This project made use of both graphic design and digital illustration skills to visualize cover art for a music single. The song that the cover represents has an incredibly intimate, yet emotionally charged feel to it. Key lyrical themes that come across in the song are a sense of anger and chaos that are counterbalanced by a recognition of personal accountability in reigning in and subduing those forces.
A piece of symbolism that immediately came to my mind when approaching the cover design was that of a swan. Given that it represents grace in many cultural traditions, I felt that positioning a swan against a chaotic backdrop would be an effective visual representation of the emotional duality present in the song.
To further lean in to the song's unrefined, raw and expressive lyrical qualities, I added loosely sketched background elements that almost have the childish simplicity of doodle drawings. Additional visual touches such as graffiti drips further reflect the raw and emotionally expressive nature of the song.
The design was executed primarily via sketching directly in Procreate on an iPad. Minor final touches were added in Adobe Photoshop.