AN ALBUM FOR TEEN SUICIDE PREVENTION
The Society for Prevention of Teen Suicide is dedicated to increasing awareness, saving lives and reducing the stigma of suicide through specialized training programs and mental health resources that empower students, parents, school staff and community members with the skills needed to help youth build a life of resiliency.
IT ALL STARTED WITH A FEW SKETCHES
Before doing any sketches, I had an idea of what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to include a car following a path, to symbolize, "keep on going." I was torn between a few options from the psychedelic style, but I ultimately went with the cover from number two.
AND THEN DID A REVISED COLOR SKETCH
I came up with the title "988" because it's the current phone number for the National Suicide and Crisis Hotline. Not everyone knows that, including myself orginally. So when a person would see the cover and might be unsure of what the title means, maybe that would lead them to doing some research. The colors were still not completely decided at this point, but I loved the layout.
THEN IT ALL CAME TOGETHER
Then, I began to work digitally. I went to more of a simplified color palette, combined it with the 3D textures on Adobe Illustrator, added a paint splatter texture for the background, and finally, a 1967 Ford Mustang. Here's my final interior and exterior spreads:
CAN'T FORGET THE MERCHANDISE
When creating the merchandise for my album, the first thing that came to mind was, "What would teenagers want to see and how do I make it accessible?"
I first wanted to make clothing, and I wanted to make a lot of it. I created a matching set of a shirt and a pair of sweatpants. I also designed two designs of socks, and also and an embroidered beanie. For the people who might want to add some patches to their clothing, I also made a patch accessible to them.
I understand that not everyone can afford a record player or vinyls, so I also made a CD version of the album. Other small things were added such as a phone case and two keychains.
