Trainface: Album Cover

Local band Trainface approached me to design their debut album cover and CD case artwork by listening to the album and then interpreting it visually. The first image below is the final design, inspired by the music’s driving energy, immersive soundscapes, and a subtle reference to trains as “iron horses.”

Below I have included all the initial concepts, each with notes, sketches, and a few images to illustrate the style I had in mind.

Listening to the music, I felt it had a sinuous, sensual feeling in some places, and a strong driving energy and a gritty feel in others. Then their hit, "Forge (A New Reality)" was light and uplifting. With such a complex sound, I felt that we could take the album cover in a few different directions.