CARDINAL SIN

ACADEMIC|February 2024 2 weeks

Dustbowlchampion is an indie alternative artist from Fresno, California. I was tasked with redesigning the cover for their album Cardinal Sin through collage techniques. I delivered a production-ready LP set including a cover, dust sleeve, and vinyl design. I was directly inspired by Dustbowlchampion’s darkwave music, and I focused on the album’s theme of ethereal darkness. This LP redesign demonstrates the album’s themes while following the identity of the artist.

I designed this LP set by listening to the album first and taking notes on the emotional content and imagery. I created a large moodboard and added images while I listened to the album again. I tested different collage techniques in Photoshop, and then I sketched some thumbnails for some of the ideas I had. I drew inspiration from the music itself, other album covers, and collage work. I designed the display type, and I heavily edited all of the images I used. After refining my ideas into three concepts, I developed them into compositions and formatted them for publishing.