Duende

Music Album Campaign

In late 2015, Cullen approached me, in need of a designer for his debut album. From the Kickstarter campaign to the finished product, I collaborated with Cullen, along with other artists along the way, to make a creative vision become reality. 

First things first, Cullen needed a logo that would fit not only his music, but also his label as a self-producing artist. I took inspiration from Cullen's instrument of choice: the steel string guitar. 

Kickstarter

Next came the promotional materials for the Kickstarter campaign. Before the album was in the works, I worked with Cullen to represent his brand and generate interest in his campaign, both on the web and in real life. The photography was done by Octavia Macaloon, and I also edited the swirling designs in the post card from an illustration she made.

The Album

Once we were funded, the cover artists, Klint Flentge and Matt Huff, started working on their concept for the album cover. The original sketch is what we used for the disk itself, and the finished painting is our cover image. 

My job was to design the rest of the album around their painting. Working with type around an abstract work of art was a new experience for me. I wanted the title to catch the eye, but I also wanted to give it a softer, airy feeling that would contrast with the cover image and pull someone in.

I also continued to use the guitar as inspiration. Throughout the layout and typography of the case, repeated lines were used to stand for the strings, and geometric, decorative circles were used for the sound hole.

The Rewards

For the poster, I went a little further in adding my own design to the cover painting. I focused again on creating a lighter feeling with concentric circles.

The t-shirt gave me more freedom to create something independent of the cover art. I pulled upon the design elements I'd used in the Kickstarter campaign, as well as the typography of the album.