Interview about Container Music Albums, winner of the A' Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design Award 2022
This is an electronic music album with the theme of human and philosophy, mind and body. As the theme of this design, the visual combines classical aesthetics, philosophy and modern electronic music. The various natural elements are combined into a chaotic image, the classical style is boldly used, and then the realistic images are matched to create the final scheme.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsBecause the creator of this electronic music CD gave me a lot of creative freedom, and he also don’t like old and traditional things, so I have to an alternative idea, packaging modern electronic music with classical visual style. This alternative visual expression technique echoes with the uniqueness of electronic music itself each other. The entire creation includes experimental works that have an impact on the image of electronic music and are very 'impish'.
The theme of the album is called "Container", for which, the album creator explains as a "Container" for soul. I combine people, plants, and animals into a new "container" with a variety of familiar forms and countless muscles scattered around them to form an unconscious space.
Although the album creator gave me a lot of freedom, but we both made decisions during the process that we couldn't agree on. Sometimes we were not satisfied with the expression of the picture, sometimes we didn't like the shape of the pattern, and sometimes we thought we could keep brainstorming new designs. Therefore, we made multiple revisions and discussions, which led to the current version. Of course, the work exceeded our expectations and we are also very satisfied. Looking back on the whole process now, it was actually painful.
In fact, I have no too complex idea, just want to create an "impactful", "anti-traditional" design. To be specific, I think the songs in the album can be regarded as modern elements of all the works, and the album is visually designed with classical elements..
Because of the limited printing cost, there is no printing special effects for my work, so I can only start from the visual expression. In fact, I have been engaged in graphic design for many years. I believe that the less a design should be decorated, the more it can test the designer’s ability. An impressive picture is better than tens of kinds of printing special effects.
I chose the people, plants, animals, and did not retain the original forms of various elements, because forms are appearance. I removed the old appearance, combined into a new "Container". I accidentally created a painting while focusing on the creative process. The image is like a space, and I treated it as an element that cannot be synthesized from the "container" remaining in this space, becoming the image on the album outer box and music CD.
It is a coincidence that participating in the competition and winning the awards, which is not my goal. And getting affirmation is certainly happiness, that's all.Winning the award has nothing to do with my design work. I believe that helping clients solve problems is the first job of a designer.
The format of posters generally follows this standard, and there are also A3 and A2 sizes that need to be adjusted after practical application. Actually, if possible, I would consider using a larger size. I really enjoy designing posters.
I have never intended to influence or lead the visual style of the album. I don’t have the ability or this idea. I just want my work to be different. When I think about my own work, I would be very happy if I can produce a work that I am satisfied with.
I completed this work in a irrational state, and I think it is a bit like handling the feeling of the art. In fact, it is very contradictory. I don’t like this feeling, because the design itself is "the solution", which is a service. And the real artistic creation is the emotional expression, which can be very free or even without explanation. In order to dismantle this work completely and clearly, I also think I can not completely explain it at present easily, maybe I can say it easily decades later.
Dive into a world of design excellence with our curated highlights. Each feature showcases outstanding creativity, innovation, and impact from the design world. Discover inspiration and learn more about these incredible achievements.
