Sketches

I began the design process by listening to the album and noting recurring themes. Common words and ideas that appeared included:smoking, TV, drugs, love, pyramids, brain, thinking, money, bills, rich, eye, ice and pilot. 

These themes informed my early sketches, where I explored a range of approaches including photography, realism, illustration, and typography.

Feedback from this stage highlighted that the typographic brain concept was visually compelling and worth developing further. The idea of using the square album format as a TV screen was also seen as strong concept.

Final outcome

My final outcome for repackaging Channel Orange by Frank Ocean reflects themes of television and broadcasting which are referenced throughout the album and carried consistently across the final visual system. 

The use of orange throughout the sleeve design and vinyl itself creates a strong and recognisable identity, whilst the VHS-inspired typeface reinforces the retro television aesthetic and nostalgic tone of the project.

Other deliverables

To accompany the 12” vinyl I created a 7” vinyl for the single ‘Pyramids’, iconic for a 7” as the song is 9 minutes long. The design was inspired by another BBC test card, for the letter D. This was because it had triangle elements seen within the border. I also chose to exaggerate the circular shapes by re-imagining them as triangles to push the pyramid theme. 

The lighters are an interesting addition as they are a tactile collectable item for the fans, they are also associated with concerts, music communities and smoking culture.Smoking also appeared several times and is mentioned throughout the album.