I was commissioned to create three unique album covers for the rapper CHELL that still felt connected and cohesive. I was given some pre-existing album covers as a jumping off point as well as recordings of the songs to base my designs on. From those inspiration images I saw a clear desire for bold colors, paired with modern type, and a bit of texture.
With two of the three singles having water elements in their names and the chill fluid vibes of the instrumentals, I was inspired to use ocean imagery for the three covers. Combining these images with some grain and gradient maps I added the bold colors and the texture you're looking for. The color palettes and unique images help differentiate the covers, but the shared treatment of said images and the type keep them feeling unified as a collection and creates a clear visual direction should more singles be added later.
To keep things interesting I also added some thematic vignettes to each. Ink on the Rain includes some ink being mixed, Washed Away has a pile of bubbles, and Wonder World has a jellyfish. Wonder World didn't share the same direct references to water, I honed in on the "wonder" and created a visual that felt whimsical and played into the themes of finding the "perfect girl" as described in the song.
With two of the three singles having water elements in their names and the chill fluid vibes of the instrumentals, I was inspired to use ocean imagery for the three covers. Combining these images with some grain and gradient maps I added the bold colors and the texture you're looking for. The color palettes and unique images help differentiate the covers, but the shared treatment of said images and the type keep them feeling unified as a collection and creates a clear visual direction should more singles be added later.
To keep things interesting I also added some thematic vignettes to each. Ink on the Rain includes some ink being mixed, Washed Away has a pile of bubbles, and Wonder World has a jellyfish. Wonder World didn't share the same direct references to water, I honed in on the "wonder" and created a visual that felt whimsical and played into the themes of finding the "perfect girl" as described in the song.
