Album Covers

Research for album covers

What makes a bad album cover?

• What makes a bad album cover? The answer is quite simple: a picture of the band. If you are in a band, don't put a picture of yourself on the album cover. Sure, it sounds like a good idea when your label pony's up thousands on a "professional" photographer and stylist, and you think it will be great to have your mug posted in every record store around the country, but then you up looking like this:

The Script’s album cover

• If we look at ‘The Script’s’ latest album cover, we see how simple it is. Despite the simplicity of the cover the album reached number 1 in the album charts and is still in the top ten 8 weeks later

• This tells me that my album cover doesn’t have to stand out to be successful yet it needs to be almost plain but with an image or icon that will stick in a persons mind.

• This is so that when someone says our album name they can immediately relate to our album cover and then their mind automatically thinks of the song or video.

My album cover• They say you shouldn't judge a book by its

cover, but what about a CD? A book's cover has usually less to say about its content than a CD's cover. Let's face it; a book's cover can change from one edition to the next, from one publisher to another.

• On the other hand, some album's artwork has become memorable almost on its own. Who doesn't recognize the Rolling Stones' tongue logo that came out for the first time on their 'Sticky Fingers' album? Think about The Beatles' Abbey Road album!

10 things to consider when designing an album cover

10.

• Have a theme. Whether it depicts the band's name or reflects the album's title you can make the design consistent with a theme.

9.

• Cause an impression. I don't want it be mediocre. Think of all the hard work that went into the musical production, the long hours in the studio, the financing, etc. We need sum that all up and make the artwork equally as memorable.

8.

• Think of the audience. It's ok to keep the genre of the music in mind.

7.

• Band Photos. We might want to work on a photo of the band or some of its members. Maybe a good picture of us playing live.

6.

• Try a collage. Maybe we’ll want to go with the photo idea but can't decide what photo to use. Then, make a collage of photos. Or make a collage that reflects the band's history or our own history.

5.• An idea that I've always found attractive is to

combine the front cover and the back cover into a single theme. You can start the idea in the front and finalize it in the back or even inside the CD. The viewer can only fully understand the theme once he opens the CD. Make the front suggesting but don't give away the answer.

4.

• Try using some landscape. Nature never fails to impress us. Especially if mixed with some creativity of our own. Mix reality with fiction, manipulate your landscape to make it look as if nature was defying its own rules.

3.• Be artisan. We don't necessarily have to

own state of the art design programs or top notch photography equipment. Special effects are good but too much can make it look artificial and distant, lacking personality. Let the author permeate into the art. That's being original.

2.• Don't rush on a single impulse. We might

end up finalizing something you'll regret later and that's not worth the effort. It sometimes happens that when we spend too much time looking at the same art work we tend to lose a more ample perspective. It also helps to run it by someone else before you give the final touch.

1.• Be cryptic. Don't give away all the

information at first glance. If you're too explicit you lose sophistication. Leave a certain veil over your message and let the viewer figure it out. Don't design something so personal that nobody will understand, just give it a hint of mystery. Think of Led Zeppelin's 'four symbols' on their fourth album.