You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
As a graphic designer, I’ve met my fair share of clients who don’t know what they want. And while part of my job requires me to act as a detective to fully investigate what an indecisive client wants, it leads to a sub-optimal process. Much of the time that could be spent on fine tuning details and making sure everything is perfect, may get wasted on early stage concept development because the artist hasn’t figured out what their visual messaging should be. Some of this may come from a lack of planning or just a misunderstanding or underestimation of the importance of album artwork. As the old adage goes no one can know what they don’t know. If you’re an artist who is serious about their growth in the industry, as well as the legacy and impact that visuals can have in your music, I want to assist you. So before you hire a graphic designer or try to make something DIY, you need to read this guide. I’m going to provide you with a graphic designer’s perspective about all the things you’ll need to know and consider about your album artwork.
The Importance of (Great) Album Art
Album artwork is the first impression that a potential listener of your music gets. Whether it's on a digital platforms such as Pandora or Spotify, or good old fashion CD shops, no matter who walks through the door of the record store, no matter who is browsing on iTunes and starts scrolling through the new releases they all have one thing in common. The first thing they are going to see is album artwork. It’s a tough reality for musicians to face, but their “book” WILL be judged by its cover. An album cover can be as pivotal as the music and certainly serves multiple purposes. Exceptional art draws listeners to your music, it may even tell a story that serves as the canvas upon which your music is painted. The cover may serve as a central lyrical theme in the music, or highlight a song or emotion the artist wants to invoke in the listener. Many angles can be played, depending on the layout and the presentation but the importance is paramount.
A Quick Tip
One easy suggestion I have for artists is to always keep an updated Moodboard. A moodboard can be a physical collection of photos and visual references, a collage created on canva or in adobe photoshop, or even something as simple as a shared folder on Dropbox. Think of it as a source of inspiration for the visual end of the creative process. A Moodboard is a collection of pictures that depict what your music and look is about. It could include comparable bands (RIYLs), influential records and album art, promo photos, bands logos, ideas for merchandise and more. Moodboard are one of the first steps in any designers playbook to make sure everyone in process has a baseline agreement on the general vibe of the project.
The Six Most Important Questions
It might be simple and cliche, but answering all Five W’s and One H will provide you with clarifying information about your project.
Who Are You?
Seriously, (I really wanna know) who are you? This is the most important question. Are you a band? Are you a solo artist? How do I spell your name? Is your name alloneword or in ALL CAPS? Are there any ampersands or Crzy 5ymb075 I need to know about? Who do you sound similar to? Who is your target audience? Who would you sell your left pinky toe to open up for? Who would you never be caught dead on the same lineup as? Are you a traditionalist or are you pioneering a new genre? Where do you see yourself in five years?
No, seriously. Ask yourself all of these WHO questions and don’t stop narrowing it down until you have a coherent identity you can put into words that even your dad can explain to his friends at work. Make your branding and your messaging easy to digest.
What Kind Of Release Is This, Anyway?
Is it a Full Length or EP? Are you releasing a mixtape on Soundcloud or a 7” Split on Vinyl? Is your CD being packaged in a Digipak or Jewel Case? Do you require a lyric booklet?
Where Is Your Record Being Released?
Do you plan on printing physical copies or will it be available exclusively on digital media? Are you streaming your record on Spotify or Bandcamp? Do you have enough demand to sell your record in stores? This is an important bit of information for designers and manufacturers so they know whether to include a UPC Barcode or Shrink Wrap on your packaging design.
When Is Your Record Being Released?
This is an especially important factor when you consider the lead time needed to hire a graphic designer and order physical copies from a manufacturer. Good planning and time management is often a key ingredient in executing a project to its full potential. Don’t self impose imaginary deadlines, consider the best time to release your record and plan ahead accordingly. The more time you give yourself to plan head, the less cramming is needed to meet a tight deadline. It will also save you money when you account for rush job fees from design agencies and CD duplication companies.
Where Is Your Record Being Released?
Do you plan on printing physical copies or will it be available exclusively on digital media? Are you streaming your record on Spotify or Bandcamp? Do you have enough demand to sell your record in stores? This is an important bit of information for designers and manufacturers so they know whether to include a UPC Barcode or Shrink Wrap on your packaging design.
