Overview
King Lincoln, a powerhouse in Seattle's hardcore scene since the early 2010s, has built a reputation for their intense live shows and raw, unapologetic sound. Their music, driven by aggressive riffs and impassioned vocals, tackles themes of social justice, personal struggle, and resistance, resonating deeply with their dedicated fanbase.
The band's lineup consists of seasoned musicians who bring both energy and authenticity to their craft. Their discography, marked by several critically acclaimed albums and EPs, showcases a journey of growth and experimentation, with each release pushing the boundaries of the hardcore genre.
For their latest project, the album cover design seeks to capture King Lincoln's essence—reflecting their raw energy, intensity, and thematic depth. This case study explores the collaborative creative process between the band and the design team, aiming to create a visual representation that complements and enhances the powerful music of King Lincoln.
Problem to solve
For the "Trials" album layout, the challenge is to create a design that captures King Lincoln’s intense, raw energy and the album's themes of struggle and resilience. The cover must resonate with fans, complement the music, and stand out in a crowded market. The design also needs to be versatile for various formats and promotional materials, ensuring consistency across all media.
Research & insight
To design the "Trials" album layout for King Lincoln, we analyzed the band's lyrical themes and visual style. The album's lyrics use maritime metaphors, such as storms, shipwrecks, and navigation, to depict the struggle against inner demons, symbolizing the turbulent journey of overcoming personal conflicts. The central theme focuses on battling these inner demons and achieving triumph, highlighting the resilience needed to face one’s greatest enemies, often found within.
The lyrics convey a wide emotional range, from despair to hope, necessitating a design that captures this depth. We must blend King Lincoln's raw, gritty aesthetic with the new maritime and introspective themes to create a cohesive and authentic design. Fans expect authenticity and emotional resonance from King Lincoln, so our design must meet these expectations while also appealing to new listeners. By applying these insights, we aim to create a design that visually narrates the album's themes of struggle and triumph, enhancing the overall impact of King Lincoln’s "Trials."
Concept Sketches
Solution
To visually capture the essence of King Lincoln's "Trials," we designed an album cover that portrays a young individual in a small boat facing a giant kaiju rising from the ocean. This imagery symbolizes the album's central themes of struggle, resilience, and overcoming inner demons.
On the front cover, the perspective is from behind the individual, emphasizing their courage and determination as they confront the towering monster. This view captures the daunting nature of personal battles and the bravery required to face them head-on. The ocean’s turbulent waves and the looming presence of the kaiju vividly depict the chaos and intensity of these internal conflicts.
For the back cover, we switched the perspective to the monster's point of view, looking down at the individual in the boat. This shift highlights the enormity of the challenges and adds depth to the narrative by showing the confrontation from both sides. This dual perspective reinforces the theme of facing and overcoming one’s greatest fears.
The cohesive design seamlessly integrates the album's maritime metaphors and emotional depth, reflecting King Lincoln's raw and gritty aesthetic. By visually narrating the struggle and triumph depicted in the lyrics, the album cover not only resonates with the band's dedicated fans but also captivates new listeners, enhancing the overall impact of "Trials."
