JUG BAND MILLIONAIRE by The Muddy Basin Ramblers
This album is a tribute to the pioneers of Jug Band music, a folk music style from the 1920s and 1930s blending African-American blues, jazz, and rural country music.
Our design for this CD package is inspired by vintage sheet music. In the early 1920s, printed sheet music was a widely consumed medium. The popularity of 78 rpm records helped create demand for sheet music. In some cases, the sheet music for a song might have outsold the recording itself.
To faithfully pay homage to the format, we studied actual copies of sheet music dating from the late 1800s to the 1930s. We obtained several dozens of examples from flea markets in the U.S. and on eBay. Easily available and inexpensive, these printed materials offered a rich set of visual and tactile references for the design of "Jug Band Millionaire."
Album Design: A Mini-Encyclopedia in the Style of Vintage Sheet Music
The physical album is an early 1920s period-style "songbook." Contained within is a 33-page booklet with sheet music for selected recordings featured on the CD. It also contains notes and commentary for each song and historical anecdotes about Jug Bands. There are also hand-drawn illustrations of the Jug Band musicians whose music is featured in the recording. In effect, this album package serves as a "mini-encyclopedia" for early Jug Band music. The overall design adopts the style of visual art found in sheet music.
Layout
Each page is densely packed with text, musical notation scores, and visual elements such as advertisements. No space is wasted, in keeping with the aesthetics and opportunistic commercialism of early 20th century publications.
Virtual Advertisements and Other Playful Details
In essence, sheet music was a pop medium, meant to be affordable and accessible. In addition to printed music, it contained promotional ads at the page edges or centerfold positions. Catchy language was used to market other songs in a publisher's catalog. To carry on this tradition, we created a series of fictional and real ads. The ads advertise albums from the band's past catalog, printing companies, design companies, beer, and Jug Band instruments like the kazoo and the washtub bass.
Printing Techniques and Vintage Feel
For this design, we embraced the "imperfections" of early printing technology and techniques. On the cover, we used two-tone printing, creating multiple color gradients by adjusting ink proportions. We did this to create a certain "roughness" and asymmetry, and evoke a nostalgic feel. No special processing was used in the printing of the booklet, except for the cover. We intentionally set the cutting dies to create irregular sections. This is seen in the "worn-out" edges of the cover, made for an "antique" effect.
Typography and CD Packaging: A Tribute to Craftsmanship Traditions
Over 20 different fonts are used throughout the booklet, which are based on popular typefaces from the 1900s to the 1930s, and enhance the package's historical feel. The CD sleeve is inspired by the packaging of Black Diamond-brand guitar strings from the 1920s and 30s. The sleeve is letterpress-printed, using a restored Original Heidelberg Platen Press machine over 100 years old. The lettering has a textured, handmade feel, further contributing to the vintage theme
Maximalist Approach in Design
The overall design style traces back to early 20th-century Maximalism. On the CD cover and booklet, an abundance of visual detail is used to reflect the music and design of the 1920s, and transport listeners back to the golden era from which Jug Band music originated.
泥灘地浪人《壺罐樂隊百萬富翁》
向壺罐樂隊音樂先驅致敬的復古之作
專輯是對壺罐樂隊 (Jug Band) 音樂先驅的致敬，這是源於1920至1930年代融合非裔美國鄉村音樂、藍調與爵士元素的經典音樂形式。專輯裝幀靈感取自當時風行的Sheet Music (樂譜書)，是一廣受歡迎的音樂媒介，在1920年代的銷量甚或超越歌曲的唱片本身。為精確復刻這形式，我們從eBay購入多份歷史近百年的古董樂譜，這些樂譜在美國市場流通量大且價格親民，為設計提供了豐富的參考。
專輯裝幀復刻古董樂譜的迷你百科全書
專輯以33頁小冊子形式呈現，再現一本復古樂譜書的樣貌。內容涵蓋歌曲與註釋、Jug Band的歷史逸聞、經典歌曲樂譜及手繪插圖，是關於早期Jug Band音樂的迷你百科全書。裝幀設計考究樂譜特有的風格與元素，於封面以手繪形式，剪影人物站立於湖畔，背景是一輪圓月，棕櫚樹與草地環繞其間，營造浪漫氛圍；專輯名稱使用手繪字體，結合立體和陰影效果增添視覺層次。版面則參照當時樂譜的設計密度，填滿廣告文案與唱片公司標誌，無留白的畫面完美還原20世紀早期的高度商業化美學。
虛擬廣告與趣味細節
Sheet Music的本質是一種價格低廉、用途廣泛的印刷品，其內頁與邊緣常見的大量促銷廣告，以直白而吸引眼球的語言推銷出版商的其他產品。為延續這一特色，我們創作了一系列的廣告，包括舊專輯宣傳、印刷廠、設計公司、啤酒、樂器與課程等等廣告，將小冊子的邊角空間填滿，使其充滿趣味性與探索感。
印刷工藝與復古質感
延續早期不完美的印刷技術特質，雙色印刷並通過不同油墨比例創造多層次色階，將粗糙與不對稱的質感融入設計，形成懷舊韻味。全書無額外印刷加工，僅在裁切刀模上設計了些微不規則的細節，完成後呈現出仿舊破裂邊緣的效果，增添古董感。
字型與光碟包裝致敬工藝傳統
全書使用超過20種字型，參考1900至1930年代流行的字體風格，增強歷史感。光碟保護袋則模仿早期 Black Diamond Strings吉他弦包裝，採用百年歷史的Original Heidelberg Platen Press海德堡凸版印刷機 製作，傳遞復古手工質感。
極繁主義的設計詮釋
整體設計風格追溯20世紀初極繁主義 (Maximalism) ，從封面到內頁的每一處細節都充滿對1920年代印刷品的高濃度還原，引領聽眾回到壺罐樂隊音樂的黃金年代。ㄒ
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Photography: Aenbi Kuo
Illustrations: Steve Kim, Ted Pigott
Cover Illustrations: Julie Yeh, Steve Kim
Body Text: Justfont 浙江民間書刻體
Printing: FuFu Print Inc.
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Illustrations: Steve Kim, Ted Pigott
Cover Illustrations: Julie Yeh, Steve Kim
Body Text: Justfont 浙江民間書刻體
Printing: FuFu Print Inc.
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Nominated for Grammy Award Best Recording Package
入圍葛萊美「最佳唱片設計包裝獎」
Buy Physical CD at BandCamp Other Albums: Formosa Medicine Show, Hold That Tiger EP: The Dance Age
