Citrus-Inspired Origami with Limón Limón

A few days into the new year, I was contacted by Jason and Rand of Limón Limón, an Indie Future duo based in Los Angeles. They were interested in collaborating on a project for the release of the title track on their debut album— "Origami".

Jason and Rand of Limón Limón. Photo: LimonLimon.com

I love indie/alternative rock, so Limón Limón's music naturally made its way on to my playlists right away. I listened to "Origami" before its release and was instantly onboard to collaborate. Jason, Rand, and I brainstormed about our collaboration for several weeks, then I eventually met with Rand to discuss the details on Zoom. I considered recording a timelapse, a full-length tutorial, or a short-form video timed to the rhythm of the song. "Origami" was scheduled for release on February 16th, so I had just over a month to get to work.

My goal was to incoporate some of the band's aesthetics into my video. One of my initial ideas was to fold some citrus-inspired origami timed to the rhythm of the song. Rand and I were independently inspired by the the geometric nature of lemon slices, so I decided to design one on my own.

I sporadically worked on the design for a few weeks. It proved to be challenging because of the color changes and curved nature of the subject. I also wanted to create a modular design, so I went through several iterations to improve the locking mechanism while keeping the design as clean as possible. The next challenge was creating the video itself.

Citrus origami prototype.

I decided that a short-form video would be the most engaging way to showcase my design and their song. Almost all of my other video tutorials are detailed and narrated, so this was an entirely new format for me. I researched short-form origami content, experimented with different colors and techniques, then finally recorded the folding sequence itself. I also prepared some stop motion sequences for the intro and outro.

"Origami" album art.

Limón Limón dropped their new single "Origami" on February 16th. I finished up the final edits before posting the video on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube that morning. The final result is below.

The feedback on the video has been overwhelmingly positive. Jason and Rand were stoked on the final result and shared it on their social media accounts. I was happy to see that non-folders found the video to be entertaining and satisfying to watch too. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire process and look forward to creating more short-form video content in the future!

Be sure to check out Limón Limón on Spotify. Stay tuned as they release more singles in anticipation of their first full-length album!