Maiden Abyss
Semi-completed record with stamp added.
Maiden Abyss was a short but focused project that gave me the chance to explore death metal typography for an exclusive LP limited to 200 prints. One of the first challenges was to design a morning star graphic that separated the individual record number from the “200.” This led to the creation of a frame for the numbering, a second frame to hold the signed letter included with each record, and a custom stamp that appeared at the top of the letter. The stamp was the most complex piece & required fresh drawings that could not be adapted from earlier sketches, which meant going back to the sketchbook and reworking until the design felt right.
Where Design Meets Distortion
Initial sketch of horns and the twin sais.
Initial sketch of the mace.
The process began with research, gathering influences from online examples of metal artwork and typography before moving into hand sketches. Once complete, the sketches were scanned and converted into vectors in Illustrator, making the artwork flexible and scalable. Many of the jagged frames were also drawn, scanned, and reshaped digitally to maintain both sharpness and control. Fonts came directly from the record label, but I was responsible for creating the surrounding artwork, which was refined in both Illustrator and Photoshop.
Completed frame composite.
Inverted sketch of stamp in illustrator.
After several days of research and three full days of sketching, scanning, and editing, the project resulted in a finalized LP design that we could not only be proud of but also had our clients brimming with joy. The final product reflected the exclusivity of the record and delivered hand-drawn work that represented the band and community at large.
Morning Star and number.
Completed frame composite with
frame composite and stamp.
Completed signed letter with
Special red edition of the stamp.