I got a curious call from a rapper by the name of AK-Rill from Hollywood (via Kaliningrad, Russia), who was visiting Orlando last week and needed to put together a cover for an EP he recorded with Paramount in order to get it out ASAP to labels both in the US and the UK. "Curious," because let's face it, I don't get many calls out of the blue from Russian rappers visiting from Hollywood who want to discuss album covers over Panera on a Thursday morning. Also, he was one of the gosh darn nicest clients I've had the pleasure of working with, and his input really helped all this come together in a matter of a few days.

The type treatment was inspired by vintage Norwegian type design, and the rest of the logo/identity work was crafted to fit the over-arching themes of stardom and the "hip hop American dream" that run through the lyrics; the idea of being a foreigner trying to make it artistically in a new land. To prevent any issues that may stem from using American flag imagery abroad, we also agreed on a second retro-styled concept to produce for labels overseas.