This album artwork was based on a previous design I had created earlier this fall titled “Tonight The City’s On Fire”. I wasn’t satisfied with only having a front cover and wanted to elaborate and create something more substantial so I extended the project to cover a complete album.

It was very easy to incorporate the design into Powerman 5000’s album for the obvious reason that the title’s were very similar, but that wasn’t the only reason. Powerman 5000 is a band that embraced the pulp science fiction of the 50’s and 60’s in their original album artwork and I love that style. The image in the background reminded me of the sci-fi puppet space travel shows I used to see on tv.

Photo Credit to Patrick Kerby

To view the concept site Click here.

A great way to showcase your skills as a designer is to show that you’re always thinking ahead in your design tasks. How would this logo look big? How would it look small? Can this print work translate into a website?

Building on the Artwork I created for the Fender Catalog, I made a front-end design concept for a matching website. The site would feature a scrolling headline to keep readers familiar with news, events and products. Fender uses this in their current site and it’s a smart tool, they are constantly releasing new products throughout the year. It’s a great way to get the word out about their products and what featured events are coming up.

“You don’t need a client to work. If you want to create something, just do it.” Great advice from James White of Signalnoise. He reminds designers every week on his broadcasts to stay busy creating new work, even if that means working without a client. Be your own client, create something you want to see in your portfolio.

Last month I featured an incredibly well-executed annual report design by Wanken. Having never tried an annual report before and seeing just how much work goes into creating one like Shelby’s, I was inspired to plant my feet into a new design project.

The Subject

I chose Fender Guitars as my subject client because it was a product that I was very familiar with. I’ve been somewhat of a guitar-geek for about 10 years now. In high school I worked in a tiny guitar shop spending most of my time reading through product catalogs, wishing the minimum wage I was collecting would eventually land me my dream axe. That never did happen, but I digress.

Fender has a rich history of creating excellence backed by a lineup of legends in the music world like Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The company has been around since the breakout of Rock & Roll and Blues. They were the innovators behind the first electric guitar. Known by many names over the years, the modern Fender Telecaster® is synonymous with Rock & Roll and Blues history.

The Direction

When I sat down a started thinking with my sketchpad my final concept was to create somewhat of a throwback to the early days of the Fender brand. Without realizing until much later in the project, subconsciously the design path I was on had some help from a 2006 Pepsi commercial. A child Jimi Hendrix stumbles upon a Pepsi machine and a Coke machine on opposing sides of the street. After considering his option, he chooses a Pepsi and takes his first sip. In that moment notices a Fender Telecaster in the window facing him. He then looks over his shoulder and sees above the Coke machine was an accordion shop. “That was a close one” is the final tagline.

So that was the theme that was running in my head. Something that you could see on the set of Back to the Future when McFly steps out of the Delorean and into 1955.

We are surrounded with giants waging wars over our attention during our free time. They want nothing more than to capture our attention when we rest our feet after a day at the grind. Can’t catch your favourite program at air time? No problem, DVR or TiVo it. Buy an On-Demand cable package. Just sit and watch it.

“You love your American Idol? Well here’s a list of other great shows you’ll like.”

It’s easy to get lost in the noise. Just don’t forget to unplug sometimes. Live a little and step out. Tomorrow isn’t a guarantee.

Photo Credit to Patrick Kerby