Design I like: The Illmatic album cover

In breaking down the components of an album cover there are the common ingredients: text (artist name, album title, etc) and an image or images. Simple. For the cover of Nas' 1994 album Illmatic, a very artistic combination of images and text are used that make it a memorable one.

 

The cover is composed of two blended photos - one of Nas as a youth and the other of a street view of the projects. The composition of the projects in particular have a one-point perspective with a vanishing point (conveniently enough ending on Nas’ head shot). In effect, if you focus on one photo, it will inevitably force you to view the other. This is a very effective technique. The colors of the photos appear dulled and aged although each is very clear and even the smallest of objects show clearly. The used of such tarnished colors produces an the idea that the images presented are in themselves rough and dulled, which is appropriate with the content of the albums’ songs.

As for the text, there are three separate sections where the viewer must look. The viewer’s gaze travels in the shape of a triangle. Although it would appear that the alignment of this design is either unattractive or visually sloppy - I would argue that it is not. On the upper right-hand corner is the very gothic looking font of the name Nas, on the lower right-hand side is the parental advisory sign, and on the lower left-hand side is the album title Illmatic in both a mix of the same gothic style font and plain Heveltica font. The alignment of these three sections of text although appearing very scattered actually frame the images within. The composition of both text placement and image placement match well and lead the eye easily.

I've considered how the album cover would look if the text were aligned to one side and its proximity to each other close. Although it would fit into standard design I honestly think it would take away from the images that make this album cover one of a kind. For this cover it is very obvious that the images are most important and the text merely a secondary element.

All in all, all the components of Nas’ album work well especially when considering this was his very first album. His name is the largest of text in size, and his face the most prominent of the two images. The Illmatic cover does a very good job at creating a design that gives the viewer a sense of who the artist is, where they come from, and what is expected artistically.

What I See: Veritas (2006)

The documentary film Veritas centers around a talented college wrestler named Jon Trenge, who hopes to one day become a national champion. However he faces two main obstacles - his torn retina which through continued wresting could cause blindness, and his lack of emotional control on the mat.

When watching the film, I noticed the use of available light throughout the entirety of the documentary. The interviews with Jon, his coach, teammates and family appeared to have been shot using whatever light illuminated the room. Therefore, the film’s lighting is not very flattering to those on camera, but gives a very gritty, realistic portrayal of each character. Inserted throughout the film are interviews with Jon’s coaches and family members. For these interviews, headroom and closure were utilize in filming each interviewees close-up. This created a completed visual that provided symmetrical imagery on screen.

Considering that most of the documentary footage is taken from video recordings of past matches, many scenes are shown from the gymnasium floor, so the vantage point does not reveal much perspective. As a result, some shots of matches appear to take place in small, enclosed locales when in actuality they are occurring in wide, open spaces. In one scene where Jon must win five of five matches to become a national champion wrestler, the vantage point has changed its perspective from the floor to the bleachers creating a realistic image of the setting's depth of field. Through this angle we can see onlookers, the entirety of the gym floor and all other matches.

With the grainy visuals and uncomplicated shooting angles, the story of Veritas is presented in an appropriate manner. Through its bare minimum kind of style, the viewer becomes engaged in the documentary as if they are in Jon’s home themselves, can feel the elation when Jon wins, and smell the sweat of the gym as he trains. We celebrate along with him as he successfully restrains his anger, and feel compassion towards him when he admits he would like to quit. This realistic presentation does a good job at connecting the viewer emotionally with Jon and all his obstacles.

What becomes apparent from the offset is the film's emphasis on the narrative and less on visual stylization. The overall message you take away from watching Veritas is that there will be no glitz and glamour of soft lighting or rack focus shots, but instead just one very inspiring story.