This year, Lady Gaga released her highly anticipated seventh studio album, Mayhem—a 14-track powerhouse blending industrial, funk, jazz, dark pop, and hyper-pop influences while paying homage to her past work.
As a fan since 2008, I was immediately struck by the album’s vivid imagery, with visuals dancing in my mind, demanding to be brought to life. I immersed myself in the lyrics, dissected her interviews with near-aggressive detail, and analyzed the music and audio videos to fully grasp the album’s essence.
The result? A 62-page booklet capturing the Mayhem era—filled with photos from the album’s promotional shoots, callbacks to previous eras, and a visual narrative of finding light at the end of a dark tunnel.
The opening page of the booklet features a heartfelt thank-you letter from Gaga to her fans and those who have supported her artistry. I highlighted the name of her fanbase, Monsters, in red—a color deeply tied to her career and branding. The album title, Mayhem, appears in orange to align with the album’s existing color story.
Easter eggs will appear throughout the booklet and one here is the glyph on the final sentence: "This album is for u." This phrase originally appeared on the vinyl sleeves of her third studio album, Born This Way, widely regarded as her imperial era.
A way for me to flex my creative muscles—and, honestly, step away from the computer—was diving into my sketchbook whenever I felt stuck on a concept or overwhelmed by too many ideas for one song. With Perfect Celebrity, I struggled to distill its expansive, sonically heavy presence into a compressed version that still exuded its raw, angry energy.
So, I sketched. I replayed the song on Apple Music over and over. And then, suddenly, the image screamed at me—it made itself known.
After countless hours, this booklet took on a life of its own. I created it as both a deep dive into Mayhem and a personal study of my skills as a designer.
Below is a PDF flipbook—which now feels like my child.
This is for ü.
Mockups of the Mayhem Booklet
