Studio Brief 1: Record sleeves - Creative Review

Creative review do articles called 'Record sleeves of the month'. Here is one that caught my eye from this month.

Ghost Maps – The Ocean From the River

First up, though, is David Smith and Oran Day at Atelier David Smith’s recent work for Dublin band Ghost Maps’ album, The Ocean From the River.

The artwork is inspired by geographic and cartographic references in the band’s name and album title, says Day. Discs are labelled north and south, and the inner sleeve features a ‘ghostly’ image partially revealed by a die cut outer sleeve finished in a spot UV varnish.

I like the cleanness and simplicity of this design, which has a subtle reference to the band's name and also the album title all in one. The different layers to the sleeve makes it more in touch with the listener as it becomes almost interactive. I'm very fond of the soft metallic colours used, as they are used in small amounts so they aren't over powering and still keep the design minimal overall.
However, I would prefer it if the line drawings were in black or a darker colour, I feel the top colours are very weak and remind me of tea or coffee, which I feel doesn't suit the metallic underneath too greatly.

Here are some from last month's article:

Bombay Bicycle Club – So Long, See You Tomorrow

The cover for Bombay Bicycle Club’s last album, So Long, See You Tomorrow was designed by London studio La Boca. 

It was inspired by the work of nineteenth century photographer Eadweard Muybridge - a pioneer of stop-motion famed for his use of the zoopraxiscope, a device for projecting motion pictures that pre-dates film strips.

The image (gif version above) depicts a man and woman travelling in opposite directions under the moon and sun and is designed to echo the theme of continuity in the album, which builds a series of melodies around one continuous loop. It's also been used in the video for the band’s latest single, It’s Alright Now, directed by Jon Stone.

I like that there is a gif version for it, which makes it more digitally friendly and interesting. Also, the fact that the gif has a concept to it justifies it nicely, so it is not pointless.
I like the rich colours used, which are refreshing in this day and age to see. Overall, the design has a psychadelic feel to it that works well.
The only downfall would be that maybe as a physical album the design wouldn't have the same effect, or wouldn't be as clear.

East India Youth – Total Strife Forever 

The cover of East India Youth (aka London musician William Doyle)’s debut album Total Strife Forever features a lovely portrait of the artist painted by his girlfriend, Tida Bradshaw. The sleeve was designed by Kohhei Matsuda - a guitarist with fellow Stolen Recordings act Bo Ningen.

Graphic designer Marc Pernice has also designed a logo for the artist based on the East India Trading Company’s logo, appearing on gig posters and ads promoting the album.

This design caught my eye as it is fine art meets graphic design - something that really interests me, as I thoroughly enjoy practicing and looking at both. I think fine art can especially work with album cover designs - as paintings are a lot more personal. They also convey raw emotions so well and often so dramatically. This could definitely apply to this design, as it was painted by someone close to the subject.