This is the cover of the latest CD I have from the electroclash genre band Ayria. I didn't think much of them when I first found out about the band because they were opening for the band I was really there to see. However, I immediately was taken by their poppy, pretty but slightly angry and smart-alec sound and lyrics. The design of their albums reinforces their desire to be taken seriously in the goth/alternative arena. I am not a huge girly-girl but I have always enjoyed the almost over-stylized intention of the design. The cover fits very well with many of the album's lyrics ("shiny violent killing toys"...meaning guns..taking something serious and making it seem absurdly pretty???).
In a grass-roots, low budget community, either someone in this band or an outside hire is a great designer! The design is very professionally done, showcasing unity through proximity, color and pattern. Even though I read the elements of the design as a full group, Jennifer, the singer is emphasized because she is in front of the pink elements on the right. Secondary emphasis, I believe, is on the rhinestoned "gun" she is holding because it is dead center and slightly elevated, plus in the far background lines literally draw the eye to it. Typography is appropriate for the album because there is no more than two typefaces and the one chosen for the name of the album, "Hearts for Bullets," fits with the tongue-and-cheek theme with its extremely stylized cursive tails.
No comments:
Post a Comment