by Molly Tuttle
When I met Simone Rubi in 1999, she was living in Oakland, Calif., a singer in a popular band and working as a graphic designer for ESPRIT. Simone immediately won me over with her delight and appreciation for the design of the simple things in life -- a redwood tree, a tiny mushroom, a perfect wave, hand-knit slippers -- and her ability to ignite others with her enthusiasm and heartfelt propaganda. Over the past decade, I have observed with a smile as I've watched my friend travel the world, arriving in each town like a magnetic Pied Piper, luring together musicians and artists to participate in her never-ending lifestyle of artistic collaboration and celebration of good times.
In 2007, Simone designed the cover for Feist's Grammy-nominated masterpiece, "The Reminder."
For me, this is one of the greatest album covers of all time. In the same spirit of Joni Mitchell's cover for "Ladies of the Canyon," the image captures the spirit of a woman at a particular point in her life, without hitting you over the head with a glamorous beauty shot. The elegant silhouette (shot by Mary Rozzi), the hand-crafted typeface, the sparse yet perfectly executed use of color. The sum of all those parts is one single image that visually exudes the soul of the brilliant collection of songs on the album.
Over the past few years since "The Reminder" was released, I have noticed other album covers having a similar feel and I can't help thinking that other designers have been influenced by the work of these inspired ladies. See below.
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When I met Simone Rubi in 1999, she was living in Oakland, Calif., a singer in a popular band and working as a graphic designer for ESPRIT. Simone immediately won me over with her delight and appreciation for the design of the simple things in life -- a redwood tree, a tiny mushroom, a perfect wave, hand-knit slippers -- and her ability to ignite others with her enthusiasm and heartfelt propaganda. Over the past decade, I have observed with a smile as I've watched my friend travel the world, arriving in each town like a magnetic Pied Piper, luring together musicians and artists to participate in her never-ending lifestyle of artistic collaboration and celebration of good times.
Simone Rubi. Photo by Mary Rozzi
In 2007, Simone designed the cover for Feist's Grammy-nominated masterpiece, "The Reminder."
For me, this is one of the greatest album covers of all time. In the same spirit of Joni Mitchell's cover for "Ladies of the Canyon," the image captures the spirit of a woman at a particular point in her life, without hitting you over the head with a glamorous beauty shot. The elegant silhouette (shot by Mary Rozzi), the hand-crafted typeface, the sparse yet perfectly executed use of color. The sum of all those parts is one single image that visually exudes the soul of the brilliant collection of songs on the album.
Joni Mitchell's cover art for "Ladies of the Canyon"
Over the past few years since "The Reminder" was released, I have noticed other album covers having a similar feel and I can't help thinking that other designers have been influenced by the work of these inspired ladies. See below.
Read more:
