The Everyday Art feature is now going to be fortnightly rather than weekly. This schedule change allows me to put more research into the topics and ultimately produce better articles.
Designing Album Art is one of the most daunting and yet rewarding jobs a graphics designer can do. There are so many aspects to get right that it is very easy to get it wrong. It is effectively a piece of art that could be seen by millions and millions of people. Few mediums of art are as general, widely seen and remembered than that of album artwork. In designing it, it is important to reflect the overall feel and themes of the album as it is just as much a part of the art as the music.
I know that, for me, when I think of my favourite albums I think of the album art. The music and the artwork go hand-in-hand. Forgettable artwork can totally kill the appeal of an album to consumers. It may be 'judging a book by its cover', but sometimes the cover of a book reflects the effort and intention behind the content. If a cover looks like it has been thrown together in about two minutes, the content probably didn't take much longer. Let me give you a couple of examples.
The Climb (Single) - Joe McElderry
Now this album artwork does achieve a few points for a good, if safe, typeface choice. It's rare to see Helvetica used in the artwork for the winner of a reality TV show. But you can see that this artwork took a whole five minutes to put together. Add type, stroke, and gradient overlay to a standard photo of your subject and you're away. Being a graphics designer is easy! At least sometimes the music industry would have you believing that. I reckon Simon Cowell did this himself because he figured it'd be cheaper than hiring a freelancer.
The Time Of Our Lives - Miley Cyrus
Now this, this is just awful. Regardless of what you think of Miley Cyrus' music, you'd think a big star like her would be able to have album artwork that was at least appealing. I have a general rule of graphics design, one that is especially appropriate for album artwork; never use more than two typefaces. Generally, more than two typefaces leads to clutter and confusion. Another rule I have is that one pixel white strokes on text generally looks awful and tacky. Doubly so on a cursive font. Also, look at the wonderful placement of that text. Good lord, we can just tell how much time and effort has been spent to make this 'album' the best it can be.
I'm a bit tired of looking at awful album art though, so let's talk about some examples to the contrary.
London Calling - The Clash
The Clash are often considered to be one of the most influential bands of all time, and their third album "London Calling" is widely accepted as one of the greatest rock albums of all time. The artwork beautifully and simply sums up the themes that are prevalent in the album. It features the bassist, Paul Simonon, smashing his guitar against the ground. It was originally felt that the photo was too out-of-focus, however Joe Strummer (lead vocalist) and the graphics designer Ray Lowry felt that it worked well. It perfectly displays the heart and soul of rock'n'roll. The text is an homage to Elvis Presley's debut album, and London Calling has far surpassed that album in influence. Rolling Stone magazine named it the album of the 80s.
Thriller - Michael Jackson
Now look at that. Jackson just reeks of coolness in that white suit and that pose. The handwriting in the corner just adds to the suave nature of the whole cover. And Thriller is probably Jackson's coolest and slickest album. I envy those who were old enough to go out and buy Thriller when it came out. I can only imagine looking at that artwork while listening to the first track; "Wanna Be Startin' Something'". Spine-tingling, I imagine. Thriller is the single biggest selling album of all time, with an estimated 110 million copies sold. That is over double the second best selling album (AC/DC's Back in Black) which has an estimated 49 million sales. This cover art defines one of the greatest artists who ever existed, and will always be associated with that unwavering funk and soul that Jackson so fervently popularised.
There are some bands who are synonymous with their album art. Two in particular are Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. When we think of great album art, the discography of these two bands might as well double up as a list of great album art. Here are a few of my favourites:
Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
The Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
Houses of the Holy - Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
Hopefully from this brief little insight into the importance and influence album art can have, you will have a greater appreciation when walking around your local record store. Or, a greater contempt for album art which is lazy and unenthusiastic. Remember, the first thing that you see from an album is the artwork, and it will be imprinted in your memories if the music has an effect on you. Never underestimate the impact of the visuals that accompany the music.
-S
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