(front cover, back cover – click to enlarge)
Years ago, my friend Jason Upright linked me up with a band he knew called The Shape of the Earth and we've worked together on their debut full-length, a digital EP, and now their second full-length, Fire, Then Rain. Working with these guys is always a treat as the band and I are aesthetically in sync with each other. To honestly ridiculous levels, really. This time around, we went bolder and more colorful while maintaining an air of sophistication and refinement and keeping with the theme of nature that permeates all of our work together.
For starters, since the moment I heard the title, I knew I had to put "Fire," on the front and "Then Rain" on the back. It just felt right and the band were totally receptive to both the idea and the reasoning I had behind the move. I also knew I wanted to have crude, organic shapes of fireballs and rain drops to be the source of color on the package. Instead of using something lame like the pen tool, I roughly sketched and cut with scissors the forms and, with obscure but relevant water- and fire-related imagery intact, I treated these shapes to a heavy does of halftones. I had all of the pieces and the colors in the layout for a couple days but couldn't find a composition I was happy with. That is, until I cranked up the volume of the type – and that, for me, was that.
All in all, I very much look forward to getting the printed piece in my hands to photograph and post on my design portfolio. As always, working with these guys was a treat.
(crude forms – click to enlarge)
