SKYE DARLING

The Project:

Concept to creation artist branding, album production, crowdfunding support, and media development for singer-songwriter Skye Darling in advance of her debut record “Only Noise.”

The Timeline:

January—October 2025

The Outcome:

‘Only Noise’ released on October 1, 2025 after a successful Kickstarter, raising over $7,500. Skye received a full suite of media assets and resources to jumpstart her solo career: six mixed/mastered tracks, headshots, several music videos, a website, album & single cover art design, social media content, and dedicated consulting sessions around release strategy and artist branding.

A black and white stylized photo of a woman with long, dark hair with vertical cuts breaking up the image and showing another image under. Text overlay reads 'Only Noise' in white, cursive font. In the background, handwritten text is faintly visible.

Audio
Production

Sarah came to us with songs and key aesthetic cues in mind, but looking for collaboration on arrangements and production. With acoustic and virtual instruments, we explored a wide palette of colors and textures to bring her vision to life.

Photography

Skye is a multi-style, multifaceted artist, which meant she needed diversity in her photos: some showcased her folk side with warm imagery reminiscent of summer nights at camp, while others were more dark and artistic to reflect the emotional depth of her debut record.

A woman with long, wavy hair looking over her shoulder in a dimly lit environment.
A young woman with long dark curly hair, sitting on the floor against an olive green background, holding an acoustic guitar and a violin.
Overlapping images of Skye Darling, with double exposure appearing as two overlapping young women with long hair against a dark background.
A woman with long, curly dark hair, wearing a beige checkered long-sleeve top and light blue jeans, is sitting on the floor against a plain olive-green background. She is posing with her head tilted back, eyes closed, one arm resting behind her head,
A woman with closed eyes holding a glowing candle close to her face in a dark environment.
Black and white portrait of a young woman with long, dark, wavy hair, wearing a light-colored knitted sweater, against a dark background.
A woman with long dark hair gazing at the camera, wearing a yellow sweater, jewelry including a ring and earrings, against a dark background.
A young woman with long dark hair sitting on the floor in front of a plain wall, looking at the camera with a serious expression, wearing a striped long-sleeve top and jeans.

Album Design

The album design came together using photos we captured paired with soft colors for a minimalist, elegant look.

Open cd case with photo of a woman on the left page and a CD titled "The Garden" on the right page.
Album cover with a woman sitting in front of golden drapes, wearing an off-shoulder top, with loose curly hair and dark lipstick. The artist's name, Sarah Grella, is at the top, and the album title, The Garden, is at the bottom in large pink letters.

Zine Design

Developed as part of a crowdfunding strategy, we worked with Sarah to develop a custom 24-page zine showcasing the lyrics and stories behind the songs.

Book cover for "The Garden" by Sarah Grella featuring a woman with curly hair in two mirror-like reflections, with a vintage or textured aesthetic.
Painting of a woman with dark hair, sitting with arms crossed, partially draped in fabric, seen through an arched window.
A beige background with two small images of yellow flowers, one at the top and one at the bottom, and centered poem text between the flowers.
A beige background with dried flowers at the top and bottom. Text in the center reads '02 THE WAY I'LL GO 02' in gold and brown colors.
A dried, yellowish-green stem with leaves and flowers overlaps with a collage photo of a woman with dark hair in two oval-shaped frames.
A poem titled 'Not Enough' with three dried flowers of different colors on a light pink background.