Album cover design and poster zine concept for Olivia Dean's debut album, "Messy".
Messy by Olivia Dean is an editorial design project reimagining the visual world of British soul artist Olivia Dean's 2023 debut album, translating the record's themes of emotional vulnerability, tenderness, and self-acceptance into a cohesive print design system. The visual identity is built around two central motifs — enlarged fingerprint imagery, representing identity and the deeply personal nature of the music, and delicate botanical illustrations drawn from the album's lyrical references to flowers and nature — layered together across a muted sage green and dusty blush palette to create something that feels both intimate and refined.
The vinyl sleeve features a gatefold design where die-cut bars interrupt the floral imagery on the front cover to reveal what is underneath, evoking the tension between what we reveal and what we conceal — a throughline across the album's emotional narrative. The accompanying zine unfolds to reveal all twelve song lyrics set in an expressive mix of script and serif typography, that unfolds to present as a concert poster.
