The Deepest Lake
Album Cover Redesign + Visual System
Timeline: Fall 2020
Dengue Fever, an American rock band based in LA, creates music that is a fusion of Cambodian rock music from the 60s and 70s with psychedelic rock and other Western and world music styles. As a first-generation child of Cambodian immigrants, with this project I wanted to explore the cultural blending represented by Dengue Fever and The Deepest Lake.
Process!
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Identified feelings and themes evoked by the album via mind-map. Translated and analyzed meanings of songs (with help from my mom!).
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In B&W, I trialed compositions, shapes, styles, and motifs. I drew upon the Tokay gecko, the subject of the first track, as a motif, and upon the album’s themes of deep dark waters. Geometric shapes and styles were inspired by Khmer architecture. . . .
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. . .while colors were inspired by Western psychedelic designs. Sleek, psychedelic neons and cool-toned color palette evoke the energy and timbre of dark rock sound.
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Onto iteration and production!
Final Deliverable!
Ideation!
I first heard Dengue Fever on the "Weather” segment of the podcast Welcome to Nightvale—a segment that explores eccentric indie music. I was bewitched to hear Khmer, my heritage language, in such an unexpected place and style. Highlighting the resonance of Dengue Fever’s music with my experience of mixed culture was an important through-line in my design. Though beautifully illustrated, existing album artwork for The Deepest Lake falls short at communicating the bright, silky, electric feel of its music.
Objective: design a new cover and visual system that better reflects the energy of the music and themes of cultural fusion.
