Chris Canas Band's Detroit

The Chris Canas Band brings the soul of the blues to life with electrifying performances and masterful musicianship. Known for their dynamic stage presence and heartfelt sound, they keep the blues tradition alive while infusing it with a modern, high-energy twist.

DELIVERABLES

  • CD Packaging

OBJECTIVES

Referred by Third Street Cigar, I worked directly with Mr. Canas to design his album. As the “Prince of Detroit,” he wanted to showcase the urban essence of the city. He hired a photographer to capture images in a graffiti setting, emphasizing Detroit’s raw energy. 

This project was one of my favorites due to the excellent collaboration with Chris Canas. His communication was outstanding, and his enthusiasm for the project was evident in the material he provided. Chris sent an abundance of content, including 40-50 photos, a custom-made font for the album, and a heartfelt description of the album’s meaning to him. 

The custom font was used solely for “Detroit” and “Chris Canas” to make those words stand out, while a second font was used for the rest of the content to ensure clarity.

The first step was selecting photos with ample space for textual content, as I needed to fit in details like the album description, track list, his logo, the studio’s logo, and credits for contributors. Since Chris is the “Prince of Detroit,” every image featured him, ensuring that he remained the focal point of the cover, CD, and inside label.

After discussing with him, we chose a half-body shot for the cover to differentiate it from his previous albums. The title and names were added, but the inside was where I really wanted to create cohesion. I designed the inside so the image spanned across both sides of the booklet, with Chris centered on the left. The left side included his personal description of the album, giving it an intimate and personal touch. The right side listed musicians and producers, arranged neatly to maintain balance and readability.

For the back cover, I used a photo of Chris walking away with a guitar slung over his shoulder, symbolizing the end of the album. The track list, album title, and artist name were highlighted, followed by legal product identification text.