'Vibrations' by Simon Jefferis

2020

Designed by Ronan Kelly and Mark Gilligan at RKMG

Categories: CD / Vinyl / Cassette

Industry: Cultural

Tags: Music / Typography / Art direction

'Vibrations' is the debut LP from Simon Jefferis — a multi-instrumentalist and producer based in London. Head nod beats, jazz-infused keys and interweaving textures combine to create an atmospheric first album that stands out amongst the sonically rich London jazz scene.

Our aim for the artwork was to capture the mood, tone and energy of Simon's music, as well as to invoke some of his own process. We decided to make the inner gatefold a single image, which enabled us to create a more immersive visual that we hope reflects the music. To achieve this, we created a graphic language based on sound generated 3D visuals. These were then collaged and contrasted with static 2D elements. The outcome was never pre-determined, but rather informed by the generative image making and collaborative working process between Mark and Ronan. The result is a cover and inner sleeve that is both a direct output, as well as an interpretation, of the music.

We selected 'Pickle Standard' and 'BB-Book' by Benoît Bodhuin as typefaces. Their pronounced quirks and idiosyncrasies compliment the frenetic, painterly visuals, while adding a more graphic expression and weight of their own. The same quirks enabled us to create a concentric radial 'thank you' message on the inner sleeve of the record which feels both typographic and illustrative at the same time.

In addition to the 12" sleeve, we also created artwork for 4 singles, which were released before the LP itself.