How lame is that?

I hate it when designers hide their partners in their work like they're making some huge romantic gesture and preserving their image in time forever. Well, I used to hate it, then I did it.

iTunes pay a lot of money to feature in the Argos Catalogue, and the print run is well over a million copies, so potentially getting your face in there goes a long way to making you the most famous person in the world (sort of). So you can see this was a romantic opportunity to preserve Karen's image forever (it turns out I am lame). Still it's funny, and when we cracked it open at Argos, Luton and started showing complete strangers there's no way they thought we were poorly in our brains.

There she is on the iPod under the heading 'Photos', next to Johnny Depp. Click the photo to see an enlarged version.

To The Sky Single Cover

The next single from the Mercury Music Prize Nominated Maps Album is the biggest pop song on it, and the feeling within Mute is that it's going to be a big summer hit, so I really wanted to deliver on the cover

I wanted to get right inside the cubes for this one, and give a feeling that they were falling to earth and through them you can see the sky and the sun. It's impossible to match James' genius on this track, but to get inside the song and try and reflect some of the euphoria was where I tried to hang my hat.

My main inspirations have come from the first Slowdive EP, and the first My Bloody Valentine album Loveless.


Paul Taylor at Mute suggested that we roll out a different version of the cover on each format, I can't remember seeing that done before.

This is his second direct hit after he suggested we spot UV the logo on the back of the Gatefold Album. This is why I like working with Mute.

Mercury Music Prize Nominated...

So there is it, Maps are Shortlisted as one of the 12 artists nominated for the Mercury Music Award. This is great news for James and for everyone else involved with maps, including me.

This kind of attention for the album is going to push it deeper into the public consciousness, and that means more people are going to hold my artwork. I'm swelling up with pride, he really deserves it maybe I do too.

Here are the Nominess and the odds;

Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare - 4:1
Amy Winehouse - Back to Black - 4:1
The View - Hats Off to the Buskers - 8:1
Dizzee Rascal - Maths + English - 8:1
Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future - 8:1
Jamie T - Panic Prevention - 8:1
Bat for Lashes - Fur and Gold - 10:1
The Young Knives - Voices of Animals and Men - 10:1
Fionn Regan - The End of History - 10:1
Maps - We Can Create - 12:1
New Young Pony Club - Fantastic Playroom - 12:1
Basquiat Strings - Basquiat Strings with Seb Rochford - 12:1

On the Wall

It's quite rare that someone takes might piece of your artwork and gets a canvass made out of it, but it's a really nice feeling when it happens.

My work now proudly hangs in on someone's wall in Germany, thanks Ralph, now get a nail in the wall and get it up there, I'm coming round, (I'm not really).