I’ve only been teaching at Portfolio Center for 6 months, but this is probably the best (or my favorite, at least) Entertainment Design concept so far.
The assignment was to create and album cover for the Miley Cyrus vs. Notorious B.I.G. mashup. Hilaaarious!!! This is a work in progress, and I’ll definitely update the final project once it’s dunzo.
Great job Jessica G!
Fresh outta the slammer into your earholes [via the blogosphere]. Welcome back Rubber Band Man. Now it’s time to do something about that horrible acronym-based clothing line of yours. Yea I said it… If you have the means, you should hire some folks who know what they’re doing. It’s hurting your personal brand more than helping it. Call me… we’ll get a GrindHouse burger and play some FIFA (or NBA Live). We’ll hash it all out in an afternoon.
Download: T.I. - I’m Back
U.S. Royalty has released this, downloadable EP as they make their way down the East Coast and across the South to Austin, TX’s South by Southwest Music Conference. If you’ve never heard of SXSW, you’ve been living under a rock. Wish these boys luck as they’re sure to melt faces at their SXSW showcase.
Download (via Mediafire): U.S. Royalty - SXSW 2010 EP
The usual suspects (Dax, Zach Wolfe, and Sumner) are at it again with another Big Boi video that’s destined for virality. Nice work again boys!
Photo by Ryan Purcell aka OhSnapKid.com
Our crew’s favorite Dubstep DJ, Mayhem, puts his unique twist on 8Ball & MJG’s track, Ten Toes Down. I love listening to his live sets, because he always finds a great way to incorporate some Dirty South flavor into them; as you can tell from this remix.
Download: 8Ball & MJG (feat. Lil Boosie) - Ten Toes Down (Mayhem Remix)
North Carolina’s, Stranger Day, brings us a new track in collaboration with Chicago’s British Knights. I’m a huge fan of this song and his new visual identity. Check out that Padre’s inspired SD! I’m looking forward to hearing more from this project (if there is anything else to hear). It’s always encouraging to see a friend put themselves out there in a major way.
Word on the street is that Stranger Day might be making an ATL appearance very soon…
Download: Stranger Day - Polar Bear Cold
Rehab’s new single, Welcome Home, hits iTunes today. I had the privilege to lead a team of designers (my Entertainment Design class at Portfolio Center) on some early concepts for the artwork to accompany this single. We ultimately arrived at this finished artwork after consulting with the band. It’s an photo of Danny (Rehab’s lead vocalist) as a kid and his grandfather in their Air Force jumpsuits. It’s a very personal moment in his life that he’s opening up and sharing to the rest of the world. Download the single on iTunes here.
Check out the range of design comps we created throughout the design process after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Initially, this seems like an odd pairing of one band covering another. Upon further thought, it kind of makes sense as well. Both bands have similar roots in the dub-reggae world, but they differ drastically at their approach to making music. To me, this Vampire Weekend cover is a lot weaker sounding than the original by Rancid, but it has it’s own moments. Thoughts?
Shouts to the Esperanza crew for the heads-up.
Deftones - The Acoustic Experiment by Eric Dewyngaert
Some of you know that I’ve been teaching a class at Portfolio Center over the past few months. This has been a new experience for me, as I’ve never taught before and it was only a few years ago that I was a student at PC. In my time away from the academic world, I started to miss it. Not only is teaching a chance to “drop-knowledge”, but I find it invigorating and refreshing. Perhaps I’m a huge design geek, but I enjoy talking about design with people who aren’t jaded with the industry. Rather, they are eager to excel at visual communication.
The name of the class is Entertainment Design (a broad name for “The Album Cover Class”). We focus on concept, branding, and typography for artists in the music industry; with the deliverables being album covers, packaging, posters, and various other marketing items. In the 1.5 quarters I’ve taught so far, we’ve had a live project for a major label artist and several guest presentations from my friends who work in the design industry.
I’m putting myself in the mindset of a student (which isn’t hard considering I used to go to school there) and trying to make this class-scenario a “dream class” for anyone with an open mind. If my homework assignments consisted of listening to music, going to the record store, and sketching (sober of course), I would have been more than happy to go above and beyond the call.
I don’t have many examples of student work coming out of my class because most students choose to photograph their packaging towards the end of their student careers. I was able to get one of my students (and new EC web-intern), Eric Dewyngaert, to send me a photo of his album packaging. It’s a new approach to The Deftones, titled “The Acoustic Experiment”. He asked himself, “What would happen if one of the hardest bands out there created an acoustic album?” He was able to track down live-acoustic performances of some of their most popular songs which were sonically peculiar and very intense. As you can see, Eric’s visual-reveal is what I envision being the result of many long recording sessions. Very cool.
Given that the name of the class is Entertainment Design, we may shift our focus in coming quarters to film and other performance arts, although I have a feeling that most of my students get a kick out of discovering new bands and listening to music as homework.
Also, there’s always an open invite to my buddies who want to drop in and give honest feedback! C’mon down…
Check out Don Cannon rocking a Process Love & War shirt at 0:11. Shouts to Joe for the heads up!
Everyone is a rapper or some kind of artist in Atlanta but some of them actually have talent. Def Jam’s newest artist, Cyhi Da Prynce is one of these artists. Check out these 2 videos: Studda & I’m 100. Studda was filmed in our favorite boutique/hangout spot, Standard. Keep your eye out in “I’m 100″ video for some Process gear.
If you haven’t heard of Dreaden, you will soon. I went to Lenny’s the other night to catch their show and I have to say it was awesome. Check out the photos after the jump, Danny the guitarist is rockin’ one of our tees. You can’t see him but Zak the drummer was sportin’ a StreetLocal tee that night as well. Thanks for the support guys.
Dreaden just released their first single “Night Friends” on XTM Online.
Download Here
View photos of Friday night’s show after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
One of our favorite local DJ’s, Cristo Disco, is new to the blogging world. Check out his site daily, as he promises a constant stream of fresh content, music, and photos. Break him in nice and proper with some comments!
