311's music has been a long time companion throughout the years. It certainly helps to keep things moving here in the studio. The band posted, several months ago, that they would be releasing the album Uplifter in late spring/early summer. As a way to give back I thought it would be cool to create an album design. I called and spoke with the management team and was informed that a direction was most likely chosen, but that I could submit and get inclusion in the artbook. I gave myself about 5 days to think about and execute the project.

The official album art was released on March 25th (see below). It was created by Christian Montenegro, an artist/illustrator based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I'm not certain what the underlying theme is, but would love to hear about it if anyone knows.



When positioning all of 311’s studio albums side-by-side it become clear that there are characteristics in place to preserve the brand. Most notably the logo appearing in the upper left hand corner, the use of warm color tones, and modernized typeface selection.

Overall, it was intended for the artwork to give a sense of harmony and warmness. The honeycomb patterned bar at the lower right is a visual play on The Hive - the bands recording studio. The tree was chosen as the primary element because of it’s symbolism for stability, longevity and being a place of peace. It is an original photograph I took with my Holga camera last summer in Los Angeles. Hummingbirds are quick, diverse, and maneuverable, which I attribute to the 311's music. The font Metafile was used to emphasize progressiveness. Overall it was a great exercise...maybe i'll get it next time.