OFF Record Cover Design

record slip, with the word OFF at the top, and the image of a head with the top missing. there is black rectangular goo dripping from the missing parts. The text t the bottom reads - Chapter One - Stay in your Coma, Alias Conrad Coldwood.

Concept

OFF is an indie game written by Mortis Ghost. The game follows the adventures of the Batter through a strange universe that you must fight through. The game was the first look into alternative storytelling and introduced me to subtle horror and how to induce fear with explicitly stating it. I've replicated the ideas of the game in the record cover, which when you look at, you realize that it's not quite right. The game uses 8-bit for the main artwork, and copperplate scans for interludes and explanations.

The game itself has beautiful, haunting music, which differs in each section of the game. Each section has a ruling element, much like the air/water/fire/earth we have. The game is sectioned up into Meat, Plastic, Smoke, and Sugar. Different parts of the record have different elements on them. The character on the main cover is an ELSEN, the man-like creatures that live in this world. The ELSEN need sugar and, well, the sugar needs them.

Process

The technical aspect of this project was to prepare it for a print job. The process was scanning in images from stock images of copperplate and engravings, change it into a bitmap, clean that up using the history tool, then convert back into colour. After the black and white images were complete, I added in a range of spot colours, varnishes, and a mix of the two. The document had to be ready to send to print, so previewing the vanishes and spot colours was a suprise—they don't show up.

The second process was preparing the templates for the record cover. I had some help from a template, but because I did a gatefold, I had to create it using the single slip. The other technical aspect was helping my peers with the processes. Because the steps for cleaning the images could easily be reversed to have the exact opposite then wanted effect, I created a tutorial for the images, and helped people with adding in spot varnishes/colours.

copperplate engravings of heads and skulls.

scanned version of one of the heads, skin pulled taunt against the bone.

digital version of the head, the top missing. there is black rectangular goo dripping from the missing parts.

Final

This project was the beginning of the spooky art phase that I can't seem to shake. I loved the entire idea of creating something unsettling, but not outright awful. I loved helping my peers learn the processes, creating the tutorial and taking the time to make sure they understood.

While I would highly recommend OFF, for its fantastic story-telling, I have to say that it is deeply unsettling. If you decide to delve in, I would love to hear what you thought about it!

record label, bright pink, with images of chemistry beakers on them. The text in the first label reads, Chapter Two - Side One, PLASTIC. The second label reads, Chapter Two - Side Two, PLASTIC. the caption below reads - Because without plastic, the world would have no boundaries. People would walk and walk without ever stopping.

inside of the record book. it has a list of songs, and an image of the circulatory system in the leg. the caption reads, Because without meat, people would have nothing to eat. They would die of starvation, one after another.