Visually expressing the raw emotion of an album through design
During my final year at university, I was challenged with redesigning a vinyl cover. I chose Sam Fender’s Hypersonic Missiles, feeling the original artwork did not fully reflect the album’s deeper themes and social commentary.
After my initial concept failed to communicate these ideas effectively, I used the feedback to develop a second direction. This redesign focused more closely on the album’s themes of mental health, violence, social instability and political uncertainty.
Hypersonic Missiles, Sam Fender’s debut album, explores themes of mental health, toxic masculinity, violence, social media and political instability. Drawing on Fender’s working-class upbringing in the North East of England and influences such as Bruce Springsteen, the album combines personal storytelling with wider social commentary.
The title Hypersonic Missiles acts as a metaphor for the chaos, uncertainty and instability of modern life, reflecting the album’s focus on both personal struggles and broader social issues.
The front cover explores the societal pressures faced by working-class people through layered imagery and symbolism.
Fender appears as a silhouetted figure, representing the insecurity and struggle of modern masculinity. References to social media, class division, toxic masculinity and childhood innocence are combined with key lyrics from the album. Scribbled circles represent a mind overwhelmed by the fears and pressures of the modern world.
The back cover focuses on ‘Leave Fast’, exploring the tension between small-town roots and the desire to escape them.
A blurred graphic featuring the lyric “If I don’t leave now, I will never get away” reflects the confusion and indecision expressed throughout the song.
