Massive Attack Live in Amsterdam

This project explores the idea of layering as both a visual strategy and a conceptual response to trip-hop culture. Inspired by Massive Attack’s Mezzanine, the work draws from the album’s dense, immersive sound and its cultural moment, translating those qualities into a tactile, type-driven design system.

The design process emphasized physical layering to mirror the way beats, samples, and atmospheres overlap in the music. Type was scanned, jelly-printed onto vellum, and re-scanned, creating depth, instability, and texture through repeated reproduction. These analog processes reflect the construction of trip-hop itself.

A strict black-and-white palette references Mezzanine’s iconic cover while heightening contrast and reinforcing a gritty, unpolished aesthetic. The outer cover is intentionally chaotic and textured, while the lyric booklet inside becomes slightly calmer. Overlapping vellum pages allow the lyrics to physically layer as the booklet is turned, echoing how Massive Attack’s vocals drift in and out of their soundscapes. This transition from noise to clarity parallels the act of isolating meaning within complex music.

Typography is the sole visual language of the project. Citizen OT serves as the primary typeface, treated with a fragmented, experimental approach inspired by Ray Gun magazine. By removing imagery entirely, the project leans into type as both form and content, allowing letterforms, spacing, and disruption to carry the emotional weight.

Overall, this project was an exploration of texture, process, and restraint, using material and typographic experimentation to honor the layered, gritty, and immersive essence of trip-hop.