Copycats media
Blog
We like to talk, like a lot. Sometimes we write about things that are important to our customers. And sometimes, well we just write things because we don’t know what else to do with ourselves.
Designed By Copycats: You Vs. Yesterday
A few weeks ago our designer, Alexis, had the pleasure of working with Ohio natives,
You Vs. Yesterday, for their release How’s This for Honesty. They had been working together on a handful of designed cover projects and illustrations for the last year. So, naturally it made sense to introduce them to Copycats for a physical release. Here’s a bit of the background behind the project:
Initially, You Vs. Yesterday came to Alexis to illustrate the cover artwork that would represent the acoustic version of this song. The track was going to be released into the world on its own, but the band had more in store for a striking group of songs. The original single artwork was shot and designed by Jesse Darland of Dayton, Ohio. Jesse is one of those all around talented folks who pours his heart into photography, portraits, and even design gigs. He has been working with the band for a lot of their promo photos and tackled a handful of their live performances in the past few years.
Alexis then recreated the cover in her style, congruent with more of YVY’s recent branded artwork. They had constructed together a handful of single covers over the past year with the help of their manager, Jan Powers. Starting with the cover, she designed the rest of the packaging off of the colors, textures, and mood of the songs. Bright blues, oranges, and natural tones – how cozy. Is winter over yet? Sorry, it’s not.
How’s that for honesty?
For the disc she took a boiled down, simplified version of the fire from the cover while keeping the fun textures in tact. Since it was screen printed, there were only a limited amount of PMS colors that could be used. She matched the colors from the album and set the band name on a custom sliver of silver to really make it pop!
We included the entire print proof for grins and giggles – or really because it’s exciting to see how the digital, constructed version of the artwork comes to life in print. Sometimes there are trials in printing, good or bad, and the final product is never exactly how our screen shows it to be. In this case it looks fantastic on screen and final product. And look at that cute little thumb notch on the inside to show where the disc is housed!
“My favorite part about design is being able to really show off all of the hard work that bands put into their music. You can be amazing musicians, like You Vs. Yesterday, but having good artwork and product is what can set you apart from others. I hope to be that person who can help bands get recognized simply by the cover of the artwork. I hope it sets the tone for their music. Print is an incredible way to get your music in a tangible form. Holding the final product really feels like all the work you put into making an album paid off.” Alexis, Designer
Why this group of songs?
What is the band’s favorite part of the physical designed product?
How was your experience working with copycats?
To hear more about You Vs. Yesterday and their music, check out their website!
For more information on design services or to get a quote, contact us!