TheYardbirds

'68 Boxset Art Direction

The Yardbirds need little introduction. Responsible for psychedelic rock classics and the careers of many musical legends, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, The Yardbirds were a key ingredient in the sound of the sixties. Every band reaches its peak year, and for The Yardbirds, one particular performance turned into a mythical masterpiece – their live show on 30 May 1968 at the Anderson Theater NYC.

When Jim McCarthy, Chris Dreja and Jimmy Page played their last US tour together, this spectacular night ignited the iconic heavy rock sound of Page’s guitar. Sounds that would soon be immortalised with the conception of Led Zeppelin just months later. So, it was an honour to be invited by the surviving band members to be part of this unique project, especially when asked to draw our inspiration from the infamous 1960’s counterculture magazine, Oz.

The Yardbirds Art Direction

We were commissioned to develop a visual narrative for the entire project, including an album cover, 48-page book and a suite of high-quality packaging.

The album cover developed into a collaboration with Jimmy Page,  adapting one of his original oil paintings, produced around the same time.

This was complemented with a book full of original artwork, produced using traditional graphic design techniques, painting, illustration and hand-drawn typography.

The Yardbirds Art Direction - Cover Art

“We thought this might be lost forever, but we’ve rediscovered it, re-mixed it.” – Jimmy Page.

The Yardbirds Art Direction - Book Cover

A selection of the booklet artwork

The Yardbirds Art Direction - Book Inner
The Yardbirds Art Direction - Book Image
The Yardbirds Art Direction - Book Image
The Yardbirds Art Direction - Book Image