Childish Gambino's gold-certified album Awaken, My Love! had a whole different name and look before we got our hands on it in December 2016. Creative director Ibra Ake shared what the cover was supposed to look like on Instagram just days ago and now the Paris-based graphic designer, Tyrsa, speaks on his contributions to the old look.
Previously titled Operation Highjump!, Tyrsa was given the album's photo and was being fed different words and explanations to come up with the perfect graphic design for the title's text. "For the following months I've worked on a lot of different proposals, while Ibra was feeding me with plenty of cool references to help me find inspiration," he said. "Heavy metal band logos, psychedelic posters, jazz album covers, and many other references helped me create a bunch of type lettering."
The third photo in the slide below was the set graphic for the album but was changed very last minute to the name and cover we now know and love.
"Even if I was a bit frustrated not to see the title I've worked hard, I honestly believe it was a good decision, the photo being so strong and iconic," Tyrsa added. "The album is now one of my Top 10 of the last decade and I feel very humbled to have had the opportunity to work on it. Being able to keep working with an artist I love and a visionary team who trust me and always make me step out of my comfort zone make me feel very honored."