LANCELOT HUESTON • 2022
Helping a singer-songwriter cultivate a retro-modern aesthetic
Lancelot Hueston is a singer-songwriter crafting folk and rock music that harkens back to the 70’s. Lance spent a lot of time perfecting the analog production techniques used on his album “Late Bloomer.” When it came time to slate the release, he turned to me to ensure that the aesthetic of his album cycle would represent the work he put into it.
Identity Research • Visual brand development
Promotion Digital marketing collateral • Flyers
Experience Cover design • Layout and Packaging
The Mission Lance needed a visual strategy for his album release cycle that would communicate his classic influences while honoring his experimental production techniques.
The Solution I investigated what made the ‘70’s so unique for rock. I was able to channel what I learned into cohesive branding for the release cycle, as well as the cover designs, physical layouts, and marketing materials.
The Result In mid-2022, Lance released his album “Late Bloomer.” The record launched to a flurry of pre-orders for physical copies and a full-US tour in its support. Two of Lance's most popular tracks are available to preview below.
Prework
Research & Ideation
Before jumping into creating visuals, I first needed to better understand how 70’s rock and folk music influenced Lance - and how it could inspire the branding for his record. I did some research to gain insight into his creative process and learn more about one of his biggest influences, Nick Drake. I discovered that Lance was particularly influenced by the analog recording techniques used in the 70s, and the blend of utilitarian and psychedelic culture that was prevalent at the time.
Brand Building Blocks
Typography
To help set the tone of the project, I first applied what I discovered in my research to the typography for the release. Leaning into Lance’s updated 70’s themes, I used a more modern, flamboyant script with plenty of flourishes. Pairing the script with a sans-serif typeface like Kabel helped me ground the look without shying away from some added personality. Two logotypes were developed using both typefaces - one for “Late Bloomer,” and one for Lance himself.
Brand Building Blocks
Flower Branch Illustrations
Pen and ink flower branch illustrations were used to reinforce the album’s title, “Late Bloomer,” while harkening back to Lance’s retro influences and analog production techniques.
Brand Building Blocks
Spot Color
A specific shade of purple was chosen as the brand’s primary recurring spot color - intended to be a direct, yet subtle, nod to Lance’s key influence Nick Drake.
Putting It to Work
Album Cover Art
With the brand’s elements developed, I could put them to work in the project’s keystone deliverable - the cover art for “Late Bloomer.” The cover art had to be dynamic enough to work in a variety of formats, calling for a thoughtful balance between the overall layout, legibility at a distance, and minute attention to detail in texture, value, and smaller design elements.
Putting It to Work
Physical Release Packaging
Once the album art was complete, I extrapolated it into physical packaging for vinyl and cassette. This called for taking more strategic advantage of the details I had baked into the design before, like the paper texture and subtly distressed type. Leveraging the original design, I created original layouts for each format and used variations of the brand's elements to expand the imagery into the other panels.
Putting It to Work
Single Cover Art
Single cover art designs were created to support the lead-up to the album’s release. The designs followed a similar format to the album’s cover art, but omitted the use of the purple spot color to separate the album from the singles visually.
Putting It to Work
Digital Marketing Collateral
To further promote the album’s release, I developed digital marketing assets for each release in tall, wide, and square formats to help Lance leverage social media in his release strategy.
Putting It to Work
Tour Poster
To promote the tour that followed the record’s release, a tour poster and accompanying admat were developed. As one last homage to Lance’s influences, I designed the printed poster to mimic the layered printing techniques used in the 70s. The details integrated because of the methods I employed - including overprints, halftones, and the purple’s slight shift in registration - helped keep the brand from appearing too clean in print.
