indie rock

Analog Apostles CD Art for "The Other Side of the Sea" EP

Analog Apostles | Lexington, KY

I designed this CD art for Lexington, KY alternative rock band Analog Apostles‘ debut EP “The Other Side of the Sea”. Since I played lead guitar in the band at the time, it was a no brainer for me to do the artwork. I was also very involved in the music production side.

Ben, the main songwriter and rhythm guitarist, thought of the title long before we recorded the first note. The album name and many of the songs made references to water, so we decided together on a nautical theme.

CD art – setting sail for the high seas

The four panel digipak CD art started with an antique style treasure map background. Then, I overlaid a classical pirate ship illustration in brown as the focal point. The “A” monogram mark from the logo I designed was later superimposed onto the ship’s main sail.

After that, I set the band‘s name in an antique “swashbuckling” style font face. The album’s title then materialized in a classic cursive script. I capped off the design with a ghostly image of the band’s “A” icon over the dark blue ocean background in the tray card. Since the record’s theme suggested high seas adventure, a hint of supernatural mystery put it over the top.

From start to finish, this record truly was a DIY project. We performed every aspect of the production, from the recording process to ordering the album duplication. Ben’s wife Amanda did a great job with the posed band photography. Our fan base fully funded the CD’s production online via Indiegogo, which is a great fundraising tool for artists on a budget.

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CD Graphic Design for Stellar Kin "We Need to Know" - Kentucky rock band

Stellar Kin | Bowling Green, KY

I made this CD graphic design for Kentucky indie rock band Stellar Kin. I founded the hardcore emo trio in 2000 while studying at Murray State University.  By 2002, the lineup was solidified and we began recording and touring. “We Need to Know” was our 2004 full length sophomore release on Bad Apple Records. It features conceptual design and photography by myself, as well as posed photography by the famed Neil Visel. My friend Holly posed for the front and back covers.

CD Graphic Design for Kentucky indie rock band

The album lyrics cover serious spiritual themes. Therefore, the art consists of black and red colors and stone faced expressions. I set the main titles in the tall serif Big Noodle Titling font. The letter spacing varies to fit phrases into each outside panel, which spell out “What we don’t know is hurting us. Now more than ever, we need to know”. I set the CD graphic design’s track listing, along with other information, in the classic Gill Sans font.

The front and inside of the booklet tell the story of a young woman who has been tied up by an assailant. On the front cover, she grasps hold of a kitchen knife while cutting herself free from the ropes that bind her. Finally, she stalks her kidnapper with the knife on the booklet inside. The empty chair sits alone on the back cover. I reversed the words We Need to Know out, using the wood paneling from the photograph.

Lastly, the CD cover features a simplified, one color image of the rope. I simplified the individual band member headshots to grey, which gives them a ghostly feel against the black background. This is same grey hue also fills the words Stellar Kin on the front cover.

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