OUGD406 - Cassette Packaging

OUGD406 - Cassette Packaging 

Each cassette tape will be held in a standard plastic case to ensure it is suitably protected. These cases will be completely clear in order to show the entirety of the cover, spine and flap of the J-Card as well as the orange cassette tape. 

Idea 1

The vinyl sleeve for Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was the first ever vinyl sleeve to display the entirety of all the lyrics of the track list. This cardboard mailer which would enclose the cassette in it’s plastic case contains all the lyrics for every song on the cassette. The type appears in Gotham Narrow in order to ensure the space is fully used and in light of this, the kerning is decreased and the text is justified. The last song of the cassette- Revolution 9 - is the one with the supposedly backwashed hidden message ‘Turn me on Dead Man’ at the end, which appears on one of the flag designs. This is reflected horizontally so it is backwards and increased significantly in size so that it takes up the entire width of the mailer. When the mailer is closed, this will be along the flap where the mailer opens. The few other lyrics of Revolution 9 - “number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine” overlap this large sentence, representing how it is not officially the last sentence of the lyrics because it is purely coincidence it is heard on the record.   In order to actually fit all the lyrics onto the mailer, they had to be decreased to a very small pt size, meaning the overall aesthetic of the design is more focused on pattern and less on legible words, looking towards how it might be produced - screen printing, such a small point size might cause problems as it may turn out illegible. 

Idea 2

In light of the name of the cassette mix - Peel Slowly and See - this idea uses a vinyl strip which would wrap around the plastic casing, so it literally has to be unpeeled. Its vertical positioning can be experimented with, meaning it can block out certain lines of the title changing it to ‘Peel Slowly’ or ‘Peel and See’. This creates more of a narrative because it then takes on more of an instructional role. ‘Peel Slowly’ would be particularly effective because it staggers the two components of the title meaning first you peel it slowly, and then the ‘and see’ his revealed. Type could be added to the vinyl strip on the end in a material such as Letraset, perhaps saying ‘Peel Slowly and See’. This would make the production look that bit more professional however it may seem repetitive if it is already said on the cover.