Chosen Topic: Record Album Cover
Software used: Adobe Photoshop
Keywords: Alter ego, Character development, Remorse, Emotions
Since the first year when we experimented with incorporating type into photography, I have always been a fan of making album covers. Similar to the M&M assignment. In this edition, I felt the need to create an alternative record album cover art design for one of my favourite artists. I decided to use Photoshop especially since I am using photography in this illo. Over time, album covers have definitely left a huge impact on the history of graphic design. And this piece really speaks a lot of the thoughts and ideas that go into creating this artwork by the musician portrayed by the designer.
The title of my album cover is a portrait of the sensational XO singer “THE WEEKND”, taken from his 2020 album titled: AFTER HOURS. Being an instant classic R&B along with Hip-Hop elements soundtrack of 2020, from one of my beloved artists. His album culminates the emotional thoughts & and feelings of late nights, being the ideal time to listen to this type of music. The album is portrayed like a scene from a movie, where his music is being used as a vessel for depicting him as this After-Hours character, who wears a red suit jacket with a pair of shades & and has a blinding smile. His effective use of storytelling hints that his After Hours narrative shows The Weeknd evolves into a Michael Myers type of murderer. This has resulted in a mental cost for him where his thoughts are taking over his actions as he is being dragged into his old ways. Due to his past toxic relationships, it has become a psychedelic journey filled with heartbreak and addiction as it reveals the progression of his character across the 14-track list.
When creating my thumbs I made it very rough since I always tend to work more in the program through trial and error, expressing my thoughts and ideas for the final cover. I felt in terms of analogue I have good enough experience but I wanted to improve more on the digital side of things. I am still an avid learner of Photoshop and want to explore more stuff day by day.
After the COMPLETION of my work, I was impressed with the way it turned out to be. Proving that the half-tone, film grain and tweaking with Photoshop's built-in camera raw feature really suited the photo I had hand-picked. His highlighted vibrant shadow in the background showing off his messy afro hairstyle & and unshaven beard; brought out his raw mixed emotions through his facial features behind his blinding shades and bloodied bruised wounds, revealing the uncertainty of his character, which made it so profound. Layering multiple effects on a photo to tweak it to your heart's desire. The image used is from the photoshoot he did when premiering the album. And I managed to find a close enough typeface to his original one which I really loved. Album covers have been the foundational elements which got me interested in design in the first place.