The brief was to design an LP album cover for a fantasy band or a new interpretation of a classic LP cover from the 60s for the 27th issue of iJusi (the LP Vinyl Record issue). The iJusi publication encourages and promotes a visual language, rooted in an African tradition. We were thus encouraged to look at LP covers from the likes of The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana and Elvis Presley.
I then went on the net and searched for LP covers which were controversial and tongue-in-cheek. I looked, specifically at covers which were banned at some point for being offensive or inappropriate. Alice Cooper’s ‘Love It to Death’ was banned because of the thumb which looks like or suggests a penis, sticking out of his zipper. I proposed to crop the image down so as to show just the thumb sticking out, but use the same elements as the original in terms of the black and white image with a strong spotlight.
This led me to explore Xhosa ritual circumcision. Looking at Die Antwoord’s ‘Evil Boy’ video, which challenges Xhosa cultural circumcision, and says “I don’t wanna be a man”, I found my concept. I was going to create a fantasy band, a group modern Xhosa guys who choose to rebel against their culture. I decided to name the band “The Mutinious Boys” and have the album cover be “I Don’t Wanna Be A Man”, with the cover imagery suggesting influence from The Rolling Stones’ “Sticky Fingers” album aswell as the in-your-face solution of Alice Cooper’s album covers. I looked at other bands with covers which had sexual innuendo or sexual stereotypes, including Andy Warhol’s Velvet Underground. This is my final design solution:
My LP cover design made the shortlist for the designs picked for the "Long Playing Album" issue (#27).
http://www.ijusi.com/blog/2012/07/06/issue-27-the-long-playing-album-cover/
(screenshot from the above mentioned and addressed blog)
We then had to package our LP cover design into cd format. I designed a disc, and a double sided disc packaging, which included design elements which elaborated on my initial concept.
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