Brightest Young Things

John Foster has deconstructed the design of the music 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) as well as a monograph of Sub Pop’s Art Director, Jeff Kleinsmith, slated for publication by the label in 2008.

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:

High School Musical “s/t”

Is it worth listening to no matter what it looks like? If you are ages 5-12 or are prone to having your little booty shaken by saccharine sweet poptastic musicals – it is an emphatic yes! If you want to have any relevance as far as pop culture goes than you need a passing acquaintance with the disc. If you enjoy “professionally” crafted pop songs like it was in the Brill Building days than sure. If you don’t fall into any of those categories then avoid at all costs.
Credit: “Art Direction by Steve Gerdes, Design by David Braucher.”

Any signs of creative interference in the design process by the artist? The project relates directly to the movie, lists three executive producers and is a product of the House of Mouse so inevitably yes in their own special way.

Does the look fit the sound? What says clean cut, pre-packaged multicultural fun like six twenty year olds playing four years younger than this perfectly timed leap of smiles? You’re damn right the look fits the sound!

Now I should be out in the open with the fact that I despise musicals. The only thing worse than a musical is a high school musical! Guys and Dolls at the local brick and mortar? How about diving into a tank of piranha after bathing in A-1? The part I hate about them is the insanely broad and glossy version of “music” they put on display. I have little trouble seeing the appeal of this movie/soundtrack as going all the way back to Frankie and Annette, Disney packages “safe” youth better than almost anyone. (If you think the art of manufacturing pop stars is a dead art look no further than here.) It is a proven formula.

The added bonus is the exuberance Kenny Ortega brings to the dance routines and indeed to the music. This is sickly sweet stuff but like the perfect twirl of cotton candy it proves irresistible – just near impossible to make it through the entire thing. The entire package is a paint-by-numbers collection of staged promo shots and faked program copy layouts helmed by the accomplished Gerdes (Wang Chung to Iggy Pop.) Where it really excels is on the all-important cover. Not withstanding that oh so perfect group shot you have the dramatic draping with the expected imagery displayed in an unexpected grand scale. The real key is the accomplished nature in which the type solution is pulled off. The marquee style display of the single bulb lights call you in. The type is laid out in an imperfect manner and the perspective is just right on each bulb. The attention to detail that determines whether this type of design succeeds or fails. The packaging might “Stick to the Status Quo,” yet it does so in such a perfect manner that it ultimately is more iconic as opposed to expected.

For all of you other designers trying to pull off the easy visual solution, without this level of resolution: “Get’cha Head in the Game.”

Final score (out of 10): 7.5