Project Review: The Album Design of Jeff Blaney's Go Now, Don't Look Back

I've done several album design projects over the years, the most recent being for Jeff Blaney for his latest EP Go Now, Don't Look Back. I take care to do every project well, but this one had an extra little string attached to my heart: Jeff used one of my Horse Trail -> Highways images for his album cover!

The original photo used for the cover

When Jeff asked me to handle the cover and disc layouts, I was so excited. Not only was he using my photo, but I was getting creative control over how the image would appear when printed.
When we met to discuss his ideas, I was pleasantly surprised by Jeff's excellent notes and mock-ups. It made the entire process much easier.

Notes and mock-ups. Jeff became a dream client for bringing these.

The first time I ever did an album and disc layout, the templates totally threw me for a loop. Was it all the colors? The layers? I'm not sure why it was so difficult. As I've gained experience, though, the process has gotten much easier.

A few small changes were made to this layout before printing

The final product looks exactly how Jeff planned. It's a thrill every time a client, especially when that client is a friend, has that "YES!" moment. I couldn't have asked for a more rewarding experience! 

The final product

The other awesome bonus of this project is that Jeff is using this image for a lot of his marketing and PR materials. Seeing my work peppered around the internet has been exciting and humbling. 

A couple of Jeff's promotional pieces

It's wonderful to live in a city where there is such a solid arts scene, and being part of my friends' successes is one of the best parts about living and working in Nashville. 

Interested in catching one of Jeff's shows? Details here.