The story of FCB Content Director Mike Braid and musician Jeremy Redmore's collaboration.

Music has always been a big part of Mike Braid’s life. He’s been known to pick up the drumsticks at the occasional Battle of the Ad Bands, and some years ago was stage / tour manager for Midnight Youth. Along with touring, Braid created the album artwork for Midnight Youth’s 2nd album, World Comes Calling.

When Jeremy Redmore, ex lead singer of Midnight Youth, embarked on his concept album, ‘The Brightest Flame’, he was looking for an Art Director who was capable of visually interpreting the journey this album represents in an inspiring, intuitive and collaborative way.

The Brightest Flame: Album Cover

The Brightest Flame recounts Redmore’s personal journey over a turbulent 12 months, broken down into 5 chapters and 11 tracks. Each chapter is associated with a day during that period (Day 1, Day 21, Day 60, Day 180 and Day 365) and the tracks within each chapter reflect Redmore’s memories and experiences during that particular time. Each chapter was released over the course of four months between November 2019 and March 2020.

The Brightest Flame: 5 Chapters

Braid’s challenge was to fashion a visual narrative of his own calling, with elements versatile enough to be used multiple times across cover art,

Spotify canvas, lyric videos, social media, posters and live performance.

The process included graphic design, photographic elements and cinematography. As each chapter’s artwork was designed according to the feelings, memories and moods the music presented, the final album cover didn’t reveal itself until all five chapters had been designed. This was an aspect of the project that Braid particularly enjoyed: usually all the elements of an album release and tour are derived from the album cover but this project turned that sequence upside down. It required faith in the process, stepping back from full control, and was organic, iterative and hugely collaborative.

The Brightest Flame: Spotify Video Loops

The result is a beautiful collection of inter-related yet standalone pieces: the use of collage to mark each chapter, video elements accompanying each track, captured as hypnotic, mundane moments / beauty in the everyday – used for lyric videos and Spotify canvas loops, tour posters and of course the eventual album cover.

Side note: Always modest, Braid nearly forgot to point out that he has been nominated for Te Toi Ataata Pukaemi Toa / Best Album Artwork at the 2020 Artisan Awards, part of the Aotearoa Music Awards, held in November.

Check out The Brightest Flame on Spotify here