Death Rattle 70's Punk Band - Concept & Creation

For this semester-long project, I was tasked with the conceptualization and creation of A 70s punk band. The project entailed the design of a logo, album/ record design, along with a full branding package for their upcoming tour and merchandise.

The project focused on creating a visual identity that captured the rebellious and chaotic essence of 70s punk music. My design work included: Designing a punk-inspired logo, creating an album/record cover, developing a complete branding package for the tour, designing merchandise.The challenge was to stay true to the bold, raw aesthetic of the era and ensuring the design felt authentic to punk. I wanted the final identity to reflect the rebellious spirit of punk music and leave a lasting impression.

The first stage involved deep research into 70s punk music and band branding. I studied iconic album covers, posters, and typography from that era to understand the visual language that defined all things 70’s punk.

Before diving into the logo and visual identity, I knew I needed to better understand the target audience.

Next up was creating the visual identity. After extensive brainstorming, and landing on the name “Death Rattle,” I began by rapidly sketching 40 logo concepts. I made sure to try different fonts, icons, and layouts. Ultimately, I went forward with the 40th concept, this shows how essential it is to explore multiple ideas before finding the right one.

After selecting the strongest logo, I refined the design and created a horizontal and vertical version. Then I put together a brand guide making sure to identify the fonts, colors, and textures that would be associated with the brand.

Now that I had a logo and a brand identity, it was time to start designing the album. First, I needed to come up with a name and select the 12 original songs that would capture the essence of Death Rattle.

With the album Decaying Dreams and the 12 song titles conceptualized, it was time to design the cover, label, and lyric sleeve for both the 12" record.

Next, it was time to plan the tour this entailed designing all essentials for the road—posters, handbills, tickets, VIP passes, and merch to capture the punk spirit on each stop.

The last part of this project was to bring Death Rattle to life with a bold cover and inside spreads for a 70’s punk-inspired Rolling Stone feature.

Overall, I had a blast working on “Death Rattle.” From concept creation to the final branding, this project really pushed me to my limits. Punk design was completely outside my comfort zone. It was unlike anything I’d ever attempted or thought I would create, but with each step, I found myself falling more in love with the messy, rebellious style. Along the way, I picked up new techniques and learned new design standards, especially when it came to setting up files for printing. The end result is a bold identity for a band I’d definitely want to see perform live.