War Horn—album cover design process

Album cover designs always seem easier to execute in one's head—when it comes to practise however, things aren't so simple. Here's a quick peek at design work done recently for War Horn by FNKSTLL, an upcoming release through the techno label, La Famiglia Nero.

The visual language that defines La Famiglia Nero's identity tends to stray on the side of Modernism, with carefully considered placement, sans serif typefaces and an underlying grid structure to unify the various releases. Previous designs have explored flat, geometric compositions using an economy of means and exercising restraint in execution.

For the album cover, I started my visual explorations on paper, since I can thumbnail ideas quickly before taking them into Illustrator. I wanted to visually convey the power of a war horn's blast, and after some doodles, I liked how the expanding concentric circles were looking. However, I was feeling it was a bit cliche once I started recreating the designs in the computer.

If I'm ever stuck, I find a solution for creating unique designs is to ask, "How can I communicate this concept differently?" By rattling and opening new doors, you'll be surprised at some of the novel solutions you may discover on the other side.

  

One option I explored had radiating lines emanating from a central red disc—a simplification of the the front of the horn. The lines imparted a sort of tribal feeling and I like the optical shimmer effect that happened as the thickness tapered towards the center of the composition.

Pushing the idea further, I created a sense of depth and weight as the round red pulse struggled to break free from a radar grid of thin lines. I like the contrast between weights and colours, and how the net bled off the page breaking the borders.

Here's a peek at the final render of the "War Horn" album cover which comes out later this month, as well as how I adapted the designs for the poster and banners. The tracks on the EP are a body-moving exercise in murky, paired down techno which hopefully the designs do justice!