While an album's packaging is the first thing we see, it's rarely something we pay a whole lot of attention to.
With the level of thought and care that goes into these records' physical design, they tell an entire story of their own. Take, for example, 2nd Generation Falangao Singing Group and Chairman Crossover Big Band's collaborative album Pakelang.
Taking inspiration from the coastlines of Taiwan, the intricate design of the album reflects the laidback spirit of Indigenous Taiwanese people, as well as embodies the scenic beauty of the country. The album ended up winning Best Record Packaging at the 64th GRAMMY Awards last April.
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"It was incredible! I thought it was a dream. I was blank until the interpreter mentioned 'Taiwan' and the audience started to cheer for us. Everything was great at the moment. The acceptance speech was so touching. I didn't know we could do it," The Chairman tells Bandwagon.
Designed by graphic artists Yu Wei and Li Jheng-han, the pair comes as one of the very few Asian artists to win the accolade. In their speech, translated by an interpreter, the artists shared how they hoped winning the award would inspire people to visit Taiwan, amplifying the bands' mission to share the beauty of their country with the world through their music.
"In the beginning, the album concept wasn’t about Pakelang, we were thinking of telling the story of indigenous colonial history during the war. After getting along with [Falangao Singing Group's] Bai Lang, we found the concept needn’t be that serious," explains The Chairman.
"We should focus on reality. Indigenous people are the kind of person who is humorous, funny, and chatty. They can tell jokes at any time, anywhere. [We want] the world to hear the beautifulness of Taiwan through music and voice. The view of the East coast, the warmness of people, we welcome everyone to visit Taiwan."
Following their GRAMMY win, Bandwagon caught up with Yu Wei and Li Jheng-han to talk about how their artistic beginnings, the challenges of working in design, and the creative process behind Pakelang.
Hi Jheng-han and Wei! How have you been lately?
Jheng-han: I have been busy with the reprint of Pakelang physical album.
Wei: I have been working as usual. In the daytime, I work for a full-time job, and at night I take side jobs. I am now working on two physical albums and some interesting NFTs.
Congratulations on your GRAMMY win, what was it like accepting the award?
Jheng-han: I was happy, feeling lucky. I am thankful for how The Chairman is chasing after their dream, and how Wind Music is dedicated to the US market for almost 30 years. We are on this boat that the seniors and the Ministry of Cultural of Taiwan had built. With their continuation in discovering and preserving, it carried us to the highest palace.
Wei: I was nervous and blank at the moment. My hands have been sweating from going onstage to backstage. Thanks to The Chairman, 2nd Generation Falangao Singing Group, Wind Music, Ministry of Culture of Taiwan, and the seniors. Without their help, we will not be able to get the award.
I also wanted to thank my colleagues; they gave me a hand when I needed help. Thanks to my boyfriend, friends, and my cat, who are being so tolerant when I was in a bad temper because of work.
Let’s start from the beginning, tell us how you first got started as designers. How did you first get involved with working on album artworks?
Jheng-han: When I was young, I wanted to be a comic artist because of my love of comic books. While in school, I was not into studying but drawing, and I learned you can study art in high school. When I was studying at Ling Tung University, I started to develop an interest in graphic design.
My first designed album was in university when I played in an underground band, and we were planning to release the first album. That’s how I first started album design.
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Wei: I’m not the kind of student that had the habit of studying. I spent most of my time being a fan of idols and wished to work in the music industry in the future. However, I don’t have the talent in music and am not good at socializing, either. I decided to try designing and think 'maybe I can try to do design in the music industry'. After studying at Fu-Hsin Trade & Arts School, I have been working as a designer.
My first designed album was when I am 18 or 19. I accidentally saw the band Theseus, one of the members was my senior in junior high school and they were looking for an album designer. I did not think too much and went to apply for the job, and made my first album.
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What is the usual process you have when conceptualising and designing the artwork of an album?
