Photo Credit – iheartmaarten

Grammy winner SMOG designed five of Loreena’s album covers

Over the past 40 years, Jeri and John Heiden, of SMOG Design, have worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry and designed some of the most iconic album covers of all time. SMOG also designed five of Loreena’s albums, including her latest release, The Mask and Mirror Live (2024), as well as The Road Back Home (2024), Under A Winter’s Moon (2022), Lost Souls (2018) and The Visit (1990).

Earlier this year, SMOG won the prestigious Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, for their design of For the Birds: The Birdsong Project. The five-volume, 20-LP deluxe box set, which includes a 60-page booklet with paintings and illustrations of birds, benefits the National Audubon Society and proceeds go towards protecting birds and their habitats.

It was SMOG’s first Grammy, but Jeri Heiden had previously been nominated five times. Collectively, Jeri and John share an impressive list of accolades and awards from a wide range of professional organizations within the design world.

Loreena’s relationship with Jeri Heiden dates back to 1991 when she was still working at Warner Bros. Records as vice-president and chief art director. “It was when Loreena was working on The Visit and I had many conversations on the phone with her about that project,” recalls Jeri. “She was the full package – touring artist, giving creative direction, a successful business woman. She told me about the shoot in Lisbon she’d organized with photographer Elisabeth Feryn and I thought, ‘Wow, she’s totally got it going on taking a photographer to Lisbon. It was so exotic and very impressive.”

That admiration swings both ways. “It’s been such a privilege and pleasure to continue working with someone as talented as Jeri,” says Loreena. “I always felt she understood the esthetic I was seeking in the art work and she possesses the great talent to execute it better than I could ever imagine. I’m not surprised in the least she would win a Grammy.”

The Visit, their first project together, was the recording that propelled Loreena onto the world stage and the point at which she struck a deal with Warner Music Group in what was a unique and ground-breaking contract within the music industry. Jeri assigned the late Margo Chase, of Chase Design Studio, to work on The Mask and Mirror for Loreena in 1994, which featured a digital collage of the Unicorn Tapestries woven around 1500. “It was ground-breaking at the time,” says Jeri, who five years after that project left Warner Bros. to join SMOG.

Founded in 1995 by her husband John Heiden, SMOG identifies itself a boutique design firm. It’s based in Silverlake, California, an eastside neighbourhood of Los Angeles. While the firm is slowly winding down its range of services as the Heidens inch towards retirement, over the years they’ve offered photo art direction, imaging, brand identity, entertainment packaging, merchandising, advertising, and book and publication design. But they’re undoubtedly best known for their work in the music industry.

They’ve designed albums for The Eagles, Madonna, k.d. lang, P!nk, Paul Simon, Don Henley, Rod Stewart, Tracy Chapman, Tina Turner, Janet Jackson, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Sting, Sheryl Crow. And the list just goes on and on.

“This feels like what I’ve always done. It’s my happy place,” confides Jeri, who’s been working in the music and music packaging business for over four decades, work that in addition to exceptional creativity requires a special kind of diplomacy and skill.

“I’m very empathetic towards the artists,” she explains. “I’ve never tried to be their best friends, but I really listen to what the artist wants and try to understand their perspective. I have empathy for them. It’s a trust thing.” And trust they’ve clearly earned, given SMOG’s impressive portfolio.

And then there’s the discretion factor, which of course is an essential part of the package and one of the firm’s defining attributes.

“You have to have discretion because the big international superstars – they want to be respected and know that you’re trustworthy and not telling their secrets,” Jeri explains. “This is extremely important in this line of work. They need to know you’re looking out for them. The creative process is something we keep among ourselves.”

Asked whether she believes creativity is something you’re born with or something you learn, she reflects. “I don’t know, I would imagine you’re born with it. I do think it’s instinctual, but over time you also have to learn how to use your tools.”

There are many parts to the design process, but what Jeri loves most is the research phase, which sets the stage for what comes after. “I like gathering the ideas, talking to the artist, dialing in on the ideas around the project – what does it mean, what’s the dominant point of view, is there something historic? I love this research phase. And once you’ve got all that down you‘re ready to do the creative work.”

One thing that concerns her about the evolving design world is the potential impact of Artificial Intelligence. While acknowledging there will always be people able to push through the barriers of limitation, whatever they happen to be, she sees the threat of AI as a formidable one. “I’m terrified of AI and where it’s going to take us. I’m fascinated by it, but wary of what it can do to so many creative fields. Any young person thinking about a future in graphic design I would urge to think very carefully about it and consider whether it’s a viable long-term option.”

SMOG disbanded its studio in 2019, freeing its design staff to do their own thing. It’s just Jeri and John now and they’re winding their way towards the next phase in life, although Jeri admits she still has “a lot of excitement for the work”. So these days she’s picking and choosing assignments.

If a project feels like more than Jeri can handle, she simply collaborates or passes it along to her former colleagues, who she’s also quick to credit for their contributions to SMOG’s impressive record. “I have to acknowledge a lot of the work on our website was collaborative with the designers we’ve worked with on our teams over the years.”

Looking back at their accomplishments while bringing into focus what a future retirement might look like, it must be nice to know they’ll be taking a Grammy along for the ride. What a way to cap it all off.

“I can say that I’m extremely grateful for the career I’ve had,” says Jeri. “There have been transitions for sure, but working in a creative field with people that I really like – I feel lucky every single day.”

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Written by Diane Sewell, a career journalist for more than 30 years. In addition to working with Loreena for 20 years, she has also written for the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and assorted consumer magazines. She is also the author of several commissioned books.