Scotty Murphy - Graphic Design | Brand Identity - PiL: Metal Box (super-deluxe box set)

PiL: Metal Box
(super-deluxe box set, released 2016)

Client: Universal Music Group / Public Image Ltd
Description: 4 CD & 4 vinyl LP box set
Role & Credits:
Creative direction & original concept: John Rambo Stevens & Scotty Murphy
Archive research, compilation and sleevenotes: John Rambo Stevens & Scotty Murphy
Layout & composite artwork: Phil Lloyd-Smee at Waldo’s Design & Dream Emporium

Working together with John Lydon and his manager John Rambo Stevens (RiP) I have contributed art direction, archive research, compilation and sleevenote's to several high profile Public Image Ltd (PiL) and Sex Pistols box set projects for Universal Music Group.

Metal Box: Deeper Dive

Original art concept by John Lydon 1979. The original packaging for Metal Box in 1979 was revolutionary, no one had ever released a record in a metal tin. Especially 3x45rpm vinyls. Metal Box was inspired by a metal film canister John Lydon received for an audition on the movie Quadrophenia.

When we did the 2016 super-deluxe box set Rambo came up with the idea of square and rectangular boxes. Like a big biscuit tin. The CD had been re-issued in a small circular tin before and we wanted something more stylish and robust. For the inner packaging we went for the style of the Second Edition album; which was the 1980 re-issue of Metal Box in a cardboard sleeve.

I wrote the sleevenotes for the booklet together with Rambo and dug through my archive of press cuttings and promotional material which Phil Lloyd-Smee expertly collated with direction from myself and Rambo. I went through the Virgin / Universal archives to find all original recordings and mixes which were later remastered by Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios. Myself and Rambo came up with a tracklisting which we then took to John and the catalogue team at Universal.

We managed to unearth several unreleased and alternative mixes fro the archives together with some instrumental work-in-progress tracks which seem to date to shortly after the album. The box set was voted box set of the month in Mojo Magazine and nominated for several end of year shortlists.

4 CD / Vinyl LP
72 page booklet
Poster
4 x Art Prints