Inspiring Album Covers

Finding new songs and updating my playlist on Spotify has been one of my most favourite pastimes in lockdown as I find it very satisfying finding new songs and new artists that I love. The single's or album's cover can quite often decide whether or not I listen to the songs. Sometimes if I like the design a lot, I will spend more time trying to find a song that I like in the album if I, at first listen, do not feel drawn to any of the songs, which usually ends in me adding one or two songs to a playlist. I think that it is so important nowadays for singers and artists to have their cover art interesting and intriguing, particularly if they're a smaller artist, because it will help their growth and help draw and keep the attention of people who listen to their music. As this is something which I am quite passionate about, I decided it would be fun to create a top ten album cover designs which I have found throughout the years.

10. The Island - EP by Shakka

As well as being my favourite EP/album release of all time musically, the art work on this design is one of my favourites. The technique of using unique shapes with sharp, bold edges is something which I have previously experimented with in my own work and a technique which I also love. It allows the design to look very clean and neat. This is also exaggerated with the limited colour palette and minimal shading, such as the ocean only having two different shades of blue and the mountains only having two shades of red. Furthermore, the choices of colours is also very smart, as with red, blue and yellow all being primary colours, it is common knowledge that this combination works incredibly well together and helps each area to be very bold and vibrant, which is important for an EP/album cover.

The focus on detail is also something which interests me about this design. The dotted texture which is seen in the darker areas of the ocean and the corners of the sky allows the design to have some texture, in turn allowing it have a somewhat worn and used atmosphere, which is an interesting contrast with the sharp shapes and the strict colour palette. Also when looking closely at the mountains, there is a small campfire just to the left. The design would've still looked amazing without this, however this approach allows people to notice more about the design the more you look at it, which I personally believe is quite difficult to achieve, particularly with such simple shapes and lines used.

9. Needs by Verzache

The design of this single is something which I initially thought prior to making the list, would be one of the top 3, however I decided to put it lower down in the ranking because it is very similar to the style of which I feel the most comfortable using and something which, at least for now, I am trying to stop using so much, however that does not take away from how beautiful the design is. The limited colour palette, like said previously, is something which I have loved experimenting with throughout designing my own work as it allows the design to look more structured and can evoke more emotion into a person. The red and yellow used are both very bold, vibrant and warm colours, which evokes a happy and calm emotion, exaggerated by the imagery of somebody reading a book/magazine with their legs crossed. Furthermore, the plain red background works really well as it helps bring the attention to the illustration in the middle, as well as matching the rest of the design.

My favourite part of this design is the heavy attention to shading and lighting. This increases the realistic value of the design, which is quite difficult to achieve with an outline illustration, eventhough it is extremely realistic. Adding realistic shading and lighting to a design is something which is quite difficult as you have to maintain the correct direction of the light source throughout, for example with this design, the light is coming from above and behind. This inspires me significantly and if I do return to digital illustration soon, I would love to focus on lighting and shading in my work.

8. Brakes by p-rallel

Quite like Needs by Verzache, I am quite shocked at how low this design is in this list, however that does not take away from how interesting the design is. There are so many components of this which I love, varying from the colour palette to the text to the texture. Starting with the colour palette, the main use of purple and pink makes the design look very cool and chilled, which does match the vibe of the song. Matching the artwork's atmosphere to the song is also something which I think is super important as the artist needs to ensure they collect the attention of their correct target audience to increase the chances of the person potentially listening to other releases and staying as a fan.

Another aspect of this design which I love is the text used. The concept of using white as the fill is very interesting as it contrasts significantly well against the bright shades of purple behind it. Also, the technique of using a handwritten, 3D design makes the design look much more personal and fun.

Much like The Island - EP by Shakka, the designer has created these creases and bends in the design to make is appear worn and used, which an interesting technique. This is something which I don't think I would've thought of experimenting with before seeing this, however it has most definitely inspired me to use it in my own work. I feel as if it makes a design look more complete, as if something like a vinyl is very worn and has these creases, it means that it has been used a lot and been played a lot.

