“Thank You, Happy Birthday”
Photo Design II
LP Album Redesign
Cage the Elephant’s “Thank You, Happy Birthday” is a punk-funk indie rock album that I chose when tasked to redesign an existing vinyl record. The album carries themes of youthful angst and embodies a sense of existentialism and chaos, which I used as the basis for my visual interpretation of the album.
Concept Sketches
In order to parallel the chaotic and rebellious nature of the album, I wanted to create an unsettling version of a birthday cake. I sketched a series of ideas showcasing a dirt cake full of worms and utilizing cigarettes as candles.
Photography
After building my dirt cake, I took a variety of photographs using different angles and lighting techniques.
Typographic Iterations
I started with handwritten type, but felt that it competed with the already-chaotic composition. A simplistic, humanist typeface better suited the covers, as it made the photography the focal point.
Front & Back
Finals
Animation
Before destroying my worm cake after the project concluded, I decided to create a short animation, formatted for an Instagram reel or story: