Princess Chelsea

Art Direction
Photography
Design
Marketing
Branding

I am a frequent collaborator with Princess Chelsea, a Taite Award winning synth-pop artist that is arguably more well known globally than in her homeland NZ. I’ve often worked closely with her labels Lil’ Chief and Flying Nun as her main choice for photography and design throughout her career.

Princess Chelsea’s look and sound had evolved considerably since we started working together. Her early aesthetic was based around retro storybook art and old Disney comics. Examples below show the 2022 10th anniversary deluxe edition of her first LP, with gold foil and a die-cut gatefold cover that revealed expanded illustrations.

By the time she recorded her second album: The Great Cybernetic Depression. her sound was richer and grander with an overarching dystopian theme. Her audience had also grown considerably larger after her music video hit more than 1,000,000 views.

On The Great Cybernetic Depression we agreed to a complete aesthetic shift to match the changing sound. This included a studio shoot and a series of nebulous cosmic images with Chelsea mimicking the cover of David Bowie’s album Low. The resulting images were used for album art, associated press & tour imagery. The more considered design approach not only helped shape audience and critical perception, but also helped her articulate how she wanted to be viewed as an artist going forward.