Cover design for 'Swarms' by New Luna
For this cover design, the image came before the concept. I had spent Christmas in Scotland with family and had used an entire roll of film taking photographs of the stunning landscape. When considering what to do for the artwork for New Luna's single 'Swarms', I remembered these photographs, and took them to be developed in the hope of finding that I had taken the perfect shot.
In fact, none of them immediately stood out to me as 'the one', but I had several images that were promising, all taken on the same foggy morning. I edited a few of these before landing on the image I ended up using. Below are 3 unedited scans, the far right image being the one I eventually landed on.
As well as the standard editing of this image, I also added some additional elements for visual interest. At first, I was preoccupied with attempting to fill the huge blank space of the grey sky. I tried filling it with a huge hypnotic swirl which was inspired by the effect of the rhythm section in this track. I also tried adding in additional clouds before deciding that in fact the blank space lent itself both to the image and to the overall feel of the track. The song to me emits a sense of despair and resignation, and the bleak grey landscape fits well with that soundscape.
The figure walking off into the fog was an important addition to this piece, and it adds to the sense of foreboding and mystery that the other elements come together to convey. After deciding to use the blank space rather than attempt to fill it, I ended up making use of a glitching effect, as well as a dust overlay, to give it some texture.
Below is the final outcome, plus vinyl and CD cover mockups.
Stream and download 'Swarms' by New Luna here:
New Luna hail from Manchester, UK. Their unique blend of dream-pop and alternative rock have caught the ear of Clash, Dork and BBC Introducing, and they have featured at The Great Escape, Dot To Dot, Focus, YNOT? and Truck festivals.
"Dream-pop reimagined for the perpetual Mancunian drizzle" (Clash Magazine)
