Album Design Project … Part 3.

In part 2 of this series I revealed the initial “missteps” that I took as I sussed out the desires of my clients. Honestly? I was grateful to have clients with strong desires and clear ideas of the emotions that they wanted their album to evoke in potential customers.

I went back to the drawing board (literally, with some new sketches…) and began to focus on “pulling” this beautiful tree out of it’s natural habitat. I began to think of the tree as a painting representing life on a blank canvas. A tree that invited return to life (echoing the theme of the album – come let us return).

This exploration led to a very sweet, very simple, very elegant tree that was embellished with watercolor accents that symbolized life… and yet, the colors were perhaps a bit too effeminate. The pinks especially pushed the tree into a playful area that didn’t suit the serious nature of the clients.

This was CLOSE to the final – and yet not fully refined to what they would be proud to have as their album cover… More to come in Part 4 of this Album Design reveal…

Found the right tree:

First Go:

Second Go: