BRIEF

For this project, you will design the cover artwork for an album by a (fictional) band with randomly generated and assigned name. Since the band is fictional, you get to decide what genre of music they play and what their visual style is – the randomly-assigned name is just a guide. You will assemble the composition in Adobe Photoshop and/or Illustrator using found images (photos/graphics taken from books, magazines, etc.) scanned from the materials provided; you may also incorporate images from your own materials and/or take new photos to use in the project. Your final product will be an LP cover (12” x 12”) exported as a high-quality PDF and a JPG. Note: there is no typography in this design…yet.

 

BACKGROUND

A photomontage is a collage work that uses cut (or torn) photographic images as graphic elements, often with simple solid-color background or geometric shapes. The style originated with Dada artists in 1910s – 20s Germany, was adopted by Constructivist designers in the early USSR, and then mainstreamed by the Bauhaus school before becoming ubiquitous in Pop Art and commercial graphic design like advertising and packaging.

 

PROCESS

STEP 1: BRAINSTORMING AND RESEARCH

  1. Gather images for compositing – browse the materials provided and collect images that relate to your band’s aesthetic. These can be images you want to use in the project, but you should also collect images that relate to the look/feel you’re imagining just for reference. You may also use images from your own sources (magazines, books, etc.) and/or your own photographs.
  2. Cut out figures/objects from images – use selection tools and layer masks in Adobe Photoshop to isolate (cut out) the figures you want to use from your scanned collection. Save these cutout images in PSD (PhotoShop Document) format, to use in the next step.

STEP 2: DRAFTS AND REFINEMENT

  1. Make draft comps for 4 potential layouts (12” x 12” at 300dpi) – use Adobe Photoshop to make rough drafts of four different layouts by placing and arranging your cutout images and/or solid-color geometries.
  2. Refine your top design from the previous step into a final comp – final comps are still drafts, but they should reflect the final layout and position, have precise selections and masks around cutout layers, and incorporate all other graphic elements.

STEP 3: FINAL VERSION

  1. Create a polished, final version of your album art based on feedback from the previous steps.
  2. Export your finished project in two formats – PDF format (File -> Save As), using the “High-Quality PDF” preset; and JPG format (File -> Export -> Save for Web (Legacy)), saved using the “JPEG High” preset

 

SCHEDULE & DUE DATES

11/18 (Friday) – rough draft comps

11/22 (Tuesday) – final comp complete

11/29 (Tuesday) – project due, review and critique

 

EXAMPLES OF STUDENT WORK

Note: these include text and typography, which yours will not (yet)

 

Darcy Castro

 

Yamil Gil

 

Vivian Li