Design Practice: Studio/ Live Brief: 'Design Is About Doing'/ 'SECRET 7'

The brief is to answer the first live brief we have been given called Secret 7". For this brief, the aim is to choose 1 of 7 selected artists and produce a 7" vinyl record sleeve front cover in reference or reaction to the song given. You are to not reference the artists name or song title in type on the front cover.

The first thing I did was listen to the artists involved, looked into a chosen one and look into vinyl record sleeves as a form of media (See Design Context Blog)

I decided to choose the song "The Beast" by Laura Marling and from this, I need to produce 30 thumbnail initial designs to work from in reaction to the song.

30 Initial Idea Thumbnails

From these, I selected the ones I felt were the 5 most successful but I ended up selecting 6 due to the choice:

Chosen 1- Transitional Footprints

I felt this was successful due to the way that the footprints are morphing from human footprints to monstrous, animal-like ones. I think this highlights the way that Marling is completely overwhelmed by the figure of The Beast and how it becomes her.

Chosen 2- Inner Footprints

This is another footprint based one as this is a variation into the idea that the narrator is The Beast and how it is a part of their personality- like the personality is split from having humanity to becoming a devil. I have decided that it would be more communicative if the human foot wasn't there and it would simplify the design so I think I will take it out when producing the idea to see whether it works better as a design.

Chosen 3- Cell

The monochromatic vertical lines with the use of perspective is to represent the confinement of the narrator as it seems like the Beast has managed to trap the narrator with his influence and power. It is to show how she has no means of escape from either the Beast within her, Beasts within her life or the idea of an encompassing force that acts like a Beast.

Chosen 4- Illustration of Hand

This makes use of the negative space to produce an illustrative hand that looks cartoon-like but appears quite sinister and foreboding as to what is to come. It is simple and plays on the childhood idea of thier being a Beast or monster behind a door coming for them- the idea of the fact that it is coming and there is nothing that can stop it.

Chosen 5- Mirror

A particular line from the song is 'Did You Catch Yourself in The Mirror?/ Its a Sight I Understand' which I felt that it was quite powerful as it could be referring to the Beast as a person, herself or at the listener of the song. I felt it would be interesting and interactive if the audience would look at themselves in the mirror as they listened to the track.

Chosen 6- Dove Symbol

Marling references mythology within her music and The Beast is no exception. The line 'Calling Sophia, Goddess of Power' refers to Sophia, the Goddess of Wisdom who was seen as a female version of God. The idea that she is being involved indicates the idea of Female Empowerment and the struggle of the position of women. Sophia's symbol was the Dove which I felt was a pure and natural embodiment of one of the main themes of the song.

I will see which 5 out of the 6 are the most successful when producing them physically and to scale in regards to which I pick.

I decided that it would be more relevant to the song and the feel of the style of music if I produced vinyl covers that were handmade as the music is delicate and organic and I don't think this would have translated very well by creating something digital. I used variations of media choices which were dependent on the image as to the media used, whether that be card-cut or printed or a plain illustration.

Mirror

I feel that this is a very successful attempt at producing an image for this particular song, as it is very abstract yet fits well with the theme and the idea of the Beast. The card choice of media has allowed me to work with varying colour choices and effects of the card, such as the reflective mirror card as well as the detailed crafting to produce filigree for the mirrors edge.

Cell

This geometric pattern gives a generalised front cover for the vinyl which makes it very foreboding and mysterious which goes very well with the topic of the Beast as it would keep the audience guessing as to what the Beast is. The monochrome colour scheme keeps it neutral and the use of perspective keeps it continuous.

Paw/ Footprint

The muted background of off-white beige goes well with the organic, natural feel for the music style and this is reflected by the choice of media and its application. The deep brown paint leaves the image looking like it is a trodden in mud print that adds to the authenticity of the image and the printed application, using my fingerprints to print the paint on, creates a rough application that adds to the natural aesthetic. The image clearly communicates the idea of a Beast and is successful at presenting the necessary information.

