Project

Cold Water Album Release

Disciplines

Album Art

Description

Cold Water is an album of original music I wrote, recorded and self-released in 2017. Recorded live all-together with a band at a cabin-turned studio in Bodega Bay, the project took over two years to complete from start to finish. I worked alongside designer Kevin Landwehr of Nothing Something to create a thoughtful brand direction that felt true to the experience of recording the album.

Applications

Digital streaming is the primary means of music consumption contemporary culture, so I knew the primary visual elements on the album cover needed to be easily recognizable when viewed at a tiny scale on Spotify, Apple Music, or Pandora.

Taking the additional handwritten assets developed by Kevin Landwehr, I layed out a vinyl version of the album. The result felt refined, but still read like a personal diary, something to be held and studied while listening.

Process

While the songs were being mixed, I began thinking about how I wanted to present the project to the world. I wanted to visuals to reflect the same attention to detail that the music had.

I approached Kevin Landwehr after seeing his work with Scribe Winery, Magnolia Brewing and Alembic. His calligraphic line work and revisionist aesthetic were aligned with the vision I had for the artwork.

I created a moodboard of textures, papers, and writing styles as a guide, as well as a document with all relevant copy. Once the ink from Kevin's pen was dry, we scanned the pages, and I made selections to begin experimenting with layout.

Kevin gave me access to a folder of water-stained paper scans he had gathered. These paper scans act as the background elements for the album artwork and other marketing collateral, evoking a sense of age and impermanence.

Send all project inquiries, secret family recipes, stock market tips, and new music suggestions to:

chase@chasechase.co