For their third album, "Hush or Howl" Black Pistol Fire drew much inspiration from the energy and tension surrounding the Detroit race riots of 1967. In an attempt to reference this I wanted to create a typographic composition that resembled a burnt-out building after the flames have been extinguished.

Using various techniques I created a custom typeface from charcoal (a reference to the "Fire" in the band’s name), then cut and pasted the individual word forms into a composition that suggested a building falling in upon itself. Trying to do all of my work in analog, I took photos from different angles to heighten the perspective and add foreshortening. I feel the result to be extremely successful in not only expressing the rhythm and energy of the music, but also providing a small glimpse into the concept of the album.

To further increase the concept of a burn-out building, the inner sleeve is meant to represent the wood of the structure, with the Pantone Warm Red label in the centre representing the still glowing embers of the extinguished fire. The addition of a transparent red vinyl really hits the concept home!