A Falling Sky
A Falling Sky is an album by indie folk artist Tyler Edwards, released in September 2022. Tyler approached me about designing the visual identity for an album he had spent a couple of years pouring all his time, energy, and money into. The project required artwork for the release of a vinyl record, four digital singles, and the digital full-length release.
Tyler Edwards | Seattle, WA
Jim Stephens | Art Direction & Design
Atomic Disc | Vinyl Pressing & Printing
Designing artwork for any musical release requires a very nuanced approach because the artist and listeners are extremely perceptive. Listeners will be quick to let the artist know if the artwork is off target in its representation of the music. It's critical that the art convey a sense of connectivity to the music; it really has to relay the feeling and vibe of the music it represents.
Given that the lyrics had informed the album title, it made sense to also let the lyrics inform the cover art. "Beautiful birds against the wind, watching silver wings wear thin," was a line from the third track, "Delta," that stood out to me as visceral imagery. Using the concept of starling murmurations as my starting point, I pitched the concept to Tyler, who graciously trusted me throughout the design process.
The goal with this release was to increase Tyler's total number of monthly listeners on Spotify. In August 2022, he had approximately 10k monthly Spotify listeners. A Falling Sky was released in September 2022. By December 2022, he had reached 28k monthly listeners. Tyler's dedication to his craft and grassroots approach to touring has paid off. He is approaching the milestone of 50k monthly listeners on the streaming platform at the time of this entry. A Falling Sky has been streamed over 300k times on Spotify. This feat is something a vast number of independent artists strive to attain but rarely achieve. I was glad to play a small role in helping him reach the next level.