I was given the task to creatively design the vinyl set for Daphne Oram’s album Electronic Sound Patterns that would be accompanied by a promotional poster. The objective was to bring the vision of her sound experimentations to life in the tangible. While keeping her unconventional methods in mind, creating a captivating experience from start to finish reflects her eccentric nature.
Daphne Oram is a British composer and experimental electronic musician. Known for Oramics machine, she was one of the first women to independently open a studio that catered to electronic music. From her time at BBC Radiophonic Workshop to her scoring work, she was an acclaimed figure in the UK electro scene.
I thought about keeping the standard dimension of a vinyl casing to focus on graphic elements, but I felt like this project could be pushed further. Daphne’s music is experimental and technical and I wanted the design of the set to reflect those similarities. One of my concepts was to place everything in a box with molds for the vinyl and other nifty trinkets. Another was to have the posters and vinyl held together by a thin metal band.
I later ended up combining concepts to arrive at the file folder system which fit the compartmentalized concept of the album.
Daphne is often surrounded by large-clunky machines. That led me to the filing system concept. A homage to ‘there’s a method to the madness’ if you will. At first glance, it looks like an office folder, but once opened, there are individual informative sheets, posters and the vinyl.
I was assigned to create imaginative ways to package a line of products for Les Marchés Publics de Montréal.
The objective was to create packaging for a collection of seeds and expand the series to be reflective of the efforts of sustainable agriculture within the city. Showcasing the diversity in hot pepper seeds, the line highlights Montreal’s rich West Indian communities.
Marchés publics de Montréal's mission is to improve access to fresh produce through a network of public markets that brings Montrealers closer to local producers.
Working-class to middle-class millennials have limited resources and appreciate accessible options that are well made and carefully curated. Creating packaging that is stylish, memorable and reusable would resonate with their need to minimize waste.
While working on this project, I was reminiscing on childhood memories of how my parents and elders used peppers in the dishes they were making. It was lively and unpredictable; rarely measured and inaccurate. The colours are based on the scoville heat levels and the warmth that’s felt through Caribbean cuisine.
Each seed carton has a whimsical graphic that depicts the seed inside. I chose to work with cardboard as the texture amplifies the colour and treatment of the imagery and text.