the concept of the concept
like some musicians hears what the other musicians should play while writing a song, my ideas for album covers go a bit further than the actual cover. when making a design without knowing for who or what it will be used, it's impossible to use all elements needed for the finalized result. as for example a band's logo, an album title, the number of available pages or print of the booklet can have a big impact on a design, designing a concept is the best one can make
elements of the concept
in order to visualize my idea i need several elements. as you'll see i'm often the subject when the image of a person is used. this, of course, is not because i want myself to be in the spotlight, but because at the time of designing i am the only one around to pose. some 'objects' might be present in more than one design for the same reason. then there's a working title, which is just a name i gave to the design for various reasons. sometimes, when it's useful for the design a random band logo is used to complete the picture.
definite and variable elements
in these concepts several elements are definite while others can be modified by the publisher to his or her likings. although these elements can be different for each design, here are some examples of definite elements:
- the main colors used in the design
- the composition and lighting used for the band- / individual photographs.
- the font(s) used
- the relation the booklet has to the cover (use of backgrounds, similar designs, etc)
- the concept itself
- the working-title (if any)
- photographs of people (although the pose will stay the same)
- an object somewhere in the design can be replaced by another object if desired
- the exact composition of elements on the cover (moving the elements around might be required to 'balance' the design)
- the format / media for which the design was made.
merchandise- and or website designs
at the moment all merchandise- and or website designs are directly linked to the design of the release which they support. when you'd like to have a separate merchandise or website design, please send me an e-mail with your query through the contact page
dealing with 'regular’ requests
if you got your own ideas for a design and are just looking for someone who can put it together, please send me your query through the contact page.
i can't make any promises upfront for various reasons, but i can promise i will take it into consideration and will respond quickly outlining the possibilities
the costs
if you're interested in a design, and want to know the price: please use the contact page to send me your query (don't forget to mention the working title of the concept you're interested in). after recieval i will offer you a free, non-obligatory quote and a proposal regarding requirements and planning.
something about myself
some of you might know me from one of my past activities in the metal scene. from those, the most significant (at least for me) are:
- writing and releasing 7 editions of numskull 'zine (which after 4 editions collaborated with mortician magazine and was renamed MorticiaNumskull 'zine) between early 1991 and late 1995
- playing guitar in the dutch doom formation sad whisperings between 1991 and 1995
- playing bass guitar for dutch doom death metal band beyond belief between 1995 and 1997
- playing bass guitar for dutch death metal band bloodphemy between 2000 and 2003
post processing
when you've made a choice, you can make a reservation of that design. although the visuals for that specific design will be taken offline, the text and page itself will be kept online for technical reasons. after the visuals are taken offline, we'll make an appointment to either call, mail or visit each-other so i can show you some higher resolution images and we can define requirements and a timeline for the finalization of the design. once released, the original visuals of the design will be put back online and the release will be completed with a details page like all the released designs have.
the birth of the idea
i'd like to see bloody-wicked.com as being the next trail i'll hopefully will leave behind in the international metal scene. every now and then during the past several years i've been designing / putting together cd covers, booklets, merchandise and websites. quite often this was nothing more than finishing someone else's unfinished business or visualizing someone else's ideas. having a graphical education and background and thus a rather strong opinion about design this frustrated me more than once i couldn't make it 'my own'. this is why i decided to try and do it the other way around for a while.
the advantages
- ready to go concepts: finalized product in a short period of time
- one style & one price: including cover / booklet / inlay / package / lp / cd / dvd design
- as the photographs are part of the concept, you know what your pictures should look like before the shoot
- merchandise & website design at the same address: optical sync once the release is due
- you'll have a pretty good idea what the finalized product will look like, therefore the chance that the result will disappoint you is small
- since the designs are created without an order, no 'rush-job' designs.
