MURA MASA
CD ART Designer
typeface designer
PRINTMAKING
design research
Role
ILLUSTRATOR
PHOTOSHOP
Tools
Time Span
2023
3 weeks
PROCESS
ONE
SKETCHING
STYLE ATTRIBUTES MUSIC SELECTION
two
DESIGN GOALS
KEY IMAGES
COLOR THEORY
three
DIGITAL DRAFTING
IMAGE SELECTION
TEXT SELECTION
four
IMAGE CREATION
IMAGE BLENDING
five
PRINT PROTOTYPES
ITERATION & IMPLEMENTATION
FINAL DESIGN
OVerview
Designing a poster for a musician involves a careful blend of creativity and strategic communication. The development process begins with understanding the musician's brand and target audience. Choosing the right imagery, typography, and color system is crucial in conveying the artist’s style and genre of music. Incorporating elements such as concert dates, album releases, and social media handles helps engage viewers and encourages interaction. Balancing aesthetic appeal with informative content ensures the poster captures attention and effectively promotes the musician’s image and upcoming events.
Designing album artwork for a musician requires a comprehensive research process to ensure the visuals effectively represent the music and the artist’s brand. This begins with an in-depth analysis of the music itself—examining the genre, themes, lyrics, and emotional tone to translate the auditory experience into a compelling visual narrative. Equally important is understanding the artist’s identity, target audience, and creative vision, ensuring the design authentically aligns with their ethos. Research also involves studying trends within the industry, analyzing competitive album art, and identifying opportunities to create a distinct visual identity that stands out in a crowded market. Incorporating insights from the artist’s personal influences, cultural background, and creative direction adds layers of authenticity and resonance to the final design. This strategic approach ensures the artwork not only captures the essence of the music but also enhances the overall audience experience.
001.
RESEARCH
RESEARCH 001
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RESEARCH 001 ///
mOTIVATION
When I sketch album art by hand for a musician, the process is a blend of creativity, strategy, and collaboration. I start by I listening to the tracks closely to immerse myself in the sound, identifying key emotions or imagery that might inspire the design.
Next, I gather references—whether from existing album covers, cultural motifs, or elements that are personally meaningful to the musician. This research helps me establish a clear direction and avoid overused ideas. From there, I brainstorm concepts and sketch rough thumbnails to explore different compositions and layouts, focusing on the overall structure rather than the fine details.
Once I’ve identified the strongest ideas, I refine my sketches, adding more detail and experimenting with variations in style, framing, and balance. I work closely with the musician to incorporate their feedback, ensuring the design aligns with their vision. When the concept feels right, I create a clean, polished version of the sketch, paying close attention to details, shading, and texture to bring it to life.
If the artwork will eventually be digitized or enhanced, I also think ahead about how the elements will translate digitally—considering color, scalability, and layering. This hands-on process allows me to craft a design that truly captures the essence of the music and the artist’s unique identity.
PRimary Goals
Capture the Essence of the Music
Establish a Clear Creative Direction
Explore Composition and Structure
Refine and Perfect the Design
Ensure Visual Cohesion and Quality
Prepare for Digital Integration
Align with the Artist’s Vision
002.
synthesize
SYNTHESIZE 002
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SYNTHESIZE 002 ///
I define the essential design goals and key features by thoroughly analyzing the research gathered from the artist, their previous work, and any additional references provided. This process involves understanding their creative identity, stylistic preferences, and the emotions or themes they aim to convey through their music and visuals. By connecting these insights with the broader context of their genre and audience expectations, I establish a clear and strategic foundation for the project. These goals and features act as guiding principles, ensuring that every design decision aligns with the artist's vision while remaining cohesive and impactful. This foundation not only shapes the creative process but also provides a benchmark for refining the designs and achieving a final result that authentically represents the artist and their work.
MOTIVATION
Finalize the Polished Sketch: I complete the refined hand-drawn version of the design, ensuring all details, textures, and shading align with the vision we've established.
Prepare for Digital Integration: When the artwork is digitized, I scan or photograph the sketch in high resolution to prepare it for digital editing.
Enhance Digitally: Using design software (Photoshop/Illustrator), I enhance the sketch by adding color, textures, and effects while maintaining the integrity of the hand-drawn aesthetic.
