I’ve always been inspired by the interplay between sound and vision, so it’s no surprise that album cover design has become a true passion of mine. Running 7D Media alongside Trey Gunn has given me the opportunity to bring that passion to life—creating unique, visually compelling covers for our musicians. Below, you’ll find a selection of projects I’ve worked on, many shown with their template design guidelines to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process.
Security Project – Slowburn Tour Edition CD
This release was a true passion project for me—one where I not only designed the full CD cover but also developed the entire concept from the ground up. I envisioned creating a special CD for the band’s upcoming tour, blending digital-only tracks, select songs from past releases, and one brand-new recording: “On the Air” featuring Jerry Marotta on vocals. I curated the track list, designed the artwork, and pitched the idea to the band, who enthusiastically approved it. All photography used on the cover came from shots I captured during various tours, while the CD label graphic was adapted from a visual created by Doug Hatley for the live “Slowburn” video projections.
Deep Energy Orchestra – The Science of Sound CD
This third Deep Energy Orchestra cover was one of my most rewarding projects to date. Jason Everett envisioned sound waves traveling through an X-ray image of a human head, and we brought that idea to life using a six-panel jacket design. The artwork flows as one continuous image: sound waves enter through the front of the head, emerge as vapor from the back, ignite into flames, and then transform into the cosmic waves of the universe.
The flames and color patterns within the brain nod to the band’s first two albums, as does the placement of the band’s logo on the front cover and the recurring text style on the back and inside panels—giving the trilogy a cohesive visual identity. The CD label continues the lotus motif from the earlier releases, but this time the outline frames a star-filled space instead of fire.
The central inside panel features a vibrant cosmic scene, inspired by Jason’s original request for the second album (an idea we never used at the time). With its psychedelic colors, thematic continuity, and intricate details, this design feels like a culmination of the visual journey we’ve built together over three albums.
Deep Energy Orchestra – The Return CD
Jason’s initial idea for the cover was the back of a man gazing at a giant planet in space—something to connect with the Moksha Suite. While that specific vision ended up being used later for the single release (designed by someone else), we took the album cover in a different direction. The final design features the silhouette of a lotus layered over one of Jerry Lofarro’s striking fire photographs. As a subtle nod to Jason’s original concept, the lotus contains the image of a person with arms stretched skyward.
In keeping with the visual style of the first album, the border lines on the panels, the lotus on the CD label, and the image of Moksha were all overlaid with Jerry’s photography. However, this time the packaging expanded from a four-panel to a six-panel layout to accommodate Jason’s detailed notes and extensive credits. The fonts and text elements remain consistent with the first album, creating a strong sense of continuity between the two releases.
Deep Energy Orchestra – Playing with Fire
Although Trey first became familiar with my work through Security Project, my real start with 7D Media came with Deep Energy Orchestra. I vividly remember a conversation in Frazzá’s van during a Security Project tour, where Trey told me about his friend’s band, Pandamonium. Their mascot was a panda in a sumo outfit, yet their music drew heavily from classical Indian traditions. I told Trey, “It’s like seeing a restaurant with a Chinese sign outside, only to walk in and be served Indian food.” My next step was to share that exact thought with Jason Everett over the phone—which, surprisingly, led to him hiring me for social media guidance.
As often happens, my role quickly expanded to designing the album cover for the newly renamed band. Around that same tour, our friend Jerry LoFaro had taken stunning close-up shots of wood burning in a fire pit, originally intended for a Security Project stage projection of “Rhythm of the Heat.” Jason, a firefighter by profession, planned to call the album Playing with Fire, and Jerry’s photos instantly came to mind. He kindly allowed us to use them for the design.
I completed most of the cover while on a family vacation in Utah. The first version I presented resembled a flaming dragon’s face—my personal favorite—but Jason preferred a modified version (and as they say, the customer is always right). Instead of panda bears, I incorporated Hindu-inspired imagery to better reflect the music’s roots. Many of these design elements would go on to influence the look and feel of Deep Energy Orchestra’s next several albums.