At the 53rd Grammy Awards ceremony on Feb. 13, jazz bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding took home the prize for Best New Artist, beating out immensely popular nominees like Justin Beiber, Drake, and Mumford & Sons. Spalding’s surprise victory followed the release of her 2010 CD “Chamber Music Society,” the 26-year-old’s third full-length album.

A well-known local bassist had a direct hand in the success of “Chamber Music Society.” Exeter resident Roland Nicol designed the entire CD package, as well as the Web graphics and promotional materials used during her tour for the album.

Nicol is best known around these parts as bassist for Boston rock band The Honors and former Seacoast hip-hop ensemble The Press Project. He started his own design company, Sweden 10, close to three years ago and has since made some connections. Spalding, who is based in New York, contacted him early in 2010. 

“I do work for a lot of jazz artists and hip-hop artists in New York City, and she just had seen my stuff and was really taken by it,” Nicol said. “She was in the works of doing a big album, and she wanted to take a chance on me, I guess.”

Nicol had long conversations with Spalding during several “hangout sessions.” A fellow bass player with a jazz background, he connected with her right away. 

“She’s one of those artistic types who is really focused in on the moment and the experience you’re having at that moment,” Nicol said. “She’s really vivacious and has a thirst for life and is really positive. I feel like any person like that you can get along with.”

Spalding’s management team sent Nicol hundreds of photographs to work with, and he created a number of demo CD covers. The one they ultimately selected shows Spalding sitting on a red armchair surrounded by instruments. 

That cover now comes with a Grammy sticker in the lower right-hand corner. Nicol said he was “totally shocked” by Spalding’s win—and she was, too. She may not be quite as commercially successful as some of the other nominees, but Nicol believes she’s the most worthy.

“Out of all those artists, she’s the most badass as far as music is concerned,” he said.

Nicol is now hard at work on several other design projects, including CD and DVD packages for Cuban artists Omara Portuondo and Chucho Valdés, as well as jazz trumpet legend Wynton Marsalis. He also looks forward to working on Spalding’s next release, whenever it might come.