So Much (For) Stardust

Project Objective

Reimagine the visual identity of an existing album using photography as the primary design element. The project required designing a new front and back album cover as well as custom vinyl record stickers for both sides. The design needed to capture the tone and themes of the music while presenting a fresh and cohesive visual interpretation.

For this project, I selected So Much (for) Stardust by Fall Out Boy as the foundation for the redesign.

Sketches

A black and white image of a person wearing a helmet and playing an acoustic guitar in a dimly lit room with a wooden floor. The bottom section features two album cover images, one of a broken guitar with handwritten text and lyrics, and the other with the title 'So Much for Stardust' written in a stylized font over a ground with scattered debris and a small object.

Two circular views of a star-filled night sky representing vinyl record labels. The left side labeled 'Side A' contains a poem about feelings and love, mentioning 'Good right now, so good,' while the right side labeled 'Side B' includes song titles such as 'The Pink Seashell' featuring Ethan Hawke, with poetic lyrics surrounding both circles.

A collage of three images: the top shows a person wearing a helmet crouching on a dark floor next to a wall. The bottom left features a close-up of a colorful, abstract scene with text overlay.

Core Photographs

Broken guitar lying on a wooden surface with scattered debris and shattered pieces around.

Ideation/Iteration

Throughout the photography application process, I played with the typography application, whether the photograph of the guitar would fit best on the front or back cover, as well as overlaying photos and adding a range of blending modes (ie: hue, saturation, soft light, color).

A collage of four images: the top left shows a black and white photo of a dimly lit room with a person playing guitar sitting on the floor, the bottom left features handwritten song lyrics over a dark background with a person wearing a red helmet, the bottom right displays a damaged grand piano with small tools and debris inside, and the top right is a close-up of the person's face and guitar with the text "Fill Out Boy."

Three images: the top shows a person in a dark room with a skateboard helmet, a guitar, and boxes; the bottom left shows an opened guitar case with a handwritten note; the bottom right shows used guitar pick and broken pick on a surface with scratches.

Column of three images: top, a black-and-white photograph of a person in a helmet leaning over a workbench; bottom left, a colorful, abstract collage of various shapes and images, including a guitar and handwritten text; bottom right, a graffiti-style image with the text 'SO MUCH (FOR) STRAUB' and a photograph of a street scene with debris and a fire in the background.

Handwritten lyrics of the song 'Fall Out Boy' on white paper with red, black, and maroon ink.

A person wearing a red safety helmet and face shield is smashing a piece of material with a crowbar, causing debris to fall onto the surface below in a dark industrial setting.

Album cover titled 'So Much Stardust' with images of a man in a helmet hammering on objects in an industrial setting, and a person playing guitar in a dark room with concrete walls.

A person wearing a helmet and dark clothing, leaning over a dark floor in a dimly lit room, with a yellow writing on the wall and abstract colorful images on the right side.

Final Version

My final design was selected as 1 of 12 pieces to be displayed at Shake It Records. The work was chosen by a panel of judges including the shop’s three owners, photographer and professor Madeleine Hordinski, and Jacob Moscovitch from New York Magazine.

A person wearing safety gear, including an orange helmet and black clothing, is smashing a concrete slab with a sledgehammer in a dark industrial setting.

To Tablet & Ticket

Broken acoustic guitar lying on a sidewalk, with scattered debris and parts around it.

To Stage Left