There Was An X In Concept #60 [PHOTOS]
29 September, 2010
The designing of album covers is like most things that require creativity – a process. But it is artwork that needs to live for 20 years. Some covers you nail in the first concept, but then there are albums, like ‘Hillsong LIVE – A Beautiful Exchange’ where you create 60 concepts before you achieve the cover that sits on the shelf today.
Here is some insight to how we achieved ABE’s cover:
Every album generally starts with a meeting with Joel Houston, myself and a designer (for ABE – Glen Stewart), in which we bring ideas for the artwork. Out of this meeting the initial idea was to use a symmetrical shape as the main piece of the artwork, with an overlay of textures, landscape and worship photos.
We originally started with a circle, but for some reason it just didn’t work and we altered the design to a diamond shape. We got stuck on the diamond for about 40 concepts and at concept #41 we still weren’t there. It was at this point the title ‘A Beautiful Exchange’ was locked in, and Joel brought the idea to paint some old wood with the words ‘a beautiful exchange’ and take a photo of it being nailed to a tree –The emphasis is on what Christ achieved being nailed to the cross... The Great Exchange: ‘Trading His life for our offenses, for our redemption He carried all the blame, breaking the curse of our condition, perfection took our place.’
We tried this concept on its own as well as adding the photo to the diamond concept and we convinced ourselves we had found the cover. The funny thing, (which we found out later) is at this point, deep inside all of us we had something in our gut thinking we aren’t there yet…but we didn’t tell each other. At the same time, as a designer, you sometimes have a small hesitation with the final design, but for ABE I just ruled it out as I had looked at this artwork for five weeks straight, so OF COURSE it’s not going to feel as fresh for me as for someone who has never seen it. But, the biggest problem was… that the cover was due the next day.
Anyhow, without sticking to instinct we put the cover through the approval process with Pastor Brian and Bobbie and it got knocked back. I think at this point I was disappointed, but at the same time, relieved, as I really did have a sense that this artwork was not our best. The biggest problem was that the deadline was the very next day and we still didn’t have our cover!!
I remember walking away feeling a little overwhelmed and saying “God please HELP” – I knew I was at the end of me. But it’s funny how when you stop looking at what YOU can achieve and start relying on Him, that He can do far more than you could ever imagine.
I called Glen and told him the news. He was currently working on the inside booklet which he had begun three weeks prior – with the news, he quickly mocked the inside of the booklet as a front cover and for some reason, it looked really cool and fresh. After five weeks of working on artwork, something that looked fresh to us really meant we had something FRESH!
It was when we took this concept to Joel, we were all looking at it and saw something new. It was something we hadn’t seen before, something we had missed because we were all so focused on the cover…It was the way the artwork actually made an X across the whole cover – X for exchange. Somehow the way the triangles came together, the shape of an X formed - It just worked, and it looked amazing. It’s one of those moments you see God in design. Something that was sitting there three weeks prior had the wow factor we did not see until we called on Him.
Jay.
For more information about Hillsong LIVE including albums and tour dates, please visit live.hillsong.com and facebook.com/hillsonglive
If you would like to purchase the Hillsong LIVE album 'A Beautiful Exchange' please click here.
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