"The End is Near" was recorded in early 2003 and sold directly by the band during their farewell tour and through their official website. The cover and packaging artwork was done by Doug TenNapel, the visual artist who had previously worked on three other Five Iron Frenzy covers. The packaging for "The End is Near" features a red motif for the cover and artwork while the re-release, "The End is Here", includes a green layout. Otherwise, both versions contain the same artwork by TenNapel. The earlier self-released version is missing a barcode and instead included a blank space reading "I LAST SAW FIVE IRON FRENZY ON" which the band themselves stamped with that day's date when sold from their merchandise tables on their farewell tour.