FALL 2022
A Head Full of Dreams | LP Cover
Coldplay’s popular 2015 album “A Head Full of Dreams” showcases metaphorical and subtextual expressions about love, hope, spirituality, and gratitude. I chose to redesign the LP cover, focusing on the display of emotions about moving on, journeying into the sun with head held high and bright colors painting the way.
This fictional redesign was created for a 2nd year Photo Design course using a combination of photography, typography, and package design to communicate the deep concepts that musicians strive to conveys to their listeners.
Background
Coldplay exudes an uplifting and emotional vibe, blending anthemic pop-rock with ambient, sometimes ethereal sounds. Their music often carries themes of hope, love, and introspection, layered with atmospheric instrumentation and soaring melodies.
Visually, they will embrace vibrant, colorful aesthetics, while also creating dream-like moods with muted tones. In terms of communication, the band projects sincerity and humility, often emphasizing unity, global consciousness, and emotional connection in both their lyrics and public persona.
Previous LP Cover
Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams is a vibrant, kaleidoscopic collage that radiates joy, nostalgia, and cosmic wonder. Designed by Argentine artist Pilar Zeta, the artwork centers around a colorful "Flower of Life" geometric pattern, symbolizing harmony and interconnectedness. Surrounding this central motif are whimsical cutouts of the band members as children, set against a surreal backdrop of clouds, planets, and rainbows
Although this collage of elements creates a dreamlike aesthetic aligning with the album's upbeat and experimental tone, I wanted to tap into the more subtle tones of loss, freedom, & discovery in oneself.
SKETCHES
I started out by listening to every song on the album, writing down quotes that stood out to me or visuals I imagined. From there, I gathered a common theme of freedom, traveling the world, heartbreak, and many outer space references…
PHOTOGRAPHY JOURNEY
Using a 1990 Miata and a DIY astronaut costume, I planned to capture the feeling of freedom, travel, and exploration with a unique space theme, while also creating a visual representation of the first lyric on the album: “I think I landed in a world I haven’t seen...”.
COLOR EXPERIMENTS
Adding a touch of discovery, I experimented with color overlays to give a feeling of finding a new world.
LP LAYOUTS
As much as I loved these Miata photos, there was a disconnect between what I envisioned earlier versus what it became. It wasn’t telling the right story anymore - a sense of discovery & freedom with a touch of grief and loneliness
