Client: Vinyl Moon Co.
Project: record cover design + more
ABOUT
Vinyl Moon curates monthly mix tapes on vinyl! The visuals of each record are designed by different artists, so each installment is a totally immersive experience. They make finding new music a fun adventure. I was thrilled they reached out to me for volume 105. This was truly one of my favorite projects I've ever worked on!
ART DIRECTION DEEP DIVE
I'm fascinated with world-building, branding, fandoms, and ephemera, and like the typical millennial, I'm oozing with nostalgia. Wadding up all of these themes created Adventure Story, an imaginary franchise from the late 1980s in another dimension.
I wanted to create stories told through merchandise. Character designs, plot points, worlds, and relationships can all be pieced together from the toy designs, packaging descriptions, and the inside spread where the characters come to life.
I hope to inspire the viewer to reflect on the silly worlds they so desperately wanted to be a part of as kids. Fandoms can feel empowering and create a safe haven and a home you can crawl into whenever you need it. The excitement of new toys, our favorite characters teaming up, and loving to hate the bad guy are unmatched for people who identify with certain universes.
Aesthetically, I tapped into things like Spaghetti Westerns, Roswell, maximalism, imagery synonymous with rats (but make it cute haha), kitschy Rodeo shows, and 80’s/90’s consumer culture.
All finished off with spot gloss to bring the plastic shells of the different packaging to life.
To make it all feel even more real, the record includes a VHS box from one of the films in the franchise, Adventure Story III: Space Rangers!
(and did I mention the tracklist is pretty killer? jus' sayin')
Hope you enjoy!
You can even be apart of the action when playing the record. The center labels are designed to interact with your turntable's spindle, so on one side it completes Rodeo Rat's sword and B Side stabs Prickly Pauly right through the stomach!
Thanks for watching!
