Extrovert vs Introvert

I've seen lots of products that explore music hardware or formats as iconic items. Most are tinged with a certain nostalgia or sentimentatility that fits in with some of the murmurings regarding the need for a physical object for music media. Yet there's this other aspect about this sort of collectable surrounding how these become a signifier of one's self; how these - like the band tour t-shirt - become part of an outwardly display of 'liking music'. This appears to be at odds with that quieter, introverted relationship where an individual's actual music inhabits the generic iPod to create a listening environment and fan-dom that is often exclusive to that person.

Anyway, I've been considering all this in terms of what it is I want to create and I think I would like to try and create something which is about that personal attachment between listener and music release rather than something that communicates an individual's music tastes to others. After all, this digital era is one where 'sharing' (of personal tastes, music, etc) is catered for more than adequately online but, at the same time, it is important to recognise that the internet has additionally allowed for incredibly niche scenes that - as much as they can easily be 'liked' on Facebook - will retain what is often observed as a cult following. The Sound Zero book highlights this with its observation that there are now bands that subvert that Warholian adage to be "famous for fifteen people".

The following Hi-Fi prints, by the way, are available from design studio Yes.