Design ideologies and practices from the Blue Note record label applied to a new genre 60 years on, Stoner Rock.
Ravensourne University London, Practical Dissertation, BA (Hons) Graphic Design 2023/24
A graphic design and photography project, working with London based stoner rock band: SEANCE. Below are my final 5 artefacts, mock album covers for the band's upcoming EP & album. Photography was taken at a rehearsal session in Complex Studios, Deptford.
BLUE NOTE - The Originals
The research body of this project came from analysing the cover art of Blue Note Records. The label's manifesto to put out exceptional jazz that was for pure musical expression, not commercial values. Therefore their visual style had to be just as exceptional and reflect the values of the music. Developed by the two original designers: Paul Bacon and John Hermansader laid the foundations for Reid Miles to build an extensive portfolio of approximately 500 cover designs. Along with the raw, emotional session photography to work with from Francis Wolff
Paul Bacon & John Hermansader
At the time Paul Bacon was at Blue Note, jazz covers were still ‘pure graphic solutions’ with which he tried to communicate what the music was about without using too literal of an image. ‘My illustrations were saying, Forget what you know and forget what you think. Just listen to the music.’ As an avid jazz fan himself he was able to let his passions flow into the illustrations, capturing the mystique of the music with ‘fun and whimsy in the illustration and color treatment
When John Hermansader took over from Paul Bacon he brought with him studies from Bauhaus and brought the modernist ideologies that would later be utilised by Reid Miles to create an icon of American Modernism.
Reid Miles
Miles was able to capture the essence of the music so perfectly despite not being a fan, a harsh contrast to Bacon’s approach as a lover of jazz. Through the description of the session from Alfred Lion, and Francis Wolff’s photography Miles worked with all elements and biases stripped away apart from the basic details: The album title, the intent of the music, and the emotionally expressive photography. Without personal opinions interfering with the brief, the disconnect enabled a greater objective view. A quote from ‘Retinart’ that I find particularly prominent: ‘The design just carries the message, rather than attempt to be the message.'
Typography is key to analyse, it differs drastically to both Bacon and Hermansader in that it only appeared on horizontal planes at 0 degrees. Different pieces of information are divided by size, colour and positioning although would often be grouped closely together and guide the eye. Type would always connect in some way or another. I’ve observed that the start or end of words would always line up with a letter, line, startpoint or endpoint of another word on the cover. (With a few unique rule breaks among the catalogue). With these rules of typesetting loosely laid out Miles was flexible in the layout, everything was individually placed to match the photography/graphic of the cover and it wasn’t uncommon for elements to follow photography motion/forms playfully
One aspect of composition that becomes evident when looking at Miles’ covers is his intimate understanding of symmetry, asymmetry and his ability to intertwine the two. Choosing predominantly asymmetry as a main compositional force, even when symmetrical components are used within the cover there is always an ever looming asymmetrical presence
PRACTICAL RESEARCH - Applying the techniques to a contemporary brass band, Too Many Zooz
On the 4th July 2023 I photographed Too Many Zooz at the Jazz Cafe in Camden, I utilised these photos to create three album covers. My aim with this practical section is not to imitate any pre-existing covers but create new ones in a similar style. I created a mock label called INDIGO TONE with a play on the oval/rectangle stamp that was iconic with Blue Note and utilised the same elements of copy type.
Francis Wolff's Photography
Possibly the biggest contributor to the visual success of Blue Note’s covers across all the years of the label’s lifespan, Francis Wolff. Working with Kodak TRI-X film stock he captures such raw, candid moments of the artists in performance during the recording session that seem almost cosmic in a sense. Harsh contrast and the emotion of a moment frozen in time. To quote Herbie Hancock: ‘You weren’t aware he was taking pictures—they were never posed shots.’
Seance rehearsal session photography
On the 13th December 2023 I arrived at Complex Studios in Deptford at 6:30pm after the band had finished getting their equipment set up. I brought with me a Zoom H5 to record the audio for later playback when editing/designing the outcome to create the feel of the sound without a session description, along with my Canon EOS 6D mk.ii and a Canon L series 17-40mm F4 lens. Unlike Wolff I do not employ a flashgun, having a full frame camera built for low light I rely on working around the lighting in a space. My goal however was the same as Wolff's. I was there to capture raw moments of expression throughout the next 2 and a half hours.
I’ve experienced shooting esports events that last for 3 days, the photos from those events are always the same frames where people are staring at screens, the only good photos being split second moments of emotion that come in-between rounds or after wins. Hours are spent with the same frame lined up just waiting for the right moment. I’ve found concerts and music photography to be much the same practice where people are standing in the same positions and the interest comes from motion and emotion, the only difference being the timeframe is much shorter and action is happening all around you constantly. It was the same at the rehearsal shoot, I would be lining up frames and firing in bursts whenever something interesting would occur, having to keep an eye constantly on the people around me so as not to miss a potential shot as well as focusing on what is in the frame. In total I shot 1,509 photographs from the rehearsal - many the same frame with differences in the pose/facial expressions - and whittled the final edit total down to 64.
I shot in two styles, one applying Wolff’s focus on the real posture and candid expression of the artist and two in my own style using creative liberties in the composition to emphasise the music. I responded reactively to the subjects, directing no poses and utilising the elements of the room and lighting.
Thank you so much for reading if you got this far. I'll write a short summary of each of the album covers' design. All were created to try evoke the feeling of the music, with the same techniques applied by Reid Miles and Paul Bacon 60 years ago, with my own stylistic spin on them.
1 2 3 4 5
1 is a floating layout aligned by rule of thirds, elements like faces avoid falling on the lines, instead skirting around the conventional positioning. Emotional colour and hierarchy reflects the instrument’s energy in the recording.
2 inverts the photograph around Alex creating the impression he is communing with the spirits, reflecting the bands name. I saw the opportunity for the photograph during a rooftop smoke break and like Reid Miles, knew the photo would be enough for the cover after some heavy post processing. Like Paul Bacon’s cover of ‘Monks Music’ sometimes a photo just works.
3 is another photo that just worked. I kept it uncropped, at the top to create a simple three part split between ceiling, subject and bottom bar, typeset like Mile and keeping an asymmetric lean to the left.
4 Alex threw a can into the bin, I tracked it in four separate shots and compiled three into this cover. Using the motion of the can I created a pull into the bottom right corner where all elements are positioned around/into Colour was removed apart from the red to highlight the can, I drew out the shadows and utilised the inherent motion blur to create almost ghostly apparitions.
5 was the first and favourite cover made. From Miles’ catalogue I learned when an expression is too good not to use, it spans the full cover and Eddy’s face in that photo was the best. I emphasised feelings created by the title through emotional colour, gradient mapping the top of his face to red, bringing down the levels elsewhere on the image. I added fangs and darkened the eyes to resemble a skull. The positioning dominates the left side of the cover with his left eye falling on the central alignment. The type went through many iterations, linking through the lines in the font, resembling a portal to hell as it dips below the top bar. This cover plays on Bacon’s approach at emphasising the music through graphic solutions to the title.
