Journey: Album Redesign
The delicately layered instrumentals in Ichika Nito’s math rock EP, Journey, are brought to life in this album cover redesign. Illustrated scenes of a rabbit’s adventures bleed together in the same way that the music seamlessly carries the listener through each song. The vivid, surreal imagery in this system allows the listener to imagine a story and follow it across platforms, both digital and physical.
Because the album lacks lyrics, I took note of any audio cues (such as rain or footsteps) and instrumental qualities that reminded me of objects, settings, or characters.
These cues, combined with the song titles, served as inspiration for numerous storyboard sketches.
Each corner of the new album cover is taken from a different song, which resemble both the hero’s journey and the cyclical nature of the seasons.
The process for translating the sketches to final illustrations started with cutting and arranging pictures of various plants, rocks, and structures. Scanning and drawing over the collage with a textured brush allowed for a level of detail and storybook feel that suited the complex melodies of the album.
