Songs in the Key of Z... Finished. (Well, almost)

In my previous post I was talking about our current project to design album artwork and promotional campaign for the 'Songs in the Key of Z' compilation. At that point we were thinking of producing a hardback book, but we've changed our minds, and produced something arguably even more awesome. Still using the same imagery and ideas, but into a different final outcome.
For a while I've wanted to work on producing some really elaborate packaging, and this was the perfect opportunity. So we decided to turn our attentions in that direction instead, and I think the results are pretty pleasing (if I do say so myself...)

Songs in the key of Z

So what am I up to?
Our current project is a joint project, and we're working in pairs, 1 illustrator, 1 graphic designer. My illustrator is the wonderful Lucy McGrath.
In our pairs we were given a list of 5 albums and 5 TV channels. We were to choose one, and produce either album/single artwork and surrounding promotional material, or for the TV channels, an ident.
We chose the album 'Songs in the key of Z', which is an album of 'outsider music'. The album is very unusual, and unlike the other albums, is a compliation, so had quite an eclectic and varied feel to it.
The artists themselves are incredible characters, and you can really feel this in the music, which swings between funny, scary, and incredibly odd. Sometimes all three in one song.
We really want to reflect both the eclecticism of the album and the mixture of characters involved.

We came up with the idea of photographing a selection of objects, both old and new, classy and kitschy, toys, instruments, artefacts, ornaments, anything we could lay our hands on, really. In some ways it's like a gathering of the artists possesions, but also the objects can be a metaphor for the artists themselves, and the varied styles and sounds of the music.

Overall we want the mood of the artwork to be bright, cheerful, slightly naive, eyecatching and unusual.
We're going to create a hardback book to contain the CDs. The book will be filled with a combination of lyrics, hand collaged 'scrap book' style pages, and images from the photoshoot. Lucy is working on the collaged pages, and I've been doing some photographic pages.
Here's a selection.







My one concern is that the tutors will say the project is in two different styles. The photographic elements and the scrapbook elements could either gel really well together, or just look completely like two different people's work. We're working on ways of better tying them together.

But I'm actually really pleased with how it's going. I always feel slightly egotistical saying really nice things about my own work... but I LOVE these pictures.

Here are some double page spreads.

This is what happens when I go to bed then get a brainwave...

And realise I need to share it with a friend online.
A horrifically crude photoshop diagram! waaay!

So I'm enjoying this.

Gosh I love STUFF.

Still more to come. Go on. Click it to view BIG.

It's been a busy day.

More to come.

101

Back on Anglesey for the weekend.