Goldfrapp – “A&E’

Study and creation of the CD Sleeve

Chiara Bullo – Graphic Design BTEC diploma Lev 3

I’ve heard about “Goldfrapp” a couple of time, I didn’t know anything about the group and the singer: this is the first song I’ve ever heard… and I loved it!For some mysterious reason my mind linked  the name of this group to an image of an APPLE. This was the very first image in my mind: a golden apple.I chose a photo of an apple from flickr and then I modified it in photoshop.Using adjustment layer and blending options such as gradient overlay I created my golden apple.

Thanks http://www.flickr.com/photos/perldude/95703586/ for the apple picture

I didn’t want the sleeve to reflect the lyrics or the album’s name. I wanted the cover to be very “80’s disco” style.The first attempt was applying a kind of pattern on it. Using compound path and clipping mask First, I created a kind of stripy apple and then a variation of it using diamonds shape.

I’ve tried to manipulate the sleeve again to get a more complex image. I got the first one simply copying the golden apple using the “distort and transform” and then, the transform operation in order to create a kind of grid pattern. I also introduced a “rainbow” apple to get a touch of color.Using the same technique I create a colorful squared grid and I placed the golden apple on top.

The second version is much more elaborate: I used both the golden and rainbow apples to create a kind of flower simply using the rotate tool> click > 30° and then “ D” to repeat again the samecommand. I also applied a dotted background using graphic style and then I added the band’s name (“Braggadocio” font). I really liked the Idea of having colourful background in a sort of “psychedelic disco” style but at that point Iwasn’t so sure about the apples....I thought it could be “too much”.

I made an additional cover without apples, simply using the colorful grid plus creating the font outlines > compound path > clipping mask, I created a sort of continuity between the design and the text.Actually although, I was ingenuously devoted to “the apple”, I must admit that this latest version works really well.

It was such a pity forsaking the apple that I decided to have it on the back of the sleeve. I used the same background of the front adding a white 90% opacity square and Lyrics in “Eurostyle Font”.As told before, I wanted to have the apple in my back cover and I Insert it in the lower right corner usingclipping mask to cut it out.

In the end, I decided to have the rainbow apple instead of the golden one because I didn’t like toomuch contrast between the pattern and the apple itself: I created space in lower right part simply turning off or on the layer where the colorful squares were.

In the page you can see the final result.

I searched only content with a Creative Commons license.All the images can be modified, adapted, or built upon according to

Creative Commons License.