dotponder
approached me to work on his debut album's art cover.
THE DESIGN OPPORTUNITY
Corey Ponder, the artist behind dotponder, told me to listen to the album and let it inspire me. 😳
PROCESS
Needing more design constraints, I interviewed Corey about the meaning and significance behind each song. As he spoke with such passion and clarity, I realized his album, Part / Whole, tells the story of coming into who he is as an artist, as a black man in America, as a 30s-something in a youth-obsessed culture, and as his father's son.
Working with Corey, we reordered the songs on his album to better tell that story, and I pitched the concept of what would lead to the album art cover: What if the "dot" in "dotponder" went on a journey throughout the album, morphing and changing with the meaning behind each song?
FINAL DELIVERABLES
For the final art, I selected the color palette, the typeface, created a digital illustration for each of the nine songs in addition to the album's cover, and mocked up merch options. A band gotta have merch.
RECOGNITION FROM DOTPONDER
Gabrielle's creativity and artistry in conveying stories and concepts have caught my eye on several occasions; as I worked on this album, I knew I wanted to work with her.
I approached her with my unmastered album tracks and went on a journey with her. She not only thoughtfully put a visual story to my songs, but did so in a way that conveyed a sense of depth and connection to the story my album was telling in a way that even I hadn't fully landed in. From there, she produced elements that not only helped me with this album but define who I want to be visually as an artist.
Giving life to the "dot" in my name .ponder was a stroke of genius that will definitely become its own calling card. I truly enjoyed the journey and the end product. Working with Gabrielle was an inspiration, and her art will no doubt help me connect with listeners of my music on a deeper level.
- Corey Ponder aka dotponder