Test Versatility: I adapt the design for different formats, such as digital streaming platforms, physical album covers, merchandise, and promotional materials, to ensure it works seamlessly across all media.
PRimary Goals
Convert physical sketches to digital
Find and utilize photography
Determine color scheme to be utilized throughout the album
Refine and Perfect the Design
Ensure Visual Cohesion and Quality
003.
ideate
Finding Unique Imagery; The search for images begins by thinking about what represents the artist. I look for symbols, textures, or conceptual images that match their vibe. For example, an indie artist might lean towards abstract or minimalist visuals, while a rock band might want something dramatic and intense.
IDEATE 003
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IDEATE 003 ///
MOTIVATION
Purpose of Typography: Typography is crucial in album art because it conveys the name of the artist and the album while setting the tone for the design.
Researching Fonts: I usually start by browsing through font libraries like Adobe Fonts or Google Fonts, and I test different options until I find the right one. I might also experiment with custom fonts or tweak existing ones. If the artist’s name and the album title are separate, I focus on finding complementary fonts that work well together without clashing.
Creativity Through fault: Sometimes, creativity happens by accident. I was working on this project in Indesign when I ran into an issue where certain fonts wouldn’t load properly. The violet hue found on the cover art is the result of InDesigns failure to load my desired font.
PRimary Goals
Desired images are being utilized and need to be blended together
Text selection is complete through a mishap from InDesign, but further refinement is required.
Values of black, and hues of red and white have been selected to be present in the refined design
Further formating systems are required to ensure correct placement of assets
004.
DESIGN
The design template has now been refined and is in a more polished state. With a solid system in place, all that remains is to bring the vision to life.
DESIGN 004
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DESIGN 004 ///
MOTIVATION
Blending Images: I look for visuals that align with the concept I'm working on, ensuring that they share a common theme or tone. Once I have the images in a good place, I start by isolating the elements I want to use. This often involves masking out parts of the image that I don’t need using Photoshops selection tools, like the Quick Selection Tool or the Pen Tool. I refine the edges to ensure smooth transitions when the images are combined. After isolating the objects or subjects, I scale and position them to fit within the new composition.
I use generative AI fill features in Photoshop, which can fill in larger gaps or even generate entirely new sections based on the context of the existing image. Generative fill enables me to be at play and utilize the randomness that Photoshops generative fill results in. Through several iterations of blending specific areas together I’m left with a unique image.
PRimary Goals
Test print to ensure proper image sizing when inserted into CD case
Test several iterations of the final design to determine what works best when considering how the CD case with alter the album art and booklet
005.
Testing
The design template has now been refined and is in a more polished state. With a solid system in place, all that remains is to bring the vision to life.
DESIGN 005
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DESIGN 005 ///
MOTIVATION
This project encompassed a comprehensive and innovative approach to image creation, combining traditional Photoshop techniques with advanced generative AI tools. Through meticulous selection and preparation of source imagery, I was able to construct a cohesive and visually compelling composition. The use of blending modes, layer masks, and adjustment layers facilitated seamless integration of the elements, ensuring a harmonious result. Additionally, the incorporation of AI-powered fill tools provided a level of precision and creative enhancement, allowing for intricate refinements and extensions of the image. The final outcome represents a polished and unified design that leverages both established digital techniques and AI technology, resulting in a visually striking and conceptually strong piece.
PRimary Goals
Test print to ensure proper image sizing when inserted into CD case
Test several iterations of the final design to determine what works best when considering how the CD case with alter the album art and booklet
Deliver finalized design
conclusion
This project employed a strategic, forward-thinking approach to image creation by merging traditional Photoshop techniques with cutting-edge generative AI tools. By thoughtfully selecting and preparing source imagery, I crafted a cohesive and visually striking composition. Techniques such as blending modes, layer masks, and adjustment layers were utilized to seamlessly integrate elements, ensuring a unified and harmonious design. Additionally, AI-powered fill tools added remarkable precision, allowing for intricate refinements and the expansion of visual elements. The final outcome is a polished, cohesive design that harmoniously blends traditional digital methods with innovative AI technology, delivering a compelling and conceptually robust visual result.