RUNNING RED LIGHTS
"Running Red Lights" Cover Art | Artist: Keelan X | Genre: Synth Pop
THE BRIEF: The design brief was to create a cover that would visually capture the vibrant and energetic vibes of the synth-pop genre, while also referencing the song's title, "Running Red Lights." The artist sought a design that was modern, slightly edgy, and would stand out in the digital music landscape.
Subject Focus: The cover features a close-up portrait of Keelan X, positioning the artist prominently and creating a direct connection with the viewer.
Color Palette: A limited color palette, dominated by cool tones and punctuated by the striking red of the "red lights" in the background, was chosen to evoke a sense of dynamic energy. The contrast between the cool foreground and warm red highlights the central theme.
Typography: The bold, uppercase title "RUNNING RED LIGHTS" was placed at the top for immediate impact, while the artist's name "KEELAN X" is positioned at the bottom, grounding the visual.
Background and Atmosphere: The blurred urban background with distinct red light trails and bokeh directly references the song's title and creates a sense of movement and atmosphere, hinting at the themes of risks of leaving home late night.
Overall Aesthetic: The resulting design is a minimalist yet evocative piece that aims to capture the energetic and slightly edgy essence of synth-pop while clearly communicating the song's title and artist.
OTHER DELIVERABLES for consistent branding
To ensure a cohesive visual presence across multiple online platforms, the following deliverables were created, maintaining a consistent brand identity derived from the core cover art:
* Main Single Cover (1:1 Ratio): The primary artwork, optimized for streaming services and music stores.
* YouTube Video Thumbnail (16:9 Ratio): A cropped and potentially slightly adjusted version of the main artwork, ensuring key visual elements (Keelan X's face, "Running Red Lights" text) remained prominent and legible at a smaller size. Strategic cropping maintained the overall mood and color palette.
* YouTube Banner (16:9 Ratio): A wider format banner incorporating elements from the cover art. This included a softened or extended version of the background imagery with the artist's name and potentially social media handles, ensuring visual harmony with the thumbnail and overall branding.
* Social Media Banner (Various Ratios): Adaptations for platforms like Twitter and Facebook, resizing and repositioning key elements to fit the specific banner dimensions while retaining the core color scheme, typography, and overall aesthetic.
* Social Media Square Posts (1:1 Ratio): Versions optimized for feed posts, potentially highlighting different aspects of the artwork or using a clean presentation of the title and artist name over the core visual.
The Outcome: The cover art was well-received by Keelan X, who felt it effectively captured the mood and energy of "Running Red Lights" and provided a strong visual identity for the single.
