Another fruitful collaboration with the incredibly talented Aidan Martin. His latest single Air Pressure is a moving and poetic record that provided plenty of inspiration for the creation of a beautiful new artwork.
Commissioned by Aidan Martin
Designed by Herm the Younger
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This is set to be an exceptional year. Lots of new work will be shared as albums get released.
Anyone interested in collaborating is encouraged to email me to discuss ideas. My best work is being made right now, and I'm booking new projects for 2025.
Album cover projects always receive multiple options to choose from, with original artwork made from scratch. We'll work closely to make a beautiful piece of art for your music – and all the extras you need to promote it.
Let's make some art!
— Herm
My artwork for Aidan Martin's latest single is a tribute to ancient ornament and good music, both art forms which have fascinated me for years.
A geometric exploration of the song, the artwork is inspired by its poetic language:
There’s been a cataclysmic collapse⠀/⠀Of life as we know it⠀/⠀Light a fire
It’s so cold and dark⠀/⠀Obsidian heart⠀/⠀Obsidian heart
Another option we created utilises the fascinating phenomenon of obsidian flints. The stones were carved by ancient men into intricate fractal patterns, and then carried on their person as a sort of talisman, embuing strength and protection.
This design pairs two of these with a scattering of other gemstones. Despite being a direct representation of the title, it has a mystical and unknown element to it that defies the obvious. It's unexpected, and that's what makes it effective.
I'm pleased this mysterious abstraction is present in the final green artwork.
Commissioned by Aidan Martin
Designed by Herm the Younger
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Today marks the release of Ben Mwanga's debut ten-track album, Inspired. I was trusted with the design of the main album cover, which set the aesthetic for the whole project.
The album cover follows a classic layout with an intimate portrait in the centre and beautiful typography. This is a reflection of the music, which is poetic and steeped in emotion.
More insight into this collaboration will follow as the project is revealed.
Commissioned by Ben Mwanga
Designed by Herm the Younger
Photography by René Fitzek
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I'm honoured to share the artwork I created for Ontzieling's debut EP. One hundred limited edition vinyl copies were produced and swiftly sold out.
Step into the haunting soundscape of a dystopian future with Ontzieling's debut 'All These Moments Will Be Lost'. This record with Blade Runner-esque qualities is a blend of ambient and experimental music, meticulously crafted to immerse you in the eerie ambience of a crumbling metropolis. Each track is a journey through desolate streets, abandoned buildings, and the haunting echoes of a society that once was. 'All These Moments Will be Lost' captures the essence of isolation, decay, and the ghostly remnants of human existence.
The artwork is created by Herm the Younger:
“We are faced with a scene that could be in a future era or at the beginning of the world. An epic scene, balanced in the frame and dissolving with time. Even the significant moment captured here is slipping into obscurity and will soon be forgotten.”
‘Ontzieling’ is an ambient project by Michael Paap, a music producer hailing from the city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The project meticulously explores the realm of soundscapes, dark versus light, drone, noise and lo-fi, seamlessly weaving them together with the modular synthesizer. Each composition is an unfiltered glimpse into a moment, a live creation captured in one continuous take. The project’s essence lies in embracing the present, record, unplug and move forward.
Commissioned by Michael Paap
Designed by Herm the Younger
Released by Esc.rec
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— W.R. Lethaby, The Architecture of Adventure (1910)
Today, I am pleased and proud to release another piece from the archives.
Heaven & Earth, an original artwork by Herm the Younger.
The tracklist for the I May Be Some Time album is created using a very special technique. Each letter is cut out and arranged one by one, just like they would have been with letterpress printing during the early 1900s – the same era the album is inspired by.
The process allows granular control over the letters and spacing, producing an effect that is impossible to achieve with a technically perfect computer font.
This video provides a look at how it was done:
Read more about this project:
I May Be Some Time
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Looking through old work to inspire the new.
My 2019 artwork Formations was all about exploring symmetry and composition. The stars are made from simple drawings, mirrored across six lines. Smaller stars are scattered around them to complete the effect.
A tall, vertical banner was the perfect setting for these beautiful shapes:
Not only was this proof that you can make something out of nothing, but it affirmed that the best art is made that way. Limiting your means stimulates deep creativity.
The process itself created some lovely surprises. When the drawings were scanned in, they appeared to glow. As it happens, this effect was caused by my settings being wrong:
Were I to remake this artwork now, I would retain much of this texture and lighting in the final piece. Yet the simplicity of this series does not offend five years later. It inspires, and that is the ultimate achievement of art.
To those who are reading:
Make good work.
It is all worth it.
I'm pleased to reveal the cover I designed for Voice of the Wild by Million Moons, the first single from their second full-length album.
The album is heavily inspired by Antarctic voyages of days gone by and tells the story of a doomed polar expedition. After digging deep into public archives, I found the remarkable photography of Frank Hurley (1885–1962), an adventurer and photographer present on those same missions.
From the official press release:
“Herm the Younger created the album artwork, collaging archival photographs from Antarctic expeditions to create a haunting landscape that conveys the beauty and isolation these explorers encountered.”
The main album artwork and covers for all seven tracks will be released with the album on July 5th.
The full case study is now live:
I May Be Some Time
Patron
Million Moons
Art Direction
Herm the Younger
Photography
Frank Hurley
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Herm the Younger is a living artist & designer from the UK.
For inquiries and commissions please contact:
h@hermtheyounger.com