Extraordinary Machine Album Cover
For this assignment, we were asked to reimagine an album cover for a randomly assigned song. I was given "Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple. The lyrics talk about how the author (Fiona) has been beaten down and detested by those around her, yet she continues to put herself back together and continue on her path. This process of being taken apart reminded me of voodoo dolls and how they can be used to hurt as well as heal or protect.
Iteration
I first listen to the song and wrote down the lyrics, feelings, and metaphors that came to mind. I then used those initial thoughts to sketch out album design concepts. The first had a much more of a storybook feel with an illustration style similar to Alice in Wonderland while the second was much simpler and focused more on the idea of putting oneself back together.
After going through the review process with multiple classmates, I decided to run with my second concept. While my original design was all hand-drawn, I was pushed by my professor to see if I could re-create using photography. I was intrigued by the challenge and set out to create the voodoo doll photographing textures for the background. I took a long time planning out the measurement and style of the doll (now playfully named Dar by my roommates) before hand sewing and photographing it.
The Doll was photographed using Lightroom to help create the best lighting and contrast possible. The wood pattern I took at an old barn I found and the font (HVD Rowdy) was chosen for its grungy and hand-made quality. The purple overlay was added to keep the imagery from feeling too dark or "scary" as the song still has a very whimsical or "hum, drum" feel.
