Mercy Mother EP
Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator
Mercy Mother’s music is very exciting and bold. The self-titled first release of this band needed to have a visual statement that matched the sonic character of the music. Fluorescent inks combined with the statuesque image of a sculpture create an air of mystery and energy. This colorful approach is intended to create enough intrigue for the cover to stand out amongst the ocean of online releases. The approach for the font was to have a clean, san-serif text that still had character and evoked a futurist look.
Mercy Mother: Cosmic!
Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator
The subject matter of the next Mercy Mother release deals with the concept of an escape to a place of knowing. This was represented visually with the idea of a “cosmic highway”. Images of light are used to convey the idea of enlightenment. Slow shutter speed photos of moving cars on a highway are combined with the image of a tunnel to communicate the movement from darkness to light or unknowing to knowing. The fluorescent color approach is employed again here to again create a bold, exciting visual statement that matches the vibe of the music.
Tall Grey: Sneeze
Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator
The art for this single entitled “Sneeze" employed a simple photographic approach with a quirky, playful text layout. The accompanying music video for this single is set in a desert so the accompanying audio release also had to have this imagery in play. The story of the tune is about an insane man who lives in the desert, capturing and eliminating any who wander upon him. The giant hand sculpture poking out from desert sand is a metaphor for those who get lost and buried when coming upon the antagonist of the tune. Black and white phootgraphy was used to create a stark yet bold and classic visual statement, referring to old b&w film. The “Sneeze” font approach is subdued in order to let the image breathe but is laid out in a manner that still makes it a focal point of the image.
Organic Noise Experiment: Nemuritor
Adobe Illustrator
The principal songwriter of this band is deeply interested in esoteric subjects so the design drew from those concepts. The tree of life, pyramids and a illustration of the singer’s “all seeing eye” cross were referenced and implemented in the design. Font-wise, Serif and sans-serif were combined to create a contrast between band name and album name.
House of Dusk: Letting Night
Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator
Letting Night is a single release which tells the story of a man who meets a vampire woman. The band’s red logo was used as a contrasting focal point against the bare female’s skin (depicted in black and white). This use of intense red over the body is metaphor for the blood vampires spill, the pain they cause and also a warning for others that danger lies beyond the seductive allure of this female form.
House of Dusk: The Oath
Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator
Continuing with the previous single’s concept of seduction and danger, this design refers to the tune’s concept of a woman who marries the devil. A female’s face is cropped to show a mouth in an ecstatic state but it is left to the viewer to decide whether it is indeed ecstasy, fear or pain that the woman is experiencing due to the presence of a coiling snake. Here, the snake (symbolizing the devil) is colored in the intense red connoting danger. That same red is seen emerging from the woman’s mouth symbolizing the integration of herself and the snake.
Curious Case: Lucyfer’s Loveletter
Construction paper, Printed photography, Collaged magazine & newspaper, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator
The sound of this record covers a lot of sonic territory, styles and topics therefore the visual approach drew upon cut-up lettering, imagery and newspapers. The frenetic energy of the songs is exemplified by the way all these elements were cut up and laid out. The lettering has a ransom note feel while the central figure is designed to be a quasi-religious icon, combining cut-up photographs of the band members.
Curious Case: River on the Roof
Plasticine, Black Jeans, Photography, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator
The band’s logo was sculpted out of plasticine and photographed on a black jeans for this first release. Black jeans were used for their contrasting, textured look against the smooth modelling clay. Two C shaped question marks fashioned into the shape of a heart encompass the statement that band wanted to make with the logo. The Cs for “Curious Case” take the shape of question marks to exemplify curiosity while the heart shape is employed to evoke the playfulness and humorous side of the band.
Mercy Mother: Tomorrow’s Sun
Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator
Tomorrow’s Sun is a short tune about the hope of better days ahead during dark times. The accompanying imagery for the release shows a burning flame and points of light in an otherwise dark void. This communicates that the flame of hope continues to burn and spread light throughout even the darkest of times.