Morphed Footprints

This image is similar to the last one in regards to media, choice of stock and application yet it is the imagery of the morphing in itself which makes it particularly successful. The transitional presentation is subtle yet interesting, marking the changes within the life of the narrator. This imagery is reflective of the Beast ideal and therefore adds communicating the record.

Dove

I don't think this image works very well as, despite the fact it links to the song, as it doesn't make you think of a Beast when you see it and instead gives connotations of the opposite. I like how simple and care-free it seems but it doesn't fit in with the ethos of the Beast due to its purity.

Illustration of Hand

I wanted to keep the idea of using an illustration simple and clean with the lack of colour reflecting the style of the music. The monochromatic colour scheme and presentation links to the scratchy, raw power and emotion felt within the lyrics of the song. The image is very plain yet it easily communicates the idea of a monster or beast attacking.

I decided to try to produce these in a digital format as well so that I could see whether they would work better or worse than the hand-made versions. This would allow me to explore more development and experimentation in regards to the way it should be presented.

Illustrator Versions of the Covers

In a sense, the covers look better as simple rough versions using Illustrator because the colours are much richer and the linework is more defined due to the point sizes yet perhaps doesn't seem as relevant to the style of the music.

From doing these, I decided that the Dove was the least successful therefore I decided to drop that from the options and have the other 5 as my album cover variation ideas.

After producing these, we then had to show our 5 variations in a Crit. I wanted to be able to get some direction as to which style I should go with and which would be the most communicative idea. (see PPP Blog)

After the Crit, it was decided by the group I was in that it would be best to submit the Handmade version of the Transitional Footprints but that I needed to do some development to the idea to see which would produce the best visual to submit as the final cover.

Footprint Texture/ Colour Development

I developed different variations into creating the prints and the colours that should be used. I used a mixture of browns and beiges to create a more textured approach to creating the brown footprints which I felt made a more interesting visual and gave the print more depth. I was also asked to try black and white together as you can see at the bottom but I felt this was too harsh and moved away from the feel of the track.

Thus I moved onto possible background colours to see the visual effect upon the design.

Light & Dark Brown Backgrounds

These plain dark and light browns are unsuccessful as they are too dark for the design, especially the dark one as, it overpowers the design and the paint media itself. It is difficult to see the work which makes it hard to communicate the message. The lack of texture also makes the work look incredibly flat and 2-Dimensional so I could do with trying some different stock to add to the imagery.

Use of Textured Card Backgrounds

This stock is hand-made paper which makes it rough and bumpy in texture that is clear and easy to see digitally. This adds to the visual application of the concept and idea which makes it work better and more successfully. I feel that second to last paper was the most textured but the design which works the best as a visual so I think I will try it again to see if i can make a better quality version.

Final Design:

190mm x 190mm (including a 3mm Bleed) square vinyl cover in response to the song 'The Beast' by Laura Marling for the competition Secret 7".

Final Design

The design is successful in regards to the need for the imagery to reflect the song it is representing. The song is quite raw and organic with the folk style and reflects the need for neutral colour tones and natural elements to the design based on the emotion that is portrayed. The use of the handmade card and paint media allowed for a raw element to the design to reflect the emotion and style of the song. The idea of having the footprints transition from a human to a beasts footprint emphasises the title of the song but also the themes and elements that are reflected in the lyrics so it is not just a literal translation. The choice of the paint media reflects the idea of footprints as it gives an impression like it would do if it was in mud. It would be better in my opinion if the design was less messy and clearer like a digital image yet this wouldn't reflect the natural and organic feel to the music style. I included a 3mm Bleed around my design despite the fact that it is a digital outcome so that it would still fit to the needs of the brief.

For the brief to be fulfilled, I needed to upload my image onto the Secret 7" website so that it can be included within the judging and be submitted.