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mGee and the SLAMjamz art dept; The Trials and Tribulations of a PE Designer

These are exciting times for Gregoire - SlamJamz head of design - he has just finished up work on the artwork for the new Public Enemy album 'Revolverlution'. He is also about to embark on further offline work for the group, to compliment the design work he has already completed online for other Slamjamz artists. This is any fan?s dream come true, as I said these are exciting times.

Being approached by Chuck D to design the cover art for ?Revolverlution? is fair enough, after all he is not new to working with Chuck. But Gregoire is also a fan of the group, which could make the whole task that little bit more daunting. The truth of the matter though is that, although not yet graduated, the man is a professional and took a subjective view of the project, from day one treating it like any other.

"I immediately began to sketch ideas, thinking about the word 'Revolverlution' and breaking it down into the many ideas that it makes you think about. The sketches were later left aside but the concepts that were created from this period of development were very important in getting to the final concept.

When Chuck sent me a copy of the album, I looped it and listened to it incessantly for days. This was really where solid ideas began to form".

This ?all in a days work? view of the project is an illusion shattered when asked if he enjoyed the challenge, the answer this time is the one expected of the fan he is, a resounding "Absolutely".

But it goes deeper than that for Gregoire; this has been a chance to expand him-self and to test his limits.

"I have been looking for an opportunity to truly test myself as a designer. Other than a couple books I helped design, most of what I have done in the past was either for school, me or for the web.

With the personal print work for me and school, I didn't really have the opportunity to experience a real life situation in which I needed to make absolutely sure that the final output quality would reflect what I designed on screen. Although these are concerns I've had in the past, I didn't have the opportunity to send something to press.

With the web work I've done, there is really not as much to concern yourself about other than colour and load time. In some ways web work is more fulfilling in that you can have immediate satisfaction when it goes online. Though ultimately, it's far more fulfilling to have something that you've designed sent to press and made into something that you can hold in your hands".

Despite this opportunity to test his skills, he was also very aware going into the project of the legacy of good album artwork Public Enemy have to their name.

"In the beginning I did look at them to kind of refresh my memory, but I really didn't want to have the past albums overly influence the direction that Revolverlution took? I knew that I had certain PE 'traditions' to be faithful to. I wanted very much to make it something fresh and new to reflect the new ways in which the album was developed, but I also wanted it to feel like a Public Enemy album.

I do hope that it's not so different that it doesn't feel like a PE album. Though, I think that the differences such as the lighter visual appearance than past albums helps reflect the idea of change and the fresh sound that the album has. I also feel that the whole package as a unit is cohesive visually, which I think was lacking in 'There's a Poison Goin' On' and even to some degree in 'He's Got Game'. This alone should make for a fresh feel for 'Revolverlution?".

With every project, there will always be the odd problem, although with this project Gregoire reveals that too much choice was the only thing that he had to overcome. It is also very rare for an artist be totally happy with their work, but again this is where Gregoire breaks down that stereotype.

"Overall the project went very well. Though I had a hard time choosing from the many images which Chuck provided, especially when I started laying out the text for the booklet and realising that although it's a 10 page
booklet, there wasn't a lot of space for images. I had to be creative with the space allowed and find ways to get in many of the images that I had decided on. In the end, fans should be very satisfied with this booklet.

I'm very happy with the final product. Although I'll be more sure of that statement when I see it in my hands and it matches my expectations. Revolverlution's visual concept has undergone major changes since my first rough sketches when I was first asked and I'm glad that I didn't just stick with the first idea that jumped into my head. In my opinion, what the world will see is definitely a terrific representation of what 'Revolverlution' is about".

As a new writer, it is easy to take the freedoms Slamjamz have given me for granted as I know no other way. But as a designer it is something that Gregoire is still getting used to.

"Surprisingly Chuck D gave me much creative autonomy for this project, which is unheard of in projects of this magnitude. Usually there are many heads making decisions and projects can become diluted really fast. It was
only after I had developed a solid concept and presented it to Chuck that the 'client/designer' relationship took hold and we were able to work out kinks and extraneous elements. The development of the design for this album was definitely an interactive collaboration, which would never have been possible without email and the Internet".

A chink is found in Gregoire?s confidence, although only a minor one, when questioned about his feelings on having his work seen online and having an actual printed product that will be kept by people for many years. Any doubts are soon forgotten when he reveals his hopes for the cover though.

"Well, with the work online, I've had enough experience now that I'm really secure of what I present to the world. With this project, although I am sure of what I designed, I'll be more sure when I am able to have the album in my hands and see that what I designed on screen translated well to print.

Though, the thought of PE fans worldwide adding this album that I've designed to their collection is at the same time unbelievable and exciting. I just hope that it becomes a memorable Public Enemy album visually and fans form strong opinions about it, good or bad".

Despite this being a dream come true, Gregoire is very practical and cautious about the impact such a project can have on his career as his parting words of the interview reflect.

"I really don't want to 'count my chickens before they hatch'. Though I do think that it can't hurt my career as a designer and many people in the industry will see it. I also don't want things to come too easily, I'm a strong believer in working hard to achieve what you want and I don't want this to be some short-lived experience and have everything slip away as fast as it came. Only time will tell I guess.

In the mean time, I'm just going to enjoy the experience and continue to work hard to make my future goals happen

Thanks goes out to Chuck for the opportunity of a lifetime".