Album design for Manatee, an indie band located in Oakland, CA. Inspiration for the design came from research on manatee habitats and eating habits. Aside from being extremely endangered, a manatee’s diet consists of various sea vegetables. I decided to reference their favorite food – turtle grass – in the design because the rhythmic flow of the thin blades in water reminded me of the flowing rhythms of guitars in bands such the Smashing Pumpkins and My Bloody Valentine. I also wanted to capture the casual personality of the band members of whom I had the pleasure of getting to know while collaborating on the project. Both are calm with a charming sense of whimsy and simplicity about them. Their music is uptempo and poppy with obvious influences from The Velvet Underground and The Replacements with a clear interplay between melody and noise.