it a very cartoony, whimsical edge that complimented their 60’s influenced jingle jangle sound. It’s not over the top, but close enough. Other elements included a halftone infused broken glass texture and stark contrast imagery.
If you’re a fan of high-energy rock n roll played with a brit pop flair, then these guys just may be your new musical salvation. Please buy the record here. Off the Hip Records.
