BREAKING RECORDS
Digital Artwork
RMIT University Project
September 2021
The project aimed to produce two different album covers and work with genre codes for a music artist. I chose Flume who produces EDM (Electronic Dance Music). Most genres have elements that the audience expects as they have been used many times before in previous album artworks over time. The task was to confuse these expectations by designing a cover firstly in an appropriate style (EDM) and then in the style of a different music genre (Country Music).
Genre 01 - EDM
Artist | Flume
EDM is an umbrella term for a panoply of musical styles that emerged in the mid-1980s. It encompasses styles ranging from beatless ambient music to 200-beats-per-minute hardcore, with house music, techno, drum and bass, dubstep, and trance among
the most notable examples.
The imagery and typography used for this genre are minimal. There is not much use of text but rather abstract/geometric imagery with a clean design, usually characterised by bright/neon colours.
Flume has always been known for pushing boundaries, being innovative and visual in his songs - his popularity skyrocketed through
his ceaseless inventiveness. With the album I chose for this project, Hi This Is Flume, the artist skips collaborations with pop stars in favour
of underground and avant-garde legends like Eprom and Sophie. Instead of making catchy radio-ready singles, he delivers wonky, glitchy,
and abrasive efforts that challenge fans to open their minds and immerse themselves in the incredible experimental sounds
that are prevalent in the underground.
Genre 02 - Country Music
Artist | Flume
Country music, also called country and western, is a style of American popular music that originated in rural areas of the South and West in the early 20th century. The term country and western music (later shortened to country music) were adopted by the recording industry in 1949 to replace the derogatory label ‘hillbilly’ music. Country music often consists of ballads and dance tunes with generally simple forms, folk lyrics, and harmonies often accompanied by string instruments such as banjos, electric and acoustic guitars, steel guitars (such as pedal steels and dobros), and fiddles as well as harmonicas.
The imagery used for the country genre is rustic, vintage, and warm, with colours ranging from yellow, light blue/green/black, red, and beige shades that create a country vibe. The typography is inspired by both Western culture and tattoos. Motifs also characterize the typography of this genre.