I have been doing design work for percussionist Ben Reimer for as long as I can remember, however, this project was a first. We both dreamed of the day we could put out an LP. For him it was as a musician and for me it was as a designer. This came to fruition on this project, Katana of Choice.

My goal was to keep the design understated, a juxtaposition against the energy that was captured sonically on the vinyl. I wanted the art to be clean and not heavy handed. Tall, condensed sans serif for titles was chosen as a reference to the long slender blade of a katana. The body copy type is set in Jenson (one of my favourites to set books in). I chose Jenson because it has a beautiful, classic look and feel. I really wanted to capture a timeless beauty on the cover.

Drops of blood on the corner of the cover add a layer of intrigue. An allusion to the tour de force that is the title track “Katana of Choice”.