For designers and Illustrators the biggest lure about doing album covers was that the bands wanted creativity and uniqueness, which gave us complete permission to “get loose,” listen to their music and come up with lots of cool, different concepts - whatever we wanted to do, and sometimes the crazier… the better!
For me, all of the above is true as well, but as the Creative Director, concept guy, I always remained focused on making certain that we always stayed true to the artist, their music. Our challenge was to create that visual and emotional connection between the artists and their fans. After all we created the images that would visually connect it all together... FOREVER!
I must say that the calibration between myself, and Drew was just what we needed at the exact time we needed it. Our combined talent and the joint energy we created with it, was to become a true learning experience for us all.
In 1974 Pacific Eye & Ear got the nod from Earth Wind & Fire’s producer Joe Wissert to design their new “Open Your Eyes” album, I had a 3 hour meeting with Maurice White the bands leader and vocalist.
In that meeting, Maurice shared with me that they had already taken a shot for the cover done by their concert photographer. He was a good live concert but as a outside photographer he lacked the skills needed. He had done the shoot with the group facing into the sun, so the shot was a bit washed out, none the less, we had no choice but to use it.
I even tried to convince the whole band that, at best the photo was a back cover shot. I explained how I wanted to create an icon logo and lettering that could live beyond this onealbum and they loved it, but were still stuck on using the photo as well.
Once back at the office, I conveyed my concept and vision to create a stylization of the three elements in the groups name and my vision of how it would work in a circle with the fire making up the outside holding symbol with the earth as the core and soul in the middle. Both Drew and I were in great form and as they say… is rest is history.
That being said, the growing and learning exchange between us on this and all the other projects(over 80) that we did as a team, worked both ways. I feel that the piece Drew learned from me was that, being a really great illustrator was only one part of a much bigger solution.
He learned that the other key ingredients were concept, design and to better understand how the production restrictions of his final pieces applied across all their different usages. More over, how those restrictions effect the final look? But most importantly, he learned how to take direction and work with a Creative Director.
$35.00 12" x 18" Posters come signed with an original drawing of The Stones Tongue that I created in 1971.
$150.00 Prints come on high quality poster paper and are signed with an original drawing of The Stones Tongue that I created in 1971.
$300.00 Gallery Quality, Acid Free stock, these come signed, numbered, seal stamped in a run of 100 only, with an original drawing of The Stones Tongue (that I created in 1971) and a Letter Of Authenticity.
Limited Edition Images Are The Exclusive Property Of, Owned By And Used Here With The Permission From, Pacific Eye & Ear TM
©2017 OriginalAlbumCoverArt.com. All Rights Reserved