This EP cover art project was for Oklahoma artist Austin Hackett. The music came from a real place, so the design had to reflect that. No gloss. No cleanup. Just the weight of where he was when he wrote it.
The cover captures a single moment. After the damage is done, before anything is made right. A bail receipt, a condom wrapper from Rodney’s Bail Bonds, and a torn dollar bill. That’s all that’s left. They’re pinned to a corkboard like evidence, but no one’s asking for his side of the story.
The layout forms a subtle cross. It’s not loud, but it’s there. Like maybe this isn’t just about one night. Maybe it’s about what people think they know. About a system that rarely leaves room for grace or redemption.
There’s tension here. Between what’s real and what’s assumed. Between the cost of mistakes and the cost of being misunderstood.
I also designed the promo assets to carry the same tone. Everything was kept gritty, shadowed, and raw. No filters. No spin. Just something honest enough to match the story behind the music.
This is the third cover I’ve created for Austin Hackett Music. The first two were Case Number and Bottle & a Bible. Each one captures a different layer of what he’s lived through. When you put them together, they tell a story that’s personal and honestly way too familiar for a lot of people.
