Creative Project: Proposal

My creative project aim is to create an album cover for a band. I’ve decided to use a new band, Elephants In Paris, whom I know personally. They’re currently undergoing writing some originals and this gave me the idea to help them get their name and songs out there. Currently my thoughts are to incorporate the band name, the members themselves and possibly elephants in the album cover.

First I plan to cross-reference their genre of songs against similar and popular bands. I plan on taking both their originals and covers into consideration when doing this. I’ll not only be cross-referencing songs, but also other band album covers to see what’s popular etc. When doing this I’ll be looking for connections that could help me figure out what works and what doesn’t, and take that into consideration when creating Elephants In Paris’ album cover.

I’ve decided to set some ground rules when creating the album cover, as this will help me cut down on what I can and can’t do. To start off I’d like to express that I only plan to use photography when going about my creative project, though I do plan on using both black & white and colour throughout the process. Photoshop will be kept to an absolute minimum, meaning I will use it to make the photos dramatic, as most album covers are just that. When I say “dramatic” I mean make the photo stand out. I intend to sharpen the images and make the colours more deep to try making the album cover pop. In terms of incorporating the band name in the whole thing, I’ve decided to have the band holding their name up in the actual photo. I’ve come up with two ideas for the moment, the first being them holding a sign/ banner made by the band OR holding letters to make the band name. I’ll be drawing drafts of what I’d like the photos to end up like, and try by best to interpret them in my photographs.

The whole reason I’ve chosen photography is because I’m currently undergoing a degree in it. I thought that my creative project should have something to do with my major and my passion, so this is where the idea stemmed. The idea to create the album cover came from knowing a band that is currently in the process of creating some originals.

Elephants In Paris plays a huge range of genres when playing covers of songs. They’re a very versatile band; playing music ranging from Soul, Rock n Roll RnB and many more. They play music dated back to some classics back in the late 60’s, to music of the modern age (2010 – now). It all depends on where they play and the audience they play to, to what songs they sing as a band. They also plan to write to a similar genre.

I plan on using props in my photographs; some examples are toy elephants, elephant onesies etc. and to just have a general playful atmosphere. I’m yet to decide if I want the shoot to be outside, or inside a quirky pub or laneway. I definitely know I’d like the photographs to express their personality as a band, and I feel it’s best portrayed as playful and bubbly, especially considering their name.

Once the photographs are taken I’ve also got to take into consideration the size of the album cover that slips into a CD case. But these specifications won’t come in until the moment I start using the photographs on Photoshop; I’ll adjust the sizing at this point.