Red Design creates sleeve for concept CD

Start-up label Fascination Records this week launches the debut album from Paul Steel, its first signing, with sleeve design and art direction by Brighton consultancy Red Design.

April & I is a concept album about a boy and his imaginary friend, April. It chronicles how April helps him with the struggles of growing up. To illustrate the tale, Steel drew a series of crayon scenes which Red Design has applied to a board storybook, with each picture relating to a track on the record.

‘We saw Paul’s drawings and decided to hook him up with a design consultancy so that he could represent the pictures and the theory behind April & I with a bit more polish,’ says Fascination Records marketing manager Poppy Stanton.

Only 1500 copies of the album have been produced under Steel’s own Raygun Records imprint; the next album will be released under Fascination Records.

‘Knowing the limited nature of the release, we wanted to make the packaging very special and use it to complete the story-telling concept of the album,’ says Red Design marketing manager Keith Davey.

The consultancy has also designed badges and packs of crayons to accompany the storybook.