J Dilla Donuts — 20th Anniversary
Logo, Packaging • Made in Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects
A sticker label for J Dilla's Donuts; celebrating the upcoming anniversary of the album. This jacket sticker reflects the swooping playfulness of donut and candy logos, while calling back to the "infinite loop" of his album.
Breakdown
Vinyl Jacket & Label
PROCESS
The main concept behind this project consists of three main ideas:
Keep a circle/donut motif, relating back album name
Use swashes and script fonts to reference donuts or sweets
Show that this record is a special anniversary release
The album is called “Donuts” because of Dilla’s love for them, but additionally, the album's last song ends as the beginning of the first song, creating an infinite, circular loop. This was the perfect reason to make a circular label that could spin endlessly.
Taking inspiration from various foods, script fonts and swashes were used to evoke sweetness. I also took note of how some vinyl records have bigger holes, almost forming a donut shape.
Multiple thumbnails and comps were made before settling on the final look. At first, I was deciding on making the donut minimalistic, but it was better to have more visual language, such as bite marks and frosting.
Labels on vinyl jackets are commonly used to indicate special releases, limited edition prints, and other special information about the record.
They’re also non-intrusive since they go outside of the plastic wrap. This allows diehard consumers to enjoy the original cover art, while also having a collectible vinyl record inside.
