Piano-Soleil poster & vinyl design

This project entails creating a concert poster for Melody Chan, a pianist, for a performance featuring a rendition of Denis Gougeon's composition, "Piano-Soleil." This poster would then be adapted to a vinyl (cover, sleeve, disk and disk label).

Melody Chan, originally from Los Angeles, United States, was raised in Vancouver, Canada, where she embarked on her musical journey. She pursued her undergraduate studies at the University of British Columbia before completing her Masters and Doctoral degrees at the University of Toronto. Under the mentorship of esteemed teachers, including Professor Lee Kum Sing at the Vancouver Academy of Music, she honed her skills as a recital soloist. Inspired by her mentors, Melody is deeply committed to sharing her passion for piano through teaching, prioritizing the development of strong fundamentals in her students to empower them to tackle any piece with confidence. Her teaching style reflects a synthesis of influences from the French, Russian, and North American schools of piano playing, shaped by the diverse array of mentors she has encountered. Melody has also released an album titled "Children’s Corner" on Bandcamp, featuring 19 tracks by various composers, showcasing her expansive repertoire spanning from Bach and Mozart to Beethoven and Chopin.

Denis Gougeon, a pioneering Canadian composer born in 1951, blends avant-garde techniques with traditional forms in his innovative contributions to contemporary classical music. Trained at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal and in Paris under luminaries like Iannis Xenakis, Gougeon's works span orchestral, chamber, vocal, and electroacoustic genres. His accolades include the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music and the Canada Council's Lynch-Staunton Award, affirming his stature as a leading figure in modern composition. Globally renowned, his music captivates audiences with its exploration of sonic textures and expressive depth, performed by esteemed orchestras and ensembles, underscoring his enduring impact on contemporary classical music.

Piano-Soleil is recognized for its vibrant and colorful orchestration, which reflects the imagery of sunlight. Gougeon employs various techniques to evoke the warmth and brilliance of sunlight, including bright, shimmering textures, dynamic contrasts, and rhythmic vitality.This piece captures the essence of sunlight through its uplifting and radiant musical language.

I started by putting down just anything on paper. While listening to Piano-Soleil, I drew various shapes and patterns and employed diverse mediums. I also made collages using scraps found here and there. One of these collages would end up being used as the base for the visual and background of the final poster.

Instead of the original golden-brown colour palette, I chose a more “sunny” palette, paired with a magenta. These dynamic colors, exuding energy and warmth, proved equally fitting for the piece, effectively conveying the contrasting moods encapsulated within Piano-Soleil, from its intense passages to its more tranquil ones.

As for the vinyl design, the jacket is solid black, with a circular window cut right in the middle, revealing a sheet of magenta-coloured cellophane. On the inner sleeve, Denis Gougeon and Melody Chan are written to take up the entire space. Piano-Soleil is written in the center.

Because “soleil” means “sun” in French, once the sleeve is pulled out of the jacket, a yellow circle the same size as the window is revealed.

The disk label is of a solid magenta.

The most fun part of this project was adapting the poster to a vinyl album. It was definitely a challenge to find the most suitable paper, especially for the sleeve. However I particularly enjoyed printing out and mounting the prototype.