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Album Cover 
Graphic Design

TECHNOLOGY USED:

Software:

  • Adobe Illustrator

  • Adobe Photoshop

  • Adobe After Effects

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An image of the Adobe Illustrator logo with the letters, "A" and "i" in orange.
An image of the Adobe Photoshop logo with the letters, "P" and "s" in blue.
An image of the Adobe After Effects logo with the letters "A" and "e" in violet.
An image of a digital rendering of the front album cover to the fictional Juvenile Thunder Band including a skull and neck being struck by lightning in white on blue with purple text saying,"Let The Lightning In" on the top and "Juvenile Thunder" going vertically down on the right side.

PROJECT OVERVIEW & GOALS:

To create a fictional self-inspired music band album cover with a focus on utilizing and merging Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator techniques. Through the use of

in-person research and creative visual conceptualization, the ultimate goal was to specifically brand this musical band through typography and graphic design as well as a logo motion design piece.

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We were recommended to do in-person research, so I went to Sonic Boom - an actual vinyl record store - in downtown Toronto to view the various visual designs that all the records sold there offered. I focused on a variety of heavy rock and metal bands.

RESEARCH AND INSIGHTS:

An image of four various heavy metal and rock bands with the text, "Music Genre #1: Heavy Rock".
An image of four various heavy metal and rock bands with the text, "Music Genre #1: Heavy Rock".
A photo montage of three photographs of the store Sonic Boom located in Toronto wth text above and below the images.

This was a beneficial and productive visit and research session as we were given the sincere time to really study the various fonts, styles and themes that each record album offered.  I had enough inspiration to start sketching out my ideas for the graphic and motion design assets that we focused on.

My creative process began with sketches for both the fictional band's logo as well as the design for the front and back of the album cover. There was also the need to begin storyboarding for the ambitious logo animation.

OVERALL CREATIVE PROCESS:

An image of a sketch of the Juvenile Thunder band logo and icon with a vertical lightning bolt on the right side.
An image of three different conceptual drawings showcasing different album front and back cover designs (six in total).
An image of the first page of the logo animation storyboard with pencil and red pen drawings on the left side with accompanied notes on the right side.
An image of the second page of the logo animation storyboard with pencil and red pen drawings on the left side with accompanied notes on the right side.
An image of the digital rendering of the back album cover containing an electric ball in the centre with electrified loose wires on the bottom left and top right of the composition.

FINAL SOLUTION:

By the end of this multi-tasked project, I produced a full album cover design (front & back) with the inclusion of the new logo design, which was then utilized for the motion logo design animation.  The overall palette, style and typography was cohesive throughout each creative asset to really adhere as one branding package addressing an individual unique music (heavy rock) band.

An image of the final digital rendering of the Juvenile Thunder front and back album cover with the title of the album, "Let the Lightning In" on both sides with the electrical ball and wires on the left and the electrified skull on the right with a lightning bolt coming from the top into the mouth of the skull. The Juvenile Thunder logo is vertically displayed on the right side.

At the time of this project, I was new to all the software that Adobe offered  including Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects. It was very gratifying to use my recent teachings as well as figure out the various obstacles that presented themselves throughout this creative process. I quickly learned that this profession and trade is something that requires constant learning followed with trials and tribulations in the design process. The process is almost more important than the end product, especially as I grow more familiar with the software and proper approaches to good design.

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PERSONAL REFLECTION:

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