"Melt" – Album Cover Design
Hand made project - 2 weeks - 2022
As part of my graphic design studies, I was asked to design an album cover for a song that resonates with me.
I chose "Melt" by Kehlani—a tender love song about emotional fusion, where two people are so deeply in love that the boundaries between them start to dissolve. The line between "you" and "me" becomes beautifully blurry.
Melting the Visual Language
To reflect the song’s message, I gravitated toward
a monochromatic palette—soft, gentle, and emotional. I wanted the colors and textures to feel like they were melting into one another, just like the lovers in the song.
I experimented with various physical materials that could convey this sensation of melting: ice cream, ice, white glue… but the final star of the show was heavy cream.
Choosing the Perfect Melt:
Cream vs. Glue
During the creative process, I experimented with different materials to express the feeling of two souls melting into one. I tested both white glue and cream. While the white glue created an interesting texture, it felt colder and more artificial. The cream, on the other hand, brought a warm, soft, and romantic quality that better aligned with the emotional tone of the song. Its natural color and organic flow added depth and authenticity to the visual story
I wanted to tell, making it the perfect choice for the final design.
Material Matters
This was a hands-on project in the most literal sense.
I didn’t rely on digital tools alone—I got messy.
Working with real materials gave the piece an authentic, tactile quality that can’t be replicated on screen. The creamy texture flowed and merged in unexpected ways, creating natural patterns that echoed the emotional theme of the song.
From Physical to Digital
This was a hands-on project in the most literal sense.
I didn’t rely on digital tools alone—I got messy.
Working with real materials gave the piece an authentic, tactile quality that can’t be replicated on screen. The creamy texture flowed and merged in unexpected ways, creating natural patterns that echoed the emotional theme of the song.
Final Thoughts
This project reminded me how powerful tactile exploration can be in a digital world. Sometimes, the messiest materials lead to the most meaningful outcomes.