[Tracy Smith] Back in December I had the pleasure of congratulating Neil Young and designers Gary Burden and Jenice Heo on their Grammy nomination for the spectacular box set Neil Young Archives Vol. 1 (1963–1972). Today’s news that the project was awarded the Grammy for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Packaging calls for another round of recognition.
More than just a compilation of Young’s music, the archives volume is a box of memories, including a replica of the journal Young kept through the years (printed, as I previously noted, on Mohawk Via) and many other fascinating keepsakes from his musical and life journey.
For Archives Vol. 1, the titles of creative director, art director and designer are mutually shared by Young, Burden and Heo. I read today in The New York Times that Neil Young attended the awards ceremony, which seems extremely gracious of him in view of the fact that he has never received a Grammy for his music.
Notwithstanding this curious irony, the recognition for a landmark piece of music packaging is richly deserved. And the fact that the box set was designed and produced with sustainability in mind is worthy of mention, too. As music graphics legend Gary Burden notes, “Neil’s music has endured, and we wanted the Archive package to stand up to that. And we like knowing that we used a paper that is helping our environment to endure.”
Here at Mohawk, we’re gratified to contribute in our way to this marvelous achievement by Neil Young, Gary Burden and Janice Heo. Long may you run.
See Tracy Smith’s previous post on Neil Young’s Grammy nomination here. Gary Burden’s blog has fascinating entries about this project with respect to design, sustainability and collaboration; don’t miss these rich insights into how three brilliant artists recapture history — and in so doing, make it.
