Nigel was a real please to work with and we will definitely be sending more work his way and recommending him to others! Thank you for making this marketing campaign one of the least stressful in a long time.
CHARLENE, RIPCORD RECORDS
Ripcord Records is a fiercely independent record label rooted in the underground punk scene. Passionate about amplifying subcultural voices, they collaborate with artists and bands worldwide to produce distinctive, physical releases that honour authenticity and craft.
Ripcord Records approached me with a one-off, high-energy brief: create the artwork for Silence is a Dangerous Sound— a double-CD tribute to legendary post-hardcore band Fugazi. The release featured an international lineup of punk bands and was even acknowledged by Fugazi’s own Ian MacKaye.
The visual direction needed to be raw, expressive and unmistakably “Fugazi” — without feeling derivative or overly polished. They wanted a scratchy, energetic illustration style that captured the band’s DIY spirit. With the format being a 6-panel CD digipak and dual disc prints, the artwork had to work cohesively across multiple surfaces and sizes, while retaining a tactile, handmade feel.
I explored early references ranging from Cubist gig posters to punk zines and Japanese manga. We landed on a loose, high-energy illustration style that conveyed the chaos and urgency of live performance while nodding to the anarchic roots of underground punk.
The colour palette was deliberately limited — earthy reds, off-whites and greys — layered with subtle noise and halftone textures to evoke the screen-printed sleeves and photocopied flyers iconic to the scene. Typography and layout design leaned into imperfection, with irregular spacing and distressed lettering to amplify the unrefined, analogue aesthetic.
The final design centres on an illustrated guitarist mid-leap, trailing wires from a battered amp stack — a visual metaphor for energy on the edge of collapse. Additional custom illustrations — from shredded flyers to a taped-over setlist — were woven across the panels to create layers of narrative detail.
The visual language extended to the discs themselves, ensuring a consistent look when the digipak was fully opened. The back cover presented the tracklist for both CDs, with a subtle nod to the charity partner T.A.S.S. (Tribe Animal Sanctuary Scotland), who received 100% of profits.
The end result is a cohesive, character-driven release that feels unapologetically punk — raw, handmade and grounded in conviction.
