SK.EIN — rove
Packaging for Siarhei Krauchanka (aka SK.EIN) ambient album “rove”.
Layout
Tracks contain field recordings and titles are paired with corresponding coordinates making the final product the metamap of the trip: an intimate archival thing, journey diary.
Typography
All type is set on Olympia Traveller de Luxe typewriter, scanned and then digitally composed into an artwork.
The typewriter was chosen as an instrument due to it's natural grid presence. By breaking this order and working along the grid freely we’ve got this spatial roomy feeling of trip through spaces.
And another important reason of using typewriter is that final result will have some archival yet personal quality to it.
So it couldn’t be achieved by using monospace digital font. We have to go real.
Album title is spaced like a landscape everywhere it used:
Details
Circle around ‘c’ for copyright sign was hand drawn each time it was needed ’cause there is none in Traveller de Luxe charset.
Side A and B are indicated with dots, because each side have a lot of type already lying around and use of the letters or numbers would be confusing. In addition to the dots sides are marked with coordinates linked to the each side's opening track.
Font
Scans were then compiled into font to set randomly generated download codes which were included in every cassette.
Digital release
Initial MC layout was reassembled to meet digital release constraints. Single and the whole album:
Photos
All photos were taken by Siarhei’s father Victor years ago.
Production
Siarhei borrowed typewriter from a friend and it was waiting it’s time in my Minsk apartment but I’ve fled in March 2020 to Tbilisi in a hurry so when the time comes I haven’t got any material to work with.
Friends of mine (gamarjoba, Lesha! Gamarjoba, Katya!) visited my flat and typed the whole text, scanned it and send it out to me.
Here in Tbilisi I’ve composed the final layout and send files to the CNC label in Poland. The cassette then was made in Prague so it is the truly turbulent times — open world — artwork.
♥︎
I am deeply grateful to everyone involved in this project.
Award
This project got 5th place at Cover Awarts 2022 in category “Najlepsza oprawa graficzna”.
2022