Nine years in the making: Lost Art design The Avalanches' much anticipated album release

If you’re unfamiliar with creative agency Lost Art, let us gladly introduce them to you. This Australian creative agency take a project and transcend it into a representative creative gem of design. This year, a project they had been designing for band The Avalanches was released after nine years of discussion and planning, 16 years after the band’s first album. Since, the agency have launched with some very impressive commissions under their belts Apple Music, MTV, XL Recordings, each eye-widening commissions.

Intrigued by their already impressive output we had a chat with co-founder Chris Hopkins about how Lost Art began, their hopes and dreams as a budding new agency, and the music they’re listening to while creating this impressive output.

How did Lost Art begin?

Good timing really. I’d worked with Axel some 15 years ago and we’d kept in touch. Since then, we’d each gone our separate ways but shared similar experiences — living overseas, working for traditional agencies but putting every spare moment into personal arts projects. Axel had lived in New York working as the creative director of Modular Records, had established a prior agency, and become involved with Love Want. I was living in Tokyo, working with X-girl, I was creative director at an agency in Melbourne but was still doing art things like Nieves. I think we both knew the type of business we wanted to have and were in the fortunate position of having complimentary skill sets, and a great relationship.

With the majority of your projects firmly rooted in music, what do you listen to?

Today it’s Bradley Pinkerton’s dream-pop playlist with some Kevin Shields.

Across 2016 you’ve completed several projects for The Avalanches return album. How did this come about?

This is a long story. The short of it is, one day I received a random e-mail from Darren (ex-Avalanche) asking if I’d like to be involved in an upcoming Avalanches’ project. This was in 2007.

The years that follow almost fold into one another. Artwork concepts, tests, stage show ideas, storyboards, proposals, you name it — all awaiting a record. Highs and lows. The last few years were different in the sense of really feeling like something was going to happen. I’d have lunch with Robbie most days, we’d talk ideas. The album cover was certainly the most important thing to him and he was very referential about it. He’d propose it be anything, from a photograph of Wild Man Fischer, to a zebra, or an image by Linda McCartney. I’d work from there to see what sticks. We were eye to eye in wanting the artwork and campaign to feel like the music.

We went from having all the time in the world, to suddenly having to realise what were relatively ambitious ideas within a short timeframe. Lost Art had been established but it was only Axel and I at that point. The band had been swept up by mastering and rehearsals, leaving them little time. With the Colours and Subways teaser videos, there were instances where nobody had a chance to see the artwork until the due date, although we’d always try to give someone a call to discuss an idea before commencing. We worked hard to be across most things but even then, we’d see some design or photo in the world and be like “who did that?” Wild times.

What have you learnt from your projects?

Now’s the time.

What’s your dream commission?

This is impossible! It sounds pathetic but working with good people is enough.

What’s next?

In spite of the above, most of our work exists outside of music. We have a few campaign and branding projects on the horizon, but I’m sure there will be some music in there too.