Romance is Boring Album Cover

When redesigning the album cover for 7-piece rock band Los Campesinos’ ‘Romance is Boring’, this process began with extensive research. A close, analytical investigation of both the band themselves and the genre they operate within was incredibly useful, forming the backbone of the following ideation and development. Having identified and dissected conventions within the genre of rock and indie music, including features linked to the visuals of small artists, these were able to influence every following choice and design decision, ensuring the final outputs were consistent amongst their competitors.

With this research in mind, I began ideating potential approaches and concepts to explore. These ranged from the rustic, amateur side of indie’s visual landscape to more contemporary, modern examples. For this album specifically, it was important to capture the intimate nature of the band and its sentimental, nostalgic and twee tone. With the songs detailing seemingly unrelated but thematically consistent stories of the singer’s past, the ideas attempted to replicate this unique musical approach.

While many ideas were generated, the below concept was incredibly compelling – Using stickers allows the album’s varied narratives and disjointed, anecdotal songs to be represented. Their close association with touring musicians and general youth culture makes this an additionally relevant choice. Trying to adhere to the convention of having obscured or distorted faces, the first approach utilised images of lead singer Gareth David, using stickers to cover the face. However, due to the limited available photography, this concept wouldn’t be possible.

Due to this, the concept had to develop – More akin to the roots of early indie music, the concept instead used a found photograph, able to best capture a feeling or mood. The sticker elements became more of a border element in the concept, with the contrast between them and the central image creating an engaging dynamic.

The covers narrative was based on the album’s title, with the singer trying to prove that romance is boring by distracting viewers with overlapping, brightly coloured stickers, representations of the album’s songs and the singer’s memories. However, as the album proves, this all comes from a place of bitter jealousy, with the singer desperately wanting a loving relationship. This is emphasised by the heart shaped arrangement of these stickers, presenting the romantic side hidden beneath the envious resentment. The albums back cover shows the same scene, the sun now setting and the couple gone – As the lovers have moved on, the singer stays focussed on this moment, his emptiness reflected in the now deserted landscape.

The final output shows a journey into the singer’s mind – The outer sleeve shows his aggressive exterior, trying to prove that romance is boring by distracting people with bright colours and memories of the past. The inner sleeve presents features scrawled, hand-written lettering of the album’s song list. It’s impromptu, organic style speaks to the raw emotions within the writer, also linking to the scribbled set lists commonly used by small independent musicians. Finally, at the core of the singer’s mindset and this packaging, the vinyl’s label features a small red heart, alone in the black void of the record. This presents truth behind the singer, a hopeless romantic worn down by rejections and failed relationships, providing users with an engaging experience while unboxing this product, being thematically and narratively linked to the album itself.

To accompany this concept, additional merchandise products were created. With many design features and elements having already been established, a consistent series design was easier to achieve. This included replicating the same approaches to typography, image, colour and structure, creating a unified identity for each deliverable. For some instances, such as the three sock concepts, required more specific tailoring to make these assets more suitable for their select mediums.

Similarly, a poster concept was created, acting primarily as advertising material for the album’s accompanying tour. By developing variations of this poster, it ensures engagement and interest can be maintained over multiple viewings, reaffirming this campaign’s messages to viewers. It also helps to emphasise the spontaneity behind the stickers, making them feel more dynamic and spontaneous to give more energy to these outputs.