I've been so lucky to be commissioned to work on the new James Blake album.

I Didn't take the photo (well, not all of it) I was supplied with the same photo used for James Blake's Klavierwerk EP, and after a long process of development - this is the result!

We ended up using some new photos taken (by me) in a separate shoot, and embedding them into the original photo to give it a slightly more focussed feel.

The rest of the project revolved around engineering a nice colour pallate to give the black and white photo more depth - in the end bringing colder tones into the shadows and giving it a painterly watercolour feel.

I also did the typography for the title, loosely based on Gill Sans but most of the letters are new versions - particularly the J, E, S, B and K are custom characters taking inspiration from more contemporary typefaces.

I will post more photographs / artwork as it is released.

Original Photograph - Erika Wall
Design / Art Direction - Alexander Brown

Art Direction : Alexander Brown
Design : Alexander Brown
Photography : Andy Whitton
Label : Rennaisance

La Roux album cover
Polydor ©2009

Art Direction and Design : Alex Brown and Traffic
Photography : Andy Whitton

This is the second single for La Roux,

it was based on a variety of sources (mostly 80s gold) and was an idea which happened really quickly. I knew I wanted Ellie on a chair, but we couldnt decide what would work best. I had created a demo using an out-take from the In For the Kill shoot, so in the end, I went out and bought a leather car seat from the breakers yard, I think it adds that authentic slice of 80s chique without being too recognizable.

Although it did take a while to convince the guy in the breakers yard that I didn't need the seat for a specific car!

I had originally planned the shot to be at night, but because the track was scheduled for a summer release, we decided to go for a hazy sunset.

The whole campaign was originally centered around a futuristic Brixton, however in this we are looking out over the rooftops, and only glimpses were needed in this case.

It was a very fun sleeve, I think. I hope everyone liked it.

Popjustice seemed to think so ;

This is the first single sleeve I designed / Art Directed for Laroux.
The whole project was based on initial ideas and discussions about a 'future brixton' landscape, and as this was the first single I wanted to create a sense of arrival. I wanted to capture the look from the 1980s poster for the film Robocop.

When trying to find a car that would embody this bold 1980s futurism, the car I chose was the Toyota MR2. Described as looking like a car made out of Lego, it epitomizes the era.

The subsequent video directed by Kinga Burza for Partizan, used the exactly the same car and effectively created a video version of the sleeve.

Photography : Andy Whitton
Design : Alexander Brown & Traffic
Product Manager : Hannah Neaves
Artist : La Roux
Label : Polydor