Studio Brief:
Main points to consider:
-Cover must not contain the artists name or song title due to the idea of it being a secret.
-Conceptually what do the songs portray?
-How can I personally show the song and contain my own unique ideas?
Secret 7 Competition:
What is secret 7?
Record sleeve - a sleeve for storing a phonograph record
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10 in (25 cm) and 12 in (30 cm) 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records (either in several connected sleeves or a box), or the front-facing panel of a CD package, and, increasingly, the primary image accompanying a digital download of the album, or of its individual tracks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Album_cover
What makes an album cover successful?
"Great album covers can burn into your mind just as easily as the music they contain, giving you a visual representation of the kind of sonic adventure the artist is about to take you on."
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2011/05/27/top-50-most-iconic-album-covers
Are covers still important as a form of expression?
"The rise of digital music threatens one of the greatest canvasses of art seen in the 20th Century - the record sleeve. Originally just a protective cover for the fragile crackly goods beneath, it soon evolved into a space for artistic expression in its own right, very often becoming as important as the music itself. Sometimes, even more so: legend has it that the cover of New Order's Blue Monday was so expensive to make that their label lost money on every copy sold."
https://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/music/50-coolest-album-covers
Even though the rise of digital media initially seemed to allow for a decrease in physical copies which are sold, there seems to be an increase recently in sales of album artwork which is incredibly useful for designers. Vinyl's seem to offer a feeling of authenticity due to their physical presence and that of being quite official. This also allows artists to release albums as vinyl for special collections and offer something different than the typical digital downloads. However artwork is still important as the album artwork can be put onto peoples computer's (such as iTunes) and then therefore transferred to other devices such as someone phone or iPod.
"There is also a feeling of community when walking into a record store and being surrounded by like-minded individuals all digging through crates trying to find a jewel. Unlike iTunes and Amazon, record stores are a place where people of many differing music tastes can gather and share their musical tastes with each other in person. It is marketed towards music lovers and through being so hands on it does quite a great job."
http://techgeek.com.au/2013/08/15/why-is-vinyl-becoming-popular/
Album artwork can also be affected by its genre. There are many different genre's of music but I found quite a useful list of categories:
http://abigailpaceyamvcmedia28.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/genres-1.png
Famous Designers of Album Covers:
Storm Thorgerson
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/multimedia/archive/00405/126246130_etrger_405855b.jpg
This design is one of the most famous and iconic artworks within the music industry. His work has spanned across many different artists such as most of Pink Floyd's albums, Muse and others. His work is simplistic usually conceptual and highly influential within the graphic design industry.
Story behind the album cover:
The band members spent three minutes deciding on the front cover. Designer Storm Thorgerson brought seven designs into the Abbey Road studio where they were still recording. “The band trooped in, swept their gaze across the designs, looked at each other, nodded, and said ‘That one,’ pointing at the prism. Took all of three minutes,” Thorgerson recalled in liner notes for the 2011 deluxe box. In an 2003 interview, the designer elaborated, “No amount of cajoling would get them to consider any other contender, nor endure further explanation of the prism, or how exactly it might look. ‘That’s it,’ they said in unison, ‘we’ve got to get back to real work,’ and returned forthwith to the studio upstairs.”
http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/stop-the-presses/pink-floyd-dark-side-40-years-later-40-205227757.html
I found that his artwork tends to be entirely different in each cover: (examples)
However I also found when researching that some artists have a set style to which they work at:
When looking in Jumbo Records I came across this design which stood out to me due to its bright colours and unusual patterns:
I found after researching online that this design was in fact created by:
http://www.designweek.co.uk/industry-voice/graphic-designer-leif-podhajsky-on-psychedelic-sleeves-moving-album-artwork-and-patience-and-love/3037563.article
His artwork style which is quite experimental and popular among indie bands such as FOALS. This artwork style means that it appeals to certain genre's and these bands will approach the artist for their own unique ideas.
His aesthetically seems to be based on nature and traditional methods such as photography and fine art which is then edited making it current and incredibly contemporary/current within album artwork.
Record Store Visits: Jumbo Records & Crash Records: Leeds.
http://www.leedsguide.co.uk/assets/img/photos/full_19573_108949.jpg
Crash (photograph of outside shop)
Examples:
This album cover stood out to me because of its simplicity and also the higher contrast within black and white. The idea and concept behind the design also appealed to me because if seems to different to typical artworks which are seen. It's based on the actual music and sound rather than imagery which is interesting and could be an idea to look at how sound waves are portrayed.
This is one of my personal favourite album artworks because of the link between the "lungs" written in typography but also the physical presence of the lungs. The cover also directly links to the content of the album and intrigues the viewer because it includes the artist Florence Welch.
When looking at album artwork I liked the combination and use of type and image within this particular design. They are quite informal and the use of red and blue keeps the design quite simple and therefore stands out. This design I also felt linked to the music and could suggest quite a fun and quirky style of music.
Personally I was incredibly fond of this design because it seems incredibly feminine and delicate. Therefore the music more than likely also reflects this perhaps through piano or acoustic means. This aesthetically is shown through pale colours and thin line weights; therefore the use of pale pastel colours directly links the the idea of femininity.
This design stood out to me because it seemed so incredibly different to the others within the store. This I feel was mainly due to the photographic aspect to the design but also the bright cool colours. I found that many of the designs seemed to be quite dark.
I really liked the simplicity of the design, even though the band is quite heavy (post hardcore) the design is quite bright and somewhat "dreamy" (clouds and pink/ blue pastel colours). This therefore shows that the genre doesn't have to follow the typical colour palettes (alternative genres usually base their designs on black and dark colour palettes).
Online Examples:
A Day To Remember- Homesick
http://vinylcollective.com/~vinylcol/boards/uploads/vinyl_8402_1548efbb7e39bc98bd70309be2f45237.jpg
I found that when looking at designs through my own music selections, this album artwork stood out to me, along with most of their album covers as being quite beautiful in their design. This is because of the bold colours and black bold line weights.
http://img.deadformat.net.s3.amazonaws.com/release/l/517a0f697c8c4.jpg
This design is incredibly successful because is portrays the concept and overall feel for the album and artist. Green Day are incredibly passionate about their views and opinions by being a punk rock band and therefore expressing their opinions as being strong and unique are also shown with the simplistic colour palette (red, white, black).
Mumford & Sons
In terms of music, this one of my favourite bands however I am never fulfilled or impressed by their vinyl artwork because it is quite lacking and disappointing compared to their descriptive and highly intelligent lyrics. The designs do show and portray folk/ alternative music due to the muted colour palettes and aesthetic of hand rendered/ quirky typography.
Paramore:
I have always thought this album artwork is incredibly successful and within alternative music it is also incredibly well known because of its simplistic design. The hand rendered look of the design and busy composition of the type portrays and enhances the look and feel of the album and also the genre of music being rock.
Twin Atlantic:
http://theuprisingcreative.com/cms/wp-content/files_mf/new2.jpg
http://www.twinatlantic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/twinatlanticfrreevinylback.jpg
When researching I also found this example of design which is Twin Atlantic's "Free" the album consists of each song having its own symbol/ illustration and the collection consists of each single being on a separate vinyl. This appeals to collectors and fans because even though it is expensive it is incredibly rare and quite special, its use of different colours and illustration also ensures that each piece is incredibly unique.
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