When Is Your Record Being Released?
This is an especially important factor when you consider the lead time needed to hire a graphic designer and order physical copies from a manufacturer. Good planning and time management is often a key ingredient in executing a project to its full potential. Don’t self impose imaginary deadlines, consider the best time to release your record and plan ahead accordingly. The more time you give yourself to plan head, the less cramming is needed to meet a tight deadline. It will also save you money when you account for rush job fees from design agencies and CD duplication companies.
Why Are You Releasing This Record?
What is the point of releasing music in the first place? This might sound like an existential crisis, but really think about it for a second. We all have to accept the premise of how the music industry works nowadays, musicians make records to promote themselves and largely make money on the back end performing and selling merchandise. And while records function less as a money maker they still have enormous importance. Consider what it means to make a record. Consider the power you have in shaping the message of that record. Your art and your work may live on longer than you, it may be rediscovered, it may be beloved, it may be hated, it may be met with total indifference. But the creative choices you make decide the legacy of your work well past it’s release date.
How Did You Make This Record?
This isn’t just a matter of giving credit where credit is due, assembling cohesive and easy to understand liner notes is something you need to do as a practical matter for digital and physical releases. Make sure to credit Additional Performers or Vocalists, Engineer, Production Assistants, Programmers, Mixer, and Mastering Engineer. Have a detailed and spell checked version of your liner notes handy, and keep your additional thank-yous to a minimum and your graphic designer will thank you!
So You Think You’re Ready To Get Started? WRONG.
There’s still one more crucial detail you’ll need to hammer out before starting your album artwork design. And that is Art Direction.
What Art Direction?
My favorite breakdown between the difference between design comes from a column in A List Apart by Dan Mall. “Design is the how. It’s the foundation of all communication, the process and production of typography, color, scale, and placement. Art direction is the why. It’s the concept and decisions that wrap itself around the entire product.” - Jarrod Riddle, Sr. Art Director, Big Spaceship
Since most independent artists don’t have someone with this expertise to lean on, you become your own defacto Art Director. It’s often a collaborative process between Art Directions and Designers and the responsibilities and duties often blend to together. When you’re considering different routes to take during the art direction of your album, it’s good to paint with a wide brush. Think about the importance of color, but leave the specific shades and complementary colors to the designer. Think about the importance of typography but leave the grid, layout, and exact font selection to a professional. I suggest you come up with a rough outline you’d like to explore. I’ve outlined some different options that may make it easier to decide the right path. This is not an exhaustive list, but rather some broad brush strokes of my own to serve as inspiration.
Minimalism
Example:
Awake by Tycho, 2014. Design by Scott Hansen
There is power in simplicity. By cutting down on extraneous details, you’re able to zoom in and focus on a visual message. Minimalist concepts are often the least time consuming to develop and the easiest to hone if you’re thoughtful and really believe in the imagery. Scott Hansen said of his iconic work, “As a graphic designer I have always had a deep appreciation for minimalism and the simplified, efficient expression of ideas through form and color. But as a visual artist working within the context of Tycho my output had typically trended toward almost painterly styles, multi layered collages which were anything but minimal. But at some point after the release of Dive I decided that I wanted to get back to my design roots and bring a more simplified, refined style to the project. The beginning of this shift was around 2012 when we played The Independent in San Francisco. This was meant to be a simplification of the same path seen on the cover of Dive, the colors a reflection of the sun into that path. This was also one of my first uses of the trapezoid shape which would become core to the symbology of Tycho.”
Illustration
Example:
Graduation by Kanye West, Design by Takashi Murakami
Sometimes realism doesn’t cut it. Sometimes the message of the record is something out of this world. Enter, Illustration. By using an illustrated or even 3D rendered art style you can transport the viewer out of their current space into the world you’ve created for them. The famous japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami once said “I really started to get into sci-fi and became an otaku, a geek. Now, when I think about it, [reading manga] was kind of an escapism to get away from reality.” You can see that influence on full display in his cel shaded masterpiece for Kanye West’s “Graduation” cover and packaging design.
