Nine is the Level
Oscillations
Design by Transmission
Transmission is a graphic design studio working with clients in the arts, culture and publishing industries. We spoke to them about the design development for ‘Oscillations’ the first vinyl release by Nine is the Level, a British ambient music producer.
Released on Self Published (2022)
Hello. Please tell us about the brief and commission.
Transmission: I already knew Doug (Nine is the Level) via a separate project and we spoke about creating the artwork for his first vinyl release. Doug is also the European ambassador for Chase Bliss Audio effects pedals, which he uses in his music making process alongside old cassette tape recordings and ambient sound generated through various instruments. His sound is abstract, analogue and experimental, which he wanted to reflect on the cover design. The brief was open and he wanted to explore ideas that reflect the accidental and archive quality of the music. Doug also wanted every vinyl release to be accompanied by a printed artefact, for example an old photo, which was another consideration when exploring ideas for the design.
How did the music inspire the ideation process?
Transmission: Doug talked me through his music making process. He deconstructs instruments, samples old voice recordings and generates abstract sound through an electric guitar, which is fed into various effects pedals. He’s like a mad scientist and this was the starting point when generating initial ideas for the cover artwork. 
What did you research when developing ideas for artwork?
Transmission: I didn’t know much about the abstract music making process, and the use of guitar pedals to distort sound, so I started by researching the history of analogue electronics and sampling. This led to researching the visual language of sound boards, circuits and electronics whuch has a very nerdy design language which I like. The music has an accidental and found quality, with the use of samples, and new sound is generated new through an experimental process.
Please share an insight into the design development.
Transmission: I wanted the cover artwork to reflect the accidental and analogue process of Doug’s music making, so I started by visiting local second hand stores and charity shops to find visual inspiration. After searching through a lot of tat I eventually found a set of old instructional film slides that were were originally used in presentations to demonstrate how to use early computers in an office environment. These computers were massive and the people in the slides looked like boffins.
How did you develop the design and how does the final artwork reflect the music?
Transmission: I decided to use the found instructional slides for the front and back cover artwork. They work great visually, even though they were originally intended to be practical, and I also like the idea of repurposing something obscolete. The slides were old, discoloured and dusty, so I scanned them into the computer where I could restore the colour and clean them up in Photoshop. I only wanted to restore the integrity of the original and didn’t want to manipulate them too much, but the process still took a long time. I originally bought a batch of presentation slides but onlytwo were used for the front and back cover artwork. The rest of the original slides (and other found objects) were packaged up and sold with the vinyl record, which makes every release original, unique and collectible. Design by Transmission
Buy the ‘Oscillations’ vinyl here