Busyhead

Album Redesign

Originally released in 2019, Busyhead by Noah Kahan is a 10 song pop album with a treasured meaning behind each lyric. It explores themes such as loss of self, love, and grief, capturing the complexities of personal struggles and mental states, which Kahan refers to as his "busy head" - a metaphor for anxiety, deep thought, and perspective. Using colours inspired by the original album cover, this redesign was intended to reflect the styles of postmodernism while capturing the mess of emotion experienced by the listener

Programs Used

Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop

Overview

Inspired by the historical art movement, this project objective was to redesign an existing album cover using postmodernist design principles. The goal was to reinterpret the album’s visual identity by applying techniques and aesthetics characteristic of postmodernism, such as eclecticism, grunge-like textures, and a break from traditional grid-based layouts.

Project Objectives

Post-modernist Design
Utilize Original Album Colours
Speak to Discography

The design for this project uses colours pulled from the original album cover. Utilizing the theme of the album itself, the composition was creates to be anything but boring. The silhouette of the artist is repeated to show the many personalities of the songs in the album. Repetition creates the feeling of insanity which one would experience inside their "busy head".

Photo by Aysia Marotta

The back cover showcases a portrait of the singer from an upside-down perspective to further the feeling of unease and disorientation. Seen as if he is diving headfirst into his busy head, the discography is organized in grunge-style groupings that reflect the song titles such as crimson red for Young Blood and cool blue for Tidal. The collage style arrangement delves into post-modernist styles while reflecting the craziness of the album itself.

BUSYHEAD