Tokyo Dope City | Ghostpops
 Whats up! Be sure to check out my music by clicking through the pic!
Originally hailing from South Africa, Producer, Composer, and Engineer, Ghostpops is an accomplished multi-genre, multi-instrumentalist with a wide range of experience playing in bands and composing music. Exposed at a young age, he is familiar with styles and genres that range from house, new wave, to rap and kwaito. From the UK to Australia, he has played everything from double bass in a jazz trio to lead guitar in a death metal band.
For the last 10 years he's been working as a producer and engineer, so in 2018 he opened Tokyo Dope City Studios and has been working with both established and up and coming artists in Japan ever since. Enter SunKing Designs' services. I was originally briefed to produce an album cover to be paired with the digital release of an EP produced by Ghostpops. Since the request for this commission originated from a third party, the design brief was very limited and really only entailed repeated listening of the EP to determine the best course of action. Vertical Divider
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Process:
Consultation > Research > Concept Sketches > Selection #1 > Drafting > Selection #2 > Finalization > Review > Delivery Responsibilities:
Tools:
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Fortunately, Ghostpops is a really talented composer, so a dozen listens of the aforementioned track was a very pleasant experience. However, since the EP has yet to be fully edited and mastered(it has not been released to the public as of this posting), I will describe the auditory experience in a way that guided my thought process. Working with what was essentially a "demo", proved to be an interesting challenge to overcome as I drafted my designs to match and encompass the nuanced nature of the nearly 30 minute long EP. So, to simplify that process I turned to Pinterest for reference.
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To make sense of the images I selected, I used keywords that I felt communicated the essence of the EP thus determining the best assembly of the design from various perspectives that include tone/mood, subject, theme, etc. Therefore, some images were referenced for color palette, composition, technique, imagery, or symbolism. Among the keywords I came up with to describe the EP were,
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Bart SimpsonThe EP features a number of samples and references to popular American television characters like Bart, Spongebob, and others, but due to certain design conflicts and limitations of some characters, they ultimately had to be scrapped early in the process. However, Bart is a unique case as his character is generally appealing among the demographic targeted in Ghostpop's music. This worked in my favor, especially since Bart's iconic silhouette is feasible in many kinds of compositions.
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Values
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At this point, I gave Ghostpops an option to develop one of the above thumbnails further. Upon choosing and refining the line-work for the profile option(seen right), planning and organizing the values came next. I explored several iterations re-positioning my values to match the overall mood and tone of the album. Working in b/w values is an easy way to determine which of the "high, mid, or low-key" schemes available, would be best when considering the introduction of color later on in the process.
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Color
After deciding the best value combination, I review a variation of color palettes; some of those ideas can be seen written in the bottom margins of the original line draft above. Although, for the sake of expediency, I chose to explore the 3 options that had the most unique visual promise in terms of proportion, contrast, and balance.
To Ghostpops credit, there were a lot of sonic textures and tonality shifts throughout the nearly 30 minute EP, but the overall mood felt something akin to the fall season. I chose 3 different times of day and a combination of hues among the foliage to reinforce this messaging. Since, a new listener may not be aware of the contents of the track, I felt it was best to telegraph that idea as much as possible in the presentation. Though we concluded to proceed with the pink option above, I've included the other two images below since I ended up incorporating some of those individual ideas in the final product.
To Ghostpops credit, there were a lot of sonic textures and tonality shifts throughout the nearly 30 minute EP, but the overall mood felt something akin to the fall season. I chose 3 different times of day and a combination of hues among the foliage to reinforce this messaging. Since, a new listener may not be aware of the contents of the track, I felt it was best to telegraph that idea as much as possible in the presentation. Though we concluded to proceed with the pink option above, I've included the other two images below since I ended up incorporating some of those individual ideas in the final product.
Final Render
The very last step in the process is the final render. While I would normally use a program like Photoshop to bring my designs to finish, I've begun using Krita as an alternative. The program offers a huge selection of editable brushes with its painting suite that allow a certain amount of texture when applying colors of varying hues. I think this quality also helps reflects the "lo-fi" characteristics of the album.
I originally planned to have an ornate gold frame accompany the design as a nice juxtaposition in contrast, but ultimately felt its gaudiness took away from the whole. As a work around, I came up with a double reverse gradation that provided a sleek and contemporary feel that I felt was "trendy". Since the focal point of the piece is Bart(a known anti-establishment delinquent), I felt we needed multiple elements from the uniform, plants, posture and frame to upgrade the sophistication of his character.
This project was in no way particularly challenging but I did come to appreciate the fluidity and flexibility of my design process. This was in-turn very reassuring to Ghostpops since he subsequently ordered another commission upon completion.
I originally planned to have an ornate gold frame accompany the design as a nice juxtaposition in contrast, but ultimately felt its gaudiness took away from the whole. As a work around, I came up with a double reverse gradation that provided a sleek and contemporary feel that I felt was "trendy". Since the focal point of the piece is Bart(a known anti-establishment delinquent), I felt we needed multiple elements from the uniform, plants, posture and frame to upgrade the sophistication of his character.
This project was in no way particularly challenging but I did come to appreciate the fluidity and flexibility of my design process. This was in-turn very reassuring to Ghostpops since he subsequently ordered another commission upon completion.
