(Published on Instagram)
It’s now essential for artists themselves to consider how to bring together various elements beyond the music into a cohesive point when creating an album. Unfortunately, not every artist possesses the sense required for this. In that regard, I feel that UINONE's album has succeeded in overcoming the limitations of being an independent artist by integrating all aspects of the album into a unified whole. I joined this project not only because of the strength of the music itself (I was drawn in by how good the music was in the first place), but also because I found the album’s narrative and vision compelling.
I believe that creating a worldview within an album has become a necessary element for all genres—not just for K-POP—especially in terms of interacting with the audience. In that sense, the planning and message of this album struck me as “contemporary.” It speaks in a modern way about the crises and hopes shared by our contemporaries and generation, and I felt it conveyed a certain inspiration to the listeners. My role was to create visual elements that could support that message and suit the album, while also capturing its relevance to the current time. At the same time, I wanted to fulfill my personal desire to showcase my own aesthetic sensibilities, so I approached the work from an artistic angle, trying out a new method different from the ones I’ve used before.
To achieve this goal, I divided the artwork into three sectors, aiming to maintain a consistent tone and manner throughout while allowing each artwork to retain its own individuality. I also tried to ensure that, when combined, the artworks would form a coherent narrative image.
The first single “MAHAOM” was created to establish the band UINONE’s identity and hint at the journey to come, while blending a sense of kitsch that would match the mood of the music.
For the second single “SEOUL,” I focused more on visually striking aesthetics to grab attention, since it’s positioned in the middle of the overall narrative. I tried to create a sense of continuity that could link the beginning and end, while also embedding the message it carries. Due to the many factors I had to consider, there were some aspects I had to abandon. The musical atmosphere was lyrical, so I initially tried to reflect that through the color palette. However, feedback suggested that, when all artworks were combined into a single poster, the mood either clashed too much or became too dark. So, I adjusted the tone and manner to better align with the overall image.
Finally, I felt that the full-length album needed a “face” that could represent it. So, I created an actual face. The album title “HERMAN” refers to a mysterious being whose interpretation can vary depending on the individual, and I repeatedly pondered how to express this face in a way that maintained its mysterious charisma. The key was whether the image of HERMAN could overwhelm or captivate the viewer. To achieve this, I referred to religious art and made various versions of HERMAN’s face to evoke a sacred and mystical vibe. However, the final chosen version was actually a layout sketch—a rough design created just enough to suggest the idea of a face. The artist felt that this abstraction better suited the album’s overall image, and thus, the sketch was finalized as the official face of the album.
