This cover design is an attempt and practice in this direction. To move out of my comfort zone in illustration, I decided to forgo hand-drawing and instead use collage, photography, and graphic design techniques. 

Collage allows me to flexibly use different materials, combining seemingly unrelated elements to create a unique visual effect. At the same time, I paid special attention to the simplicity of the composition and the clarity of the theme, ensuring that the cover is more straightforward through thoughtful layout and a simplified background.

While designing the 'Hero' poster, I discovered that the story behind it revolves around "a couple kissing beneath the Berlin Wall." To me, the Berlin Wall is a significant historical relic, so I decided to use a black- and-white colour scheme for the overall design. The central focus of the poster is the kissing couple, placed prominently in the middle of the composition. The background is actually a photograph of the Berlin Wall, which I applied a dotted blur effect to. Initially, I tried using the unaltered photo of the Berlin Wall as the background, but it didn’t work well—it made the overall image feel flat and lacked a sense of hierarchy, making it difficult to distinguish the main subject. Therefore, I opted for a blurred treatment to create depth and emphasize the couple.

In the 'People Are Strange' and 'Tears in Heaven' posters, I put a particular focus on typography design. For 'People Are Strange', I integrated the text with the imagery, making it look like a cut-out window through which various people can be seen. I chose the "window" element because it effectively conveys the idea that most people are merely passing through our lives, much like a bird flying past a window.

In designing the 'Tears in Heaven' poster, I took into account the deeply emotional nature of the song. Eric Clapton’s 'Tears in Heaven' was written and recorded in 1991 following the tragic and sudden death of his son, Connor. The song serves as an apology to Connor for not being a better father. I imagined how devastated Clapton must have been over his son's loss, so I chose a wide expanse of grass with a lone house in the background. I applied a distortion effect to the house to represent how the laughter and love that once filled the home might no longer exist after such a tragedy. I repeated the text "Tears in Heaven" twice, arranging it into a square shape, with the second instance more blurred. I felt that this approach mimics the effect of seeing double when our eyes are filled with tears.

Finally, regarding typography, I recognise that I have much room for improvement in overall layout design, which remains a challenge for me. However, in this project, I made a conscious effort to experiment with typography. I explored different fonts, layouts, and text placements, aiming to harmoniously integrate them with the overall design. This process allowed me to better understand how typography can enhance visual impact and effectively convey a message, though I still have a lot to learn and refine in this area.