Wei: We will have to know the concept of the album and understand the thoughts and the atmosphere of every song. We will extract the keywords from the song and then design the album with the keywords or the style that fits the songwriter.
Jheng-han: I start with understanding the main concept of the album, the topic of the songs, and the outlook of music; by looking for the keyword and understanding the spirit. I would give myself a month to sink in and take this time to slowly absorb anything related to the album.
Secondly, I will organize the information that I collected and start designing. During the designing period, I will do the execution and mock-up test.
When everything is confirmed, I will start contacting the printing factory and communicate about the printing methods and process. Communicating with the factory is the most important thing, it will be big trouble if any section goes wrong. It will deeply affect the final look of the album.
Let’s talk about your work for Pakelang, walk us through the process of working on that project. Where did the idea of using Taiwanese coastlines come from?
Jheng-han: My inspiration came from where The Chairman and Wind Music wanted to make Taiwanese music for the international market. The Falangao Singing Group is located in Taitung so I suddenly had the idea of Indigenous people singing and standing on Taiwan’s land. They use their beautiful voices to deliver music to the other side of the Pacific Ocean. Everything was just simple, easy, and direct.
Wei: I was in charge of making the images in the lyrics book. It has to coordinate with the profile face appearance that Jheng-han designed. I added some elements like a mountain range, waves, and contour lines to match the lyrics book.
What are some challenges you face working in this industry?
Jheng-han: Sometimes I would work hard on the design, but the customer was not satisfied with it. We even revised it many times and they are still not satisfied; the customer started to question my ability which made me feel my profession was not respected, and we wasted a lot of time on it.
I realized then that designing is a profession that also includes customer service. Understanding what the customer needs and communicating with them is important, sometimes we have to see it from their perspective to think about the design. Communication with the customers and reaching a consensus before designing, it will make the case easier.
Wei: The BIGGEST challenge I have recently is talking with strangers. It is pretty difficult for me to tell everything I wanted to say. And for design, I need to spend time getting my head around all the ideas to avoid adding too many elements to the design.
What are some of your favourite projects you’ve worked on and why?
Jheng-han: TIME by Emerge Live. The concept of the album is the story of Taiwan from the past to the present. From the dark history of the Martial Law period to the present where we live in a democratic society. The blood and tear of the past are for a better future, which the album itself is remarkable.
When taking the vinyl out from the package, you can see the imagery that the album wants to convey. This is the best connection between the music and album design, which was also recognised by the Independent Music Awards for the Best Recording Package. Also, The Chairman saw the design of TIME, that’s how I had the chance to be involved in Pakelang.
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Wei: I don't have a “favourite” one, I think there are always some parts that can be improved in every period of my design. Recently, the one I liked more is Symposium by Theseus. The design bumped into my head after reading the reference Theseus gave and the materials of the Symposium written by Plato.
'Love is born into every human being; it calls back the halves of our original nature together; it tries to make one out of two and heal the wound of human nature. Each of us, then, is a ‘matching half’ of a human whole…and each of us is always seeking the half that matches him,' Plato said. Yet, I think there are still some details that can be fixed in the Symposium album.
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What kind of music do you listen to?
Jheng-han: My favourite is the hard rock in the 80s, I have been listening to Keisuke Kuwata recently.
Wei: I listen to every genre of music, there isn’t a typical type. I always make fun of myself by saying that I have dissociative identity disorder, I can be listening to Tzusing then change to Jay Chou, and change to No Buses.
Do you have any advice for aspiring artists who also want to design and create art for albums?
Jheng-han: Don’t design for design. There is a premise for design, you have to catch the spirit of the music before getting attention, so they can complement each other.
Wei: Don’t limit your creativity to only one type of material. Try learning more computer software, such as video clipping, 3D making, animation creating, etc. If you have an interest in any type of that software mentioned above then take action and learn how to use it.
Listen to Pakelang here.
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