Albums

One of my all-time favorite albums has always been Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. This album was not only significant to me but to many different people. The first time I heard this album was in 2017, when my sister and I were sitting out on the dock behind our grandparents’ house. This was one of the first times I had seen her since she had moved to college. We sat, listened, and talked until it had turned dark and the mosquitos had started to attack. This album will always remind me of that warm summer night. In my redesign of this album, I have infused it with the nostalgia of that summer’s ambiance. The choice of a cabin, hidden within a forest, evokes the tranquility and seclusion of those memories. The black and white inversion of the image serves as a stark contrast to the warmth of the memory, while the oil painting filter adds a dreamlike quality, as if the scene is a memory painted on the canvas of my mind. Kendrick’s presence on the cover is a homage to the original cover art. I mirrored the adjustments of the background to make the whole image look unified. I think adding Kendrick's side profile bridged the gap between the personal significance of the album and its universal impact. I extended this project into merchandise, like T-shirts and a poster, allowing the album’s influence to carry beyond the auditory realm. It is a tribute that allows others to wear and display a piece of art that resonates with shared experiences and the timeless nature of music.