Project Type: Professional Development
Role: Concept Graphic & Web Designer
Deliverables:
Drop Dead Records is a conceptual record label that describes itself as follows, “Born out of New Yok, NY in 2016, Drop Dead Records sets the pace for independent music and community. Representing DIY values, integrity, and family from day one, the label evolved from a dorm room creative hub into a trusted voice in EDM, hip hop, and alternative rock styles.“
The company, which came under the Sony Music Group umbrella in 2018, has released seminal albums and Eps from alumni such as Wub Hertz, A Perilous Ascent, Snarky LoveSongs, Logically Twistedd, and more. Celebrating its 6th birthday in 2022, the Drop Dead Records community forever embodies the music underground in its truest form.
I very much enjoy this type of work because of the integration of design with art, or the presentation of art as design/design as art. My process for creating this type of project is to first, imagine the company, the owners, the artist, and their fans or audience. Then, and only then, do I attempt to communicate the intended message of the speakers to said audience.
Below you will find a quick presentation of the branding style for the organization as well as a few concepts for album cover art.
Click any Image to Enlarge
Logo Design
While creating this brand, I took the name to heart. The D at the end, well, drops dead. There is a double meaning; in that it also nods to a needle drop onto vinyl. The graphic content is two halved records, contoured for movement. I used a custom, round font, nodding to the round shape of a record. The text color creates an optical illusion and is visible on both light & dark backgrounds.
Stationery Set
This is just a simple mockup of brand identity and logo usage. I have included business cards, letterhead, envelope (front and back), and ink-pen design mockups. The graphic elements are consistent throughout, pulling each piece together as a single unit.
Website Design
I wanted to keep the home page simple, primarily displaying the label's values. I opted for a scrollable navbar via a hamburger menu. The navbar element contains highlight sections such as new or upcoming releases and artist info quick links following the traditional nav content. I would consider this to be an experimental UI/UX model, but I feel that users would find it quite intuitive.
Album Cover Art
Each album cover is inspired by the musical style and emotional output of the artist. All elements from font selection to color palette and layout are displayed as my best representation of what the music means to them.
Logically Twistedd
Logically Twistedd, an alt rock artist, would have a very emotionally impactful album, emphasizing a solemn, solitary feeling that is battled by an underlying reach for hope. The broken font, created by compounding and releasing overlapping paths is meant as an ode to the album title, “Take a Piece of Everything You See”.
Wub Hertz
Wub Hertz, an electronic/bass music artist, derives the name from a play on the song “Love Hurts”. However, and fan of bass music could instantly recognize a “wub bass” sound, and the focus of the cover for the album “Sinus Infection” refers to a sine wave on a synthesizer set to near 30hz, which is how a sub bass is commonly created.
Snarky LoveSongs
Snarky LoveSongs, another alt-rock style artist, would tend to provide a sarcastic view on life. The music composition would be full of soundscapes filled with undertones of flowing, psychedelic styles that crescendo into hard hitting, heavily distorted, and percussion-driven chorus drops.
A Perilous Ascent
A Perilous Ascent is a modeled after the liquid drum and bass genre. While this is, primarily an electronic genre, this artist would incorporate organic instrumentation such as piano or guitar into the music. I wanted to place emphasis on the unusually natural sound of this artist by using a photo composite utilizing elements of nature as the cover design.
