A couple of months ago some music friends of mine asked if they could use one of my photographs for the cover of their upcoming album/CD. I was flattered, of course. When it came time for me to deliver the photo it was apparent they had not settled on a designer, so I volunteered to take on the project. In a little over a week I'd scouted and shot a rural Texas road, found a way to work in another favorite photo, and had artwork ready to go.
It was a fun project for good people. Heather and Randy Connelly, along with their daughter Rachael, recently relocated from Seattle. You really don't see many "real" family acts these days, especially intergenerational ones. The fact that their appeal is as approachable and cohesive as you could ask for makes them worth a look and listen. I played bass with them in an early iteration of their new Austin band. That didn't last, but the friendship did.
Here's an snap of the completed CD package:
And here are the significant panels:
Album Cover
This is the shot that originally caught Randy and Heather's eye. This was taken around 2009-2010 from the Pfluger pedestrian bridge, and shows the Lamar bridge over Town Lake (aka Ladybird Lake).
P. Terry's Hamburgers, Lamar @ Barton Springs
Just south from the previous shot is the P. Terry's burger stand at Lamar and Barton Springs. This shot is taken from the balcony of my apartment at that time.
Interior panel
Randy and Heather wanted to include a "Texas road" motif and that wasn't too hard to satisfy. I set out on a Sunday afternoon and faced more clouds than a Texas summer afternoon had a right to throw at me. That let me know to look for shots lined up from a very narrow range of light. Here, the sun is hidden behind the tree in a very careful way.
CD disc art
Here's the CD itself.
layout
And here's the whole thing plugged into the CD company template. With all of the weird offsets, I'm amazed it came off without a hitch!
=D
