Portugal. The Man
Album Cover Design
Using Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, and Proceate - I created an album cover for one of my favorite bands - Portugal. The Man.
Portugal. The Man is an Alaskan rock band that formed in 2004. The group is described as having an alternative, psychedelic, experimental, indie rock sound with lyrics that describes the group’s worldly political observation. Their songs usually sound upbeat and positive but have negative lyrics hidden within. The band has a trippy, psychedelic aesthetic that is present in each of their album covers, which is what brought me to create my own album cover inspired by them, for them.
For their album covers, they tend to mix photography with graphic elements, but in a few cases they focus on just photography or an art piece. Most of these visuals were created by the band's lead singer, John Gourley, and showcase his grotesque yet humanized art style that is eye-catching and unique. A common visual that is included in his works are eyes, something I also enjoy drawing. I knew I wanted that to be main component of my album cover.
Originally, I had created a duller background for the album cover, but realized that it was too dull. Using watercolors, I created a vibrant pattern that would serve as both the cover's background and actual back of the cover. The ends of the watercolor piece display the songs featured on this fictional album I've come up with. To the left is the front and back of the cover, while the inside is featured down below.