Sean Mason – A Breath of Fresh Air album art
I began collaborating with Sean Mason on the design of his sophomore album in October 2024. He reached out to explain his plan for a complete rebrand of his visual identity. Sean is a visionary Grammy-nominated jazz pianist, composer and bandleader, and a recipient of a Bessie Award and Bistro Award.
The challenge was to translate the pianist’s spiritual and creative rebirth into a singular visual identity; to visually represent the joy, but also the difficulties, of that process.
The primary inspiration was the Ivy aesthetic, championed by Miles Davis in the 1950s and 60s. Sean attended Juilliard and moved to NYC in 2018. He then came back to his roots, his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. His music is deeply rooted in the cultural heritage of the South. Thus, it felt fitting that the album packaging hinted at the colors of the American flag. Sean’s musical style is very reverential, often paying homage to old school jazz, hard bop and gospel music. I wanted the visual aesthetic to mirror his respect for the jazz tradition. Therefore, in all the promotional materials and the album packaging, I incorporated typographic references ranging from the early 20th century to the 1970s.
Front and back cover
Inner gatefold
Inner sleeve
These sheets include logos of publications that reviewed A Breath of Fresh Air, some of which use additional fonts like Gill Sans, Clarendon, and Frutiger that are not part of the album design.
