Morrissey: Years of Refusal
Mexican folk art and vintage California drove the art direction of Years of Refusal. Working around a photograph taken by Jake Walters of M holding a plump, drooling baby, we echoed the subtle Mexican sounds in the music by using typography inspired by José Guadalupe Posada, one of Mexico’s most famous illustrators and printmakers to give everything a kitschy frontier feel.
To accentuate the chiaroscuro of the cover image and painting, the LP and special CD / DVD versions were run on fabric-textured stock which makes the record feel like an oil painting hanging in the Louvre that you shouldn’t have just touched. The CD / DVD version comes in a mini LP gatefold and was again made by the lovely people at London Fancy Box who did a fantastic job of putting together a solid, high quality package.
Band photography by Travis Shinn (not seen here). Bodegon Con Jarra de Vino, 1914 (oil on canvas) by A. Fuentes, photography by Arturo Osorno / INBA / The Bridgeman Art Library
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What a great cover. One of the best. I wasn’t sure about the type at first, but now I really like it. I didn’t realize there was a south of the border influence. It really makes sense. Great colors. The textured cd cover is something I noticed, and I’m glad you went thru the extra effort.
Great album, great artwork. Was wondering what typefaces you used for the lyrics and back cover. its an italic and a bold condensed type resembling “the godfather”
great choices.
I love that you got the inspiration from the Herb Alpert albums. Great work!
[...] practice No Allegiances is responsible for the design and packaging. Having noticed the subtle Mexican sounds in the music, [...]