2025 // GRAPHIC DESIGN, PACKAGING, ART DIRECTION

LA-based band The Marías have been releasing some of the slickest indie-pop over the past few years, and their 2024 album Submarine is no different. Featuring themes of heartbreak, isolation, and solitude that are steeped in lush, layers instrumentals, the album has quickly become one of my favorites from the year.

The revised visual direction taps into the contrast of dark and light shown in Bethany Vargas’ stunning photography. Isolation can leave us to our mind’s darkest corners, while being in the company of those closest to us can help bring us out of those corners. This is told through the gatefold record packaging, immersing the listener in the darkness and isolation of the outer gatefold. Upon opening the record, the scene is lighter and fills in with the entire band, conveying the message that even in the thick of intense, complex emotions, there are people you can move through it with.

Isolation can make us feel like we’re living outside of ourselves, foreign and unfamiliar to our thoughts and identity, almost as if we are just robots moving through routine. The mechanical nature of isolation inspired the font, Neuropol X, which features glyphs feel like they’re from the future. The font family morphs from heavier, bolded glyphs into lighter, almost weightless glyphs that evoke the floating quality from the photography.

The updated cover art centers lead singer María Zardoya, whose vocals float beautifully above the heavier production across the record. The image embodies the contrast perfectly, especially with a darker, moodier color palette to differ from the inner gatefold.