Designing Björk’s 60th Birthday Cover for the Reykjavík Grapevine
Reykjavík - 14 November 2025:
Huldunótur is pleased to announce the release of a new cover for the Reykjavík Grapevine, created to commemorate Björk’s 60th birthday. The commission originated from an informal creative practice: designer R. Michael Hendrix had been producing personal collage “remixes” of past Grapevine covers, shared casually on weekends. After the work caught the attention of the publication, editor, Jón Trausti Sigurðarson invited Hendrix to design the cover for the milestone issue.The assignment centered on celebrating Björk’s legacy while offering a contemporary visual interpretation. Hendrix began with one of the most recognizable elements of Björk’s recent visual identity—her masks. Representing influences ranging from flora and birds to masquerade and omote, the masks provided a clear conceptual and compositional anchor. They also offered a way to reference her full studio discography, an idea integral to marking this landmark year.
Hendrix developed a mask structure composed of nine segments, each corresponding to one of Björk’s nine studio albums. The geometry was guided by a vintage swirling grid sourced from his personal archive of technical drawings—an element that aligned naturally with the angle of Björk’s face and introduced a sense of movement. The final illustration blends vector forms with colors and textures informed by the album artworks, designed to evoke without distracting.
To reinforce the editorial context, the background incorporates a subtle map of Iceland and directional marker—supportive elements that situate the story while maintaining focus on Björk herself.
“The goal was to create a cover that honored Björk’s impact, acknowledged her continual evolution, and felt visually grounded in the present,” said Hendrix. “It was important that the image function as both tribute and interpretation.”
The final cover is seen on the November 7 issue of the Reykjavík Grapevine.
- hendrix@invisiblenotes.com