Rugs Unplugged is a live music series based in Utah, United States, dedicated to showcasing diverse and exceptional musical talent. The series offers a unique platform for artists to perform in an intimate, unfiltered setting, giving audiences an authentic musical experience.

The design approach for the Rugs Unplugged logo draws inspiration from their passion for music and the vibrant community they've fostered through it. We crafted a mascot resembling three dancing figures that capture the dynamic energy and groove we feel when experiencing music. Upon closer inspection, the mascot incorporates musical elements, such as notes, a vinyl record, and an unplugged jack.

For the T-shirt design, we creatively reimagined the brand name by blending the concepts of ‘rugs’ and ‘unplugged’. We transformed the lines of a musical staff into a graphic that resembles a rug, with an unplugged jack cable woven through them. This design approach reflects the brand's passion for music while highlighting its deep connection to our lives and the raw, authentic energy of live performances.

New record by Jonathan Bockelmann, released on Squama, who write:

Jonathan Bockelmann is a classical guitarist and composer based in Munich who first made waves in 2023 with his debut album Childish Mind. His entry into composing were arrangements he had made of pieces by Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. Some of these have been released digitally in three editions and are now available on vinyl for the first time. The record comes in high quality packaging with an embossed art print and features both some of Sakamoto’s lesser-known works like the ‘Suite for Krug’ as well as iconic pieces like ‘Bibo No Aozora’.

Design by Maximilian Schachtner, using Waldenburg Schmal, paired with Japanese text set in M PLUS 1.

Lightfoot! is the debut album by Gordon Lightfoot, released in January 1966 by United Artists Records. It features several of his best-known songs, “Early Mornin’ Rain”, “I’m Not Sayin’”, “Ribbon of Darkness”, and a rendition of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Ewan MacColl.

The cover photography by Barry Feinstein shows the Canadian singer-songwriter with his guitar, sitting on a chair. The typeface is a rare bird: the bold all-caps grotesque with shadow was designed by German-born British designer F.H.K. Henrion (1914–1990). It’s similar to the classic Sans Surryphs Shaded a.k.a. Thorowgood Sans Shaded, but with genuine qualities. Two styles were issued by Letraset as Weight (solid with open shade) and Style (open with solid shade) around 1960, before the company launched their dry transfer lettering range. Photo-Lettering, Inc. also carried two styles, Henrion Weight (solid with open shade) and Henrion Clear (open with open shade), plus a variant without shade, Henrion Light Caps. Since this album is from New York, we are probably looking at PLINC’s version, filled with green and blue.

Gordon Lightfoot helped “to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s” [Songwriters Hall of Fame]. He died this week at the age of 84, see the obituaries by the CBC and the New York Times. RIP.

[More info on Discogs]

Henrion Light Caps, Clear, and Weight as shown in Photo-Lettering’s Alphabet Thesaurus [Vol. 1], 1960. Note that the G has a bar in Weight (as on the Lightfoot! album cover), but not in Clear.

Bygone Days is an album of acoustic folk music by Roger Nicholson and Jake Walton, released on Front Hall Records in 1980.

The cover was designed by Jon Henry, who also designed the cross-stitch-like typeface used in the composition. The typeface is a similar style to the Front Hall Records logo, and was used at least as far back as 1976 for branding on the back of earlier Front Hall albums. It’s featured on the cover of at least one other Front Hall Records release (see Bob White’s Collector’s Series).

Eight years after the release of Bygone Days, the typeface was chosen among 10 winners in a 1988 design competition for Chartpak who then offered it under the name Abigail as part of their “Velvet Touch” type collection. Chartpak’s offering included a handful of dingbats and border pieces that could be used to compose decorative elements similar to those on this and other Front Hall albums.

The secondary typeface on the front and back covers is ITC Souvenir , with some Helvetica Condensed for ancillary text and Helvetica for the spine. The labels on the record use Windsor, Franklin Gothic, and Alternate Gothic.

[More info at Discogs]