2019 CCMA Creative Director(s) of the Year Award [final nominee]
2019 WCMA Excellence in Visual Design [final nominee]
Photography by Ted Ellis
This new album comes almost five years since Kira’s last full album. For fans, it represents an introduction to a new Kira. It was decided by the team to drop “Isabella” and move forward with simply “KIRA”, and this album presented a perfect opportunity for a full rebranding. The custom KIRA logo and typeface was created to give Kira’s brand a unique wordmark and strong foundation as we developed her new visual identity throughout the album cycle. An alternate solid version of the logo was created for use at small sizes and in certain merchandise applications.
The main concept for the album artwork was the duality that exists within each of us. We actively avoided the clichéd dichotomies of good vs evil, dark/light, black/white, yin/yang, etc. Instead, neither good or bad, two sides work together to create a powerful whole. Concepts from initial creative meetings included two important ideas: 1. vulnerability makes you stronger; and, 2. honesty with yourself and others can be painful, but makes you more powerful. The “Sides” set up was carefully staged on set, then digitally stitched together to create one surrealist image that includes both Side A & Side B Kiras together. Wardrobe was styled to include a look pair that worked together with a bold luxurious style profile while offering a clear contrast between the two Kiras. While Side A Kira leads with a tall confidence, Side B Kira invites the audience to a more vulnerable side. Both work together to reveal the complex and beautiful complete KIRA.
The CD label is Kira’s favourite element. The illustration was inspired by her song Stupid Heart. I felt that the CD label was the perfect place for this piece, as the music is indeed at the heart of every album, and like this collection of songs, the illustration is beautiful and a little raw.
The titles for the full album and the pair of EPs was inspired by my first meeting with Kira where we discussed how this collection of songs went together more as a complementary set than a single narrative. The artwork for the EP covers was created so they look paired no matter which order they appeared in online. To further play on that concept, the last “S” in Sides on the album cover, and the second “Kira” on the spine, were flopped to mirror the first.
The artwork for Kira’s second single, Danger Danger, came from a photoshoot prior to the album. With the new KIRA branding in place, we were able to maintain ties to the album aesthetic. For her third single, We Should Be Together, Kira’s management team came to me with the concept of creating a movie poster style cover with Kira and Levi on contrasting backgrounds. We started with the poster design and modified that artwork for the single cover and animated GIF.
For Kira’s cross-Canadian tour we created several pieces of merchandise, the most popular being her bird t-shirt. The clean lines of the bird graphic tie into her primary logo and when paired with the solid logo alternate it gives an Armani-eque vibe. This graphic was also used as a backdrop on stage during her performances to further reinforce the brand.
Across all pieces we maintained a minimalist luxury feel with warm tones including the primary brand colours of: black, red, and gold.