Title Based
Example:
Abbey Road by The Beatles, Design by John Kosh
Sometimes the most effect album covers try to sum up the album’s title in a single iconic image. Look no further than John, Paul, George and Ringo taking a stroll across the intersection of Grove End Road and what else but Abbey Road. There’s no street signs, no type, no identifying markers, just a simple, self explanatory visual. Apple Records creative director John Kosh once said "We didn't need to write the band's name on the cover ... They were the most famous band in the world". He was right.
Portrait
Example:
Starboy by The Weeknd, Photography by Nabil
All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up. A portrait style album cover is an intimate look at the artist. Typically more on the simple side of the spectrum, a portrait can be a powerful tool to highlight the best side of a solo artist. Nabil said of his work on Starboy “They had some rough concepts on what they wanted stylistically with the colors, so I sent them some references of various different lighting styles and we just shot it. I think (The Weeknd) liked the images so much he was like, “That’s my album cover.”
Picturequese
Example:
Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will by Mogwai, Photography by Antony Crook
Whether you’re using the awe of nature or the neon glow of a nighttime cityscape, a beautiful photo may be the perfect option for encapsulating the vibe of your record. You may want to use a photo that highlights the artist’s home city (a technique I’ve used). In the case of Mogwai, Antony Crook uses a foggy and somewhat gloomy photo of the Hudson River from the George Washington Bridge in Upper Manhattan to epitomize the soaring atmospheric nature of the record.
Photo Manipulation
Example:
Views by Drake, Design by Filip Pągowski
A photo of the CN Tower is a dime a dozen. A photo of Drake, grammy winning, multi-platinum recording artist risking life and limb for a photoshoot by climbing to the top of CN Tower? That’s extraordinary! How did he get up there?
I’m going to let you in on a little industry secret, he didn’t. Okay fine that’s not much of a secret, it’s just a case of great photo manipulation. We all understand the concept of photoshop and what it can do, but sometimes a photo just needs something more. Sometimes you need to make the ordinary seem extraordinary. I’ve used this technique to make an old abandoned house look like it caught fire. I’ve used this technique to make a neon blood-moon look like it was lunging towards earth. This style is open ended, use it effectively and do something really out of this world.
Typography
Example: Midnight Blue by Kenny Burrell, Design by Reid Miles
Sometimes seen as an extension as minimalism, typography based designs often aim to say a lot by actually displaying very little. Some of the penultimate examples of this style come from Blue Note Records. They are THE LOOK of jazz in America, and they’ve inspired a generation of designers with their bold aethetics and clever use of type. According to the Guardian “Blue Note was so confident, so good at doing the right thing, that the co-proprietor could see his famous photos shrunk to postage stamps – with designer Reid Miles popping some hip typographics in their place. Guitarist Kenny Burrell beautifully balanced soul power and elegance in this sensuous session.”
Conceptual
Example:
Vheissu by Thrice, Design by Brian McMullen
A conceptual album is not for the faint of heart when it comes to preparation. Regardless of the specific concept, your album’s story needs to make sense inside and out otherwise you lose a feeling of authenticity and the same goes for the accompanying visuals. Fiction only works when there are hard and fast rules, without this the spell is broken and the viewer is not able to use their minds eye to see past their surroundings into your imaginary world. Thrice’s Vheissu is based loosely on Thomas Pynchon’s 1963 debut novel “V”. The artwork is a visual cue to embrace the mysterious and dystopian world in the album listening session ahead.
Abstract
Example:
Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, Design by Aubrey Powell and Storm Thorgerson of Hipgnosis
In direct opposition to Conceptual, an abstract cover is like a rorschach test. There is no true meaning behind the ink blots but if executed effectively the artist prompts listener to project their own meaning upon the visual. In some cases this can lead the listener to have an intense emotional experience and connection to your record. Like a magician that doesn’t reveal their tricks, none of Pink Floyd’s band members have offered an explanation of their iconic Dark Side of the Moon album cover. Leaving their fans to come up with their own meaning and spark debates between fellow enthusiasts, as was the intention all along.
This article was written by Nick DePalo, lead designer and owner of Empirical Designs, a full service graphic design studio in New York. Empirical Designs offers professional album art and packaging design services that put real time and effort into understanding our clients, their goals, their sound, and create graphics that match their vision. If your band or brand is in need of a new album artwork, logo, branding, press kit, advertising, or marketing materials, you can contact us anytime for a free quote by filling out our contact form.