This is the third CD design I made for my old friends in The Misty Mountain String Band. Their second full length album “Red Horizon” continues to explore Bluegrass, Americana, Folk, and Gospel Music. The old time quartet returned to a Nashville studio to make this record. The famed producer Steve Thomas was once again at the helm.
I worked closely with both Pittsburgh nature illustrator Abby Diamond and Louisville photographer Cherise Mingus. We first collaborated on MMSB’s “Went to the Well” EP in 2013. Then we worked together again in 2015 on their debut LP “Brownsboro”. The band sent me Abby’s fabulous art to arrange and intermingle with Cherise’s tasteful posed shots. Summer festival season was fast approaching. I worked diligently to meet a tight deadline and get this CD layout package to print.
CD Design Critical response
Upon its release, music critics everywhere unanimously praised this effort. Online outlets such as Huffington Post featured the album alongside articles on country luminaries like Dolly Parton. It also garnered interviews with respected music blogs including Independent Artist Buzz and No Depression. Listen for yourself. Buy “Red Horizon” on iTunes. It was a huge privilege to lay out art for yet another fantastic MMSB record. Knowing that the band trusts me to get their art laid out correctly and crush their deadline every time is very satisfying. CD art projects such as this one are some of my favorite tasks to work on. This fact is especially true since I get to work hand in hand with other creative visual artists. Are you a musical act that is located in Louisville, Lexington, Nashville, or anywhere else in the world? If you are in need of a quality CD design or layout, then contact me.
CD Design Gallery
Misty Mountain String Band "Red Horizon" CD Design Digipack Outside
Misty Mountain String Band "Red Horizon" CD Design Digipack Inside
Misty Mountain String Band "Red Horizon" CD Design Disc
Derek Harris is a vocalist and the bassist in this traditional bluegrass quartet and a long time friend of mine. He contacted me in 2013 to create the CD layout for their debut EP “Went to the Well”.
Bluegrass music CD layout story
The group already had chosen a few elements to bring to the table. Therefore, it was up to me to work them into the final composition and make a few minor adjustments. This was similar to later full length CD layout projects I completed for them, entitled “Brownsboro” and “Red Horizon”.
The fabulous Louisville based photographer Cherise Mingus provided the posed photograph for the inside jacket. The talented nature artist Abby Diamond also came on board to create the gorgeous Kentucky cardinal illustration. This was the first of a series of album art collaborations I was fortunate enough to have with these talented artists.
I used Adobe Photoshop to retouch and color correct the band’s posed group photograph. I also removed a small tree from the picture by using the rubber stamp cloning tool. Then, I cleaned up the edges of the cardinal illustration for the clean white background.
Finally, the band sent me a very rough sketch of a Greek runes themed “MMSB” logo they had sometimes use in promotional materials. I used Adobe Illustrator to recreate this image as a vector file they could use for any application. Then, I added it to the design. It is featured on both on the inside jacket and on the CD face itself. Check out MMSB’s music online!
CD layout for your band or music project
Are you about to drop a hot new record? I’m ready to complete the project with professional packaging design and CD art. Contact me today to get started.
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