Studio Selects: Top Sleeve Art 2009 - 3 of 3

3. Morrissey - Years of Refusal

Design by Anthony Lui, No Allegiances and Morrissey
Photography by Jake Walters
Band Photography by Travis Shinn

There has been a brilliant trilogy of LPs by Morrissey in this last decade, each featuring our fella pictured with a curious object - coveting a tommy gun, playing a fiddle in Rome and this year, left holding the baby. It plays nicely against his past image of celibacy and controversy. But it's more than just a great image: rather than dashing off the typo in a lazy flourish of Helvetica Neue, Anthony Lui drew inspiration from the decorative latin typography found on old Herb Albert LPs.



Morrissey's humourous use of photography can sometimes be over-looked. The campaign for this record featured several shots which play around with the image of his band, sometimes role playing in matching outfits (birthday suits pictured below). It's a detail I like. Seek out the inner sleeves to his previous three singles. I guarantee they will make you laugh out loud.



Any way, entertainment. Here's Moz playing this year at Great Yarmouth Pier. If you look closely you may see my nose.



Bubbling under, these covers also caught Studio's eye:


Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca


The XX


Iron and Wine - Around the Well

That's your lot.

Studio would like to thank all of our clients, friends and collaborators for making our 2009 such creative fun.
Happy New Year - all the best for 2010.

More on No Allegiances here.

Merry Christmas from Darren Leader Studio

Illustration by Scott Robinson.
(who successfully completed his internship and joins us in the New Year!)

Studio Booklet Preview

Here's a sneak preview of the Studio Results booklet.

Well, the cover anyway. Lovingly printed on GF Smith's Colorplan stock (pristine white with Morocco embossing, yum). The outer and inner cover feature shots taken by Andi Sapey in Tokyo of the Tori Gates.

Meanwhile, the text pages (printed on Naturalis Soft White) are boxed and ready to be dispatched for hand-stitching in the new year.





Finally, here's a shot of the glamorous, though reclusive Jane Carter - whose support on this project has been tremendous. In fact, on most of the stuff that Studio has done this year. Thanks Jane x

Studio Selects: Top Sleeve Art 2009 - 2 of 3

2. Pet Shop Boys - 'Yes'

Designed by Mark Farrow and Pet Shop Boys

Mark Farrow is one of my all-time favourites designers, so I may be biased but this design was a beaut.

Earlier this year Studio attended the D&AD President's Lecture by magazine editorial design legend David Hillman. When host Patrick Baglee asked David for an example of what is currently best in design, he chose this record sleeve and nothing from publishing. And why? Because it communicates a simple idea clearly and in a style which is entirely appropriate for the artist. And David likes ideas based design.



Plus, it gets round that challenge of how a record sleeve looks good when reduced to an icon in itunes.



Studio also recommends the re-issue of Spiritualized 'Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space'.
Again, a simple lateral concept which packages the CD as a sealed pill. Even the sleeve notes read like instructions accompanying medication - 'Do not operate machinery' - that kind of thing. Clever copywriting always improves a design 100%.



The rest of Farrow's work for Pet Shop Boys is superb too and a genuine masterclass in graphic design (sorry, I can't help myself).

Visit Mark Farrow here for more stuff. More on Spiritualized over there.

And so it's not all too minimal - here's the video to the single.

Studio Selects: Top Sleeve Art 2009 - 1 of 3

1. Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications.

Designed by Ian Anderson and Jarvis Cocker
Photography by Rankin

Music is an obvious passion and sleeve art definitely influenced my desire to go to art college. Record sleeves have to work hard for our attention, define the attitude of the artist. And if they're lucky, capture the mood of the culture at that moment when the music is coming out of your speakers.



To kick-off this short series of Studio favourites of 2009 is this fantastic LP cover by Jarvis Cocker - dressed as that cool but pervy history tutor, Rankin's use of white space accentuates Jarvis' lanky figure and his desire to move, dance and get frisky. it's unmistakably him. And as a cool contrast, the typography is black, fat, bloated and rounded. I like it a lot.



Here's the video directed by Stephanie Di Giusto which builds on the theme.



It's a complicated boogie (and we don't know any better).

Visit Jarvis here.

Neville Brody: Wanker or Genius – The Verdict.

Another unmissable event in the D&AD President's Lecture programme and provocatively entitled too. But it was all part of the fun and refreshing to know that while Neville Brody takes his role seriously as a designer in society, he can see through the facade of being regarded as a design celebrity.

The other widely reported quirk to this evening was the usage of twitter and its invitation for everyone to participate and ask questions with the all important hash-tag. Our host for the evening, the ever-readable Adrian Shaughnessy, keeping Neville on topic and occasionally browsing the tweets for those emperor-baiting questions.

And Studio intern Scott got the first question! He asked:


A valid question and one that perplexes most students, frustrated by choice. Neville stroked his chin and answered that "you can never have enough chairs" or "everyone should have their own font". For a designer famous for creating his own fonts, he would hardly restrict himself to his favourite three. Plus, mostly his letterforms are hand-drawn, like his recent title sequence for the film 'Public Enemies'. He gives good font does Neville.





The work exhibited was all recent examples from his Research Studio. Which was cool considering he could easily rely on the legacy work of the 80s - The Face and Arena magazines pretty much define the era. And here is where the theorizing began and much more chin stroking. Neville really needed a whiskey to complete the picture. He feels the decline of popular culture and societies use of design began with Thatcher, Reagan and Haircut 100. Seriously, this must have amused and befuddled the youngsters but this stuff could help your Critical Studies. For the record, he remains deeply suspicious of the Tories and fears the worst if Cameron gets into No.10 next year.

He is also frustrated by the way design is taught at art college. That there is too much focus on aiming for a career and not enough time to nurture creativity, stating, "college is to nurture your soul - your convictions". OK, but the times haven't changed that much. I went to art college to learn a trade and obviously graduates want jobs. But I do agree, there are too many graduates competing out there. But like all great thinkers, there was an element of self-contradiction. Neville thinks there should be 100% creativity and 100% skills. So, learn flash.



After Adrian branded a heckler a wanker it was our time to vote. The audience was all given voting cards, each to hold aloft in Apprentice style. And like a suited Dermot O'Leary I can reveal the result. From my seat it was 65% Genius / 35% Wanker.



Nicely done D&AD. Visit Research Studio here.

PS. Neville considers himself a genius because he is a Spurs Fan. And all you Arsenal supporters say... ?