Mac DeMarco
Music Catalog
publishing, print design
Art Direction: Scott Laserow
Introduction:
Inspired by the raunchy personality of popular indie artist and notorious chain-smoker, Mac DeMarco, I was challenged to create a music catalog consistent in style with a specific artistic movement popularized in the 1980s or earlier. In my early research, I was heavily drawn to the gritty aesthetics of punk zines and DIY culture, as I felt that these visuals most effectively captured DeMarco’s chaotic stage presence and shocking public persona. Complete with a cover, title page, and five supplementary spreads, the music catalog includes a series DeMarco’s most popular songs within his discography, conceptualized through a combination of experimental, punk-inspired typesetting and image-making techniques.
Process:
To create the design of the catalog, I used a two-column grid on each page to ensure there were elements of uniformity and consistency in my layout, but often broke it to convey the controlled chaos of punk imagery. In an effort to further emulate punk aesthetics, I chose to include visual elements such as torn edges, cut paper, "scanned" images, magazine clippings, cartoon overlays, angled text, as well as a combination of set type and handwritten text.
