Due to the nature of the brutalist graphic design movement and its current place within the industry of design, it’s not necessarily a term that musicians for example are familiar with. When it comes to creating an album cover or a merchandise item, the majority of the time the art in question is not created by the artist which opens the door for external artists, to then collaborate with these musicians and take their existing product down a new and unique visual route.
It is surprisingly not uncommon to see record stores push exclusive variants of upcoming music projects, whether this be through vinyl record colours, extra autographed items or even magazines. This does however create opportunities for companies and artists to develop these musical products further than just extra items and possibly create extra meanings and messages through well thought out design visuals.
One company that attempts to take an existing product and collaborate with artists to expand these artworks in Blood Records. The online creative is known for creating limited runs of vinyl records that go beyond the standard for vinyl record variants. This can be the actual record design or even special edition artwork. Seen in Figure 1 is the Blood Records edition of Paulo Nutini’s newest project which features a ‘Zoetrope Picture Disc’ which is an vinyl record that becomes animate when spun and viewed through a phone camera. This is a perfect example of taking an artists existing project and expanding it beyond the artwork. The use of the zoetrope effect allows the consumer to see further artwork that goes hand in hand with the message heard within the music, but would have been unused visually.
Furthermore in Figure 2, a ‘Colour-In Edition- is seen which allows the user to add their own colour to the albums artwork. The existing product could already be construed as brutalist but the idea of customers being able to add their own contribution adds further depth and meaning to the piece. It also gives consumers the freedom to create further messages or leave the cover blank if they so desire.
Another record store that offers exclusive variants beyond vinyl record colours is Assai Records who offer ‘Assai Obi Editions’. Taking inspiration from the Japanese obi strip (figure 3) which is a paper slip that goes over the vinyl record cover and features information about the artist, the album as well as further points like the track list. Official Japanese editions are well sought after due to the appeal of these strips, partnered with the fact that after manufacturing changes in the 1960’s, Japanese audio equipment increased in quality and therefore ‘Japanese records also improved’ (RareRecords.net, n.d). Assai took this craze onboard and created their own version which is unique to each artists. For example they have designed their own obi strip for DMA’s new album which can be seen in Figure 4. This specific design has taken the album covers colours and the bands logo and compiled it into one strip, partnered with the iconic Japanese writing.
These editions that have been developed and produced by Assai and Blood Records allow the artists to add a further aspect of their project. Especially with the zoetrope variant that Blood Records offer which gives the opportunity to create further artwork or existing designs that would otherwise be discarded and give them a new life through this channel.
References
Blood Records (2022) Paolo Nutini: Last Night In The Bittersweet (Paisley Zoetrope). Blood Records. Available online: https://blood-records.co.uk/products/paolo [Accessed 1 Dec. 2022].
Blood Records (2022) Low Island: Life In Miniature (Colour-In Edition). Blood Records. Available online: https://blood-records.co.uk/products/lowisland2 [Accessed 1 Dec. 2022].
FaceRecords (2020) The Importance Of OBI In Japanese Vinyl. FACE RECORDS. Available online: https://en.facerecords.com/blogs/column/the-importance-of-obi-in-japanese-vinyl [Accessed 1 Dec. 2022].
RareRecords.net (n.d) Japanese Records – The Appeal of Japan LPs. Rarerecords.net. Available online: https://www.rarerecords.net/record-info/japanese-records/ [Accessed 1 Dec. 2022].
Assai Records (2022) DMA’s How Many Dreams Vinyl LP Neon Yellow Signed Assai Obi Edition 2023. Assai Records. Available online: https://assai.co.uk/collections/assai-records-editions/products/dmas-how-many-dreams-vinyl-lp-neon-yellow-signed-assai-obi-edition-2023 [Accessed 1 Dec. 2022].
