Mechanical Separation for Teriyaki Asthma's EP Cover Artwork, 1989

Graphic designer Art Chantry (b. 1954) created this mechanical for the cover of C/Z Records’ first Teriyaki Asthma EP, which was released in 1989. The EP featured “Mexican Seafood,” one of Nirvana’s earliest releases, and songs from local bands Yeast, Helios Creed, and Coffin Break. C/Z Records produced several subsequent Teriyaki Asthma EPs, each displaying cover art from different artists. 

This mechanical separation combines three sheets into a layered image for print. The transparent top sheet designates the colors for the black-and-white pictures below it, specifying that the photographs of the gas mask-wearing man and the leotard-clad woman are to be printed orange and the paisley design and track listings colored blue. In the final product, the blue shade obscures the brighter one. 

To create his designs, Chantry relies on serendipity to help him source obscure, found images and incorporate them into his art. This approach requires less time, which both reduces costs and encourages more unique and eye-catching designs. For example, on the back of the Teriyaki Asthma jacket, Chantry utilized a photograph from an old supermarket tabloid featuring exercise techniques for women. Although the image is thematically unrelated to the music or the EP title, he used it because the juxtaposition both captures the eye and challenges the viewer to try and make sense out of the senseless.