John Foster takes music packaging very seriously. He has deconstructed the design of the recording industry through his personal work and his books, Maximum Page Design (HOW), New Masters of Poster Design (Rockport) and the upcoming For Sale: Innovative Solutions in Packaging Design (HOW) – out in October! As well as a monograph of Sub Pop’s Art Director, Jeff Kleinsmith, slated for publication by the label in 2009.
He will be poking and prodding various albums on a weekly basis so please be sure to keep an eye out!
This week’s victims: These guys are a local success story and my wife even taught some of the band members so it would be with a boatload of guilt that I would lay out an honest appraisal of the music within. I will be truthful in my feeling that it is bland at best. The amazing thing with a record like this is that you get such results while using six engineers and having various tracks mixed by three different people (including the legendary Chris Lord-Alge.) Crazy.
O.A.R. “All Sides”
Is it worth listening to no matter what it looks like?
Instead, I will use this space to talk about something else that makes me nuts this week. When I first laid eyes on the most recent Chemical Brothers record, it had an aching familiarity that I just couldn’t place. Well – now I know why. The Herbert Bayer Foundation is considering legal action against Virgin Records and possibly Tappin Gofton, the design firm responsible. I wonder who has their legal ducks in a row contract-wise? Tappin Gofton are best known for their work for Coldplay. Their website is without any visuals currently (odd…)
I am continually shocked to see high profile projects completed in this fashion. These are well-respected designers who are considered by many to be the cream of the UK crop. In turn, they don’t even have the decency to change the color of the original artwork. There is referencing, appropriating, name-checking and then there are lazy designers who are out of ideas and brazenly re-work with minimal effort an existing work. When you do that for commercial purposes it quickly finds you in a legal quagmire.
Now back to O.A.R.
Credit: “Art Direction: White Bicycle, O.A.R., Rob Gold, Drew Simmons. Artwork & Design: Brian Grunet & Kyle Morrisey for White Bicycle. Photography: Danny Clinch.”
Any signs of creative interference in the design process by the artist? Uh yeah - that’s the band name in the credits and it is worth mentioning that NO packaging assignment requires that many people to art direct it.
 |
Does the look fit the sound? This would be the place to make jokes around the grey colored packaging and the bland sound, but that would be quickly missing the point. It may not connect with the music within per se but it certainly is a smart solution. This is the type of packaging I wish Interpol had for their last record. Instantly showcasing a simplicity and sophistication without needing to be in your face – it is a thing of beauty. It also doesn’t break the bank in the production process. Just an added die-cut combined with some very smart design and you are golden. Now a good idea - and even an adept execution - doesn’t guarantee a fully successful design. However, the smart placement of typography and the mix of black and white applications close the deal. Some of the type is a little larger than needed and you can detect a few areas where information has been somewhat wedged in, but for the most part it is very well done. I do wish there weren’t a few instances of centered text, when the bulk is left or right but it is a small quibble. The use of black and white photos in just a few places is also a wise and considered choice, letting stand grey panels and avoiding the urge to fill up the barren space. The disc label and back trey continue this theme of simple solutions, but mastering their tasteful placement. |
White Bicycle is a Buffalo-based firm, positioning themselves to specialize in working for the music industry. Mostly under the radar, they have built their portfolio up with smart packaging for hometown girl Ani DiFranco and her Righteous Babe label, among others and look to be a firm to watch out for. If they continue solutions such as this, we’ll all know the name pretty soon.
Final score (out of 10): 8.5 design, n/a for the music
all fixed
September 3, 2008 at 4:21 pmCale is the best formatter ever all html up in here. It should be noted that he fixed this while wearing a string bikini of course…
September 3, 2008 at 4:25 pmJohn, just do what I do:
e-mail all your articles to Svetlana with links to pics you want to use and little instructions on where they go.
Nevermind, don’t do that. She’ll kill me if you do.
September 3, 2008 at 4:29 pmmichael, that’s what i do, too.
September 3, 2008 at 4:33 pmWell then you should stop copying me and adding to the woman’s workload. Selfish.
September 3, 2008 at 4:45 pmi am not a copycat, i just don’t know html. and am overall computer illiterate.
September 3, 2008 at 4:53 pm
I can never figure out the image portion of this column (only a year in you would think I had the hang of things by now!) Check out the new Chemical Brothers disc to see what I am going on about with the Herbert Mayer piece in the beginning. The stellar O.A.R. package is at the bottom.
September 3, 2008 at 3:57 pm