Waiting Space - 'Geography, History'

This visual identity and artwork system was developed for the independent musical artist ‘Waiting Space’ to accompany the release of ‘Geography, History’ - a song commissioned from the artist by RTÉ Radio 1, to reflect the county of Waterford. The design brief required the development of a special-edition item to mark the commission, alongside supporting digital and promotional materials.

Early in the process, it was agreed that the limited-edition item would be a unique semi-transparent, grainy blue vinyl record inspired by an aerial view of the sea, developed in collaboration with a vinyl manufacturer. Materiality became the centre around which the overall visual direction would develop: first with the choice of vinyl, and subsequently the identification of a desire for blue foil to be a material accent used throughout promotional materials, in order to elevate the release.

A broader graphic and visual language emerged from these material choices, including the decision to use a restrained two-tone system to best complement the use of the foil. A sandy off-white - referencing both the beach and shoreline of Waterford and the sandstone tones of Waterford’s Medieval Museum - was chosen as the ground colour, on which the foil details would sit. For screen-based outputs, a flat blue-violet was used in place of the foil for cleaner digital use; with this hue extrapolated from the gradient of the reflective material. The palette also subtly references Waterford’s traditional blue and white county colours, rather than reproducing them directly.

Thematically, the song itself is structured around two parallel readings of Waterford: one verse addressing its geographical features, and the second engaging with its layered history. Sense of place, and temporality, therefore also became the points of departure for the artwork development. A water-marbling process inspired by ‘suminagashi’ was selected as the primary image-making method, using seawater collected at Tramore Beach as the base medium. Ink was introduced and gently manipulated to form organic, evolving patterns, which were photographed - imagined as the extraction of a single moment from a continuous process (referencing the song’s chorus lyrics ‘‘I’m aware of my periphery, and all that came before me […] and all to come after me.’)

These images were further developed through digital processing, forming the basis of both the static cover artwork, an accompanying animated lyric video, and a looping Spotify Canvas. The animation allows the imagery to evolve gradually over time, reinforcing the song’s/design’s focus on temporal change. The typeface ‘Quake’ was selected for its fluid, fractured forms, which subtly echo the movement and instability of water.

In addition to the vinyl release, the project extended into print and promotional outputs, including a limited-edition A3 blue-foil art print incorporating the song’s lyrics. A set of collateral images was also produced to support the release, alongside a new artist profile photograph. All photography was undertaken at Tramore Beach, where the muted, earthy tones of the shoreline provide a soft, contextual backdrop for the vinyl record, sleeve, and printed materials, reinforcing the project’s geographic grounding.