Designing covers for independent releases and small record companies always presents some unusual sets of challenges. Many times it's a bugetary concern - there's limited funds for printing, so the design has to be done in one or two colors as opposed to four.

More often, when you work with the owner of a small record company they have their hands in all phases of the product, from conception all the way through to distribution. They take great pride in their product, and want to make sure that everything is just right. And they can be very vocal in what goes on that cover!

Carl from Bogus Records has on occasion rejected all the typesetting on a project because he didn't like the way one of the letters looked in the chosen typeface, and Gregg from Get Hip wanted to make sure that his project conveyed the classic album cover look. If it even hinted at a "desktop computer" appearance, he'd bounce it!

For me, that's what makes this type of design work fun - facing the challenge of designing a cover that I like, while working within the parameters set by the record company gurus.

On occasion, you'll get a guy like Bill Toms, who says "I make the music, you're the cover guy - do your thing!" In the case of the Eddie and the Otters cover, I chose a photo that, while not the best in the bunch, conveyed the energy that you saw when the lights kicked on back in the Decade days. Psychoactive owner/Otters drummer Mike Kolesar remarked upon seeing the cover that even though he's looked at that picture a million times it never really hit him until seeing it in that context.

If you'd like to find out more on these recordings, click on the cover to go to their website.

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