“Always” Re-release
Software: Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop
Always is the second full-length album by the Howlies and was first released in 2023 under their previous name: Rex & the Howlies. They want to re-release Always alongside their upcoming third album These Days. They requested entirely new art for the album and a four-panel vinyl sleeve that could also be used for CD releases with few modifications.
The Cover
Their frontman, Rex Jurilla, lived in Superior, WI for a few years, so I used this as a starting point for the art. I found some old photos I took while hiking in Amnicon Falls State Park just south-east of Superior that worked well in a two-color design. I used blue as the primary color to call back to the original design.
I masked out the cliff face and kept it clean. The trees in the background were blurred slightly and a half-tone was added over the top to give texture.
Vinyl Sleeve
I extended the square motif to the back panel with another photograph from that hiking trip and gave it the same half-tone treatment.
Interior
The background is a similar tree line in half-tone heavily blurred. The lyrics are displayed in one big block. This design choice is in homage to one of my favorite albums: BRAID’s Age of Octeen and many other emo albums from the 90’s and 00’s. I feel that this block of text reinforces the idea that the album should be experienced as a whole.