ALBUM COVER &
MUSIC VIDEO PROJECTS
Warning Birds
Warning Birds was an indie pop band from Perth, Western Australia, led by Sam Carmody. Emerging in 2011, they quickly gained recognition, winning the WAM Rock Song of the Year Award with their track "Sally" . Their music is characterized by smooth, driving beats, cascading guitar patterns, and warm, emotive vocals. Critics have praised their ability to craft "eyes shut, sing your heart out" love songs without the typical teenage angst
I was hired by Sam Carmody to create a visual identity and design several of their upcoming projects. The band wanted an ethereal and indie-style design that reflected their soulful indie rock sound. I was also eventually tasked with creating three music videos in close collaboration with Sam, who is also a published writer.
Client:
Warning Birds
Years:
2011-2013
Ghost town
Ep cover, gig poster, screen printed T-shirt and music video.
The song tells the story of a man returning to his hometown, only to realize he no longer feels a sense of belonging. I used negative space to form a figure, representing his disconnection and isolation from the place he once called home.
The music video was filmed in Sam’s hometown, using a home-movie aesthetic to evoke a sense of nostalgia and personal reflection.
Sally
EP cover, gig poster, and music video.
The song “Sally” tells the story of an illicit relationship between a student and a young teacher. The EP cover and gig poster feature a young woman portraying Sally in a suburban setting—barefoot and adrift—visually capturing her sense of regret and the feeling of having lost her way.
The music video explores the narrative from both perspectives, offering insight into their conflicting emotions.
An Agnetha Berg Film
Written by Sam Carmody
Produced by Courtney Meagher
Director of Photography: Agnetha Berg
Editor: Sam Carmody
Art Director: Agnetha Berg
Post production: Jason Eshraghian
Creative Advisor: Bensen Thomas
Casting director: Hannah Felton
Production crew: Hannah Felton, Alex Berry, James Dixon
Additional photography: Alex Berry, James Dixon, Courtney Meagher
Battle plans
Digipack album cover and gig poster.
The themes of the EP are about an internal and existential crisis — evoking feelings of isolation, anxiety, and preparing oneself to face unwanted change. To conceptualise these feelings, I envisioned a beached great white shark against a stormy ocean with battleships on the horizon, as a tragic casualty of an ongoing war.
Using a 3D shark model, I modified and integrated the shark into a stormy beach scene, adding smoke from burning warships on the horizon to enhance the sense of devastation. The photos of the beach I took myself on a stormy winter day in Perth, the shark was bought from a stock 3D model site, and the battle ships on the horizon are from actual world war II footage.
I directed a beach photoshoot with the band, styling them in ambiguous clothing reminiscent of World War II, adding a timeless and evocative quality to the imagery. This image was featured on an alternate poster used as promotional material for the album release.
I´ll tell the
water of you
Music video
Directed by Sam Carmody
Filmed by Agnetha Berg
Edited by Tim Brade
The music video portrays a woman breaking free from an abusive relationship, finding refuge and liberation as she escapes toward the water and away from her abuser.
Band T-shirt
The design draws directly from the band’s name. The warning bird serves as a signal that sharks are present in the water, much like the canary once warned miners of toxic fumes in coal mines. Sam often explores themes of sharks and unseen danger in his lyrics, which inspired this concept.
I personally screen printed the two-color design by hand.
