One of my favorite projects of the semester, was also one of my most successful in terms of originality and effect. For our album design project, we were to chose a musician or a band and reflect their style visually. As a collector of vinyl, I am drawn to the flexibility and the possibilities that the 12 inch sleeve offers. The album artwork visually represents the feeling that the album evokes in the listener, and the most successful covers are inseparable from their music. I tried to capture this with my design for Captain Murphy’s Duality. 

 

The album’s musical style and lyrics deal with the two-sided personality of its protagonist -- the evil cult-leader Captain Murphy and the real life producer, Flying Lotus. To represent this duality, I chose to use invisible (UV reactive) black-light ink as my medium. The design without the light is minimal and mysterious, creating interest in the viewer as they see the shiny, silver graphic against the matte black sleeve. Once the viewer turns on the black-light, the effect is very striking and immediate. It is hypnotic and builds on the mystery of the artist. The music is dark and sinister in tone and I believe that the sleeve and lyric booklet are successful in reflecting these qualities. 

 

The video that accompanied the mixtape broke the album up into seven different “lessons”. These lessons are found in the lyric book corresponding to their place in the video and can only be seen under black-light. This keeps the packaging cohesive and spurs curiosity in the viewer to keep searching for more hidden elements.