Futhermore, the audio video of this song is very fun and interesting as the design has been made into a GIF, with the background changing throughout the design. The video is very repetitive due to it being a GIF, however I think the concept of having the cover and the audio video linking like this is a very unique and interesting concept.

7. LOVE AND COMPROMISE by Mahalia

This design interested me for a few reasons, with the main being the style of design. Photography is something I usually shy away from in design and I'm not entirely sure why, as this shows how beautiful photograph can be, which inspires me to experiment more with photography as I am heading into year 2 of university. The technique of having the majority of the area being dark lighting and a bright light facing Mahalia's face allows all of the attention to be brought to her, which somewhat idolises her and makes her appear very important and strong. Furthermore, the positioning of her being perfectly in the middle allows the design to look professional and clean.

The colours used in this design also is very interesting. They've been edited to be very dark shades of red and green, which works very well together. I feel like the shades used are very elegant and powerful, which seems to be a reoccurring theme in this design, which allows the design to feel much more complete.

Another aspect of this design which I am inspired by is the intense use of nature and plants, quite like Liza Rusalskaya, who I previously made a blog post on. Seeing that this is something which I am repetitively being inspired by, this encourages me to want to experiment with nature and plants evermore, whether that be photography or illustration.

The concept of using a serif typeface also inspires me. It matches very well with the rest of the design and adds an elegant and strong atmosphere to the design. The type size is large enough to be legible as well as being small enough so it doesn't attract too much attention away from the actual design. Furthermore, the concept of the type being curved on a circular line like this allows the type to fit in with the design and not just appear as a last minute addition, which is very important in design.

6. Cold (feat. Louis Culture & Finn Foxell) by p-rallel

This is the second cover design of p-rallel's which is in this list, with the other being Brakes. This design inspires me significantly for a variety of reasons. Quick sketches like the one above is something which I have been experimenting with a little throughout lockdown and this a great example of how it can be incorporated into a final piece, being a collage. The line work inspires me because of how quick and rough it is, which adds an artistic atmosphere to design and is something I am interested in incorporating into my future projects.

Another aspect which inspires me significantly is the unique approach to collaging. The designer has ripped out different pictures of nature and trees during winter, which is fitting with the title of the song, and placed them neatly together. The individual pieces have not been stuck down, which is interesting as it creates shadows and dimension. Also, it has been made so the edges on the outside all link, allowing them to flow and keep a clean look, as well as being placed together to make a square shape, which again makes it look very professional and clean. Collaging is something which I have experimented with before but rarely, so I feel like I could use this technique more when heading into year 2.

Another aspect of the design which inspires me is the background. The concept of not having the collage design reach the edges is very interesting and is a great example of knowing where to stop and what is too much, which inspires me.

5. I DON'T CARE by Quadeca

Photography is an area in design which I have noticed overtime that I do often neglect, which is strange because I feel like it's such an important area and can truly make a design, which is clear in this cover above. This concept inspires me significantly as it makes you feel sympathetic with him, sitting on a chair in the ocean, as if he is deeply in thought and processing something which has happened, which is also related to the song. In the song, Quadeca mentions that a fan who was sending him DM's who he was consciously ignoring took his own life and how he is dealing with the heavy situation and guilt. Quadeca sitting in a chair in the middle of the ocean also makes him seem a bit lost and confused, which I can see being an emotion he is experiencing after this tragedy.

Another aspect of this design which interests me is the use of black and white as well as shading. The concept of the design being black and white is very fitting because it adds a sad atmosphere to the design. Furthermore, the incredibly dark shading on him when it should be light as everywhere else around him is also shows how empty and dull he feels. Being able to feel this much emotion from just looking at the cover of the song shows how interesting the design is and inspires me to maybe make something like this in the future.

4. Bamboo Forest by Walterwarm

This is a cover which I am quite surprised at being so high in the list, however the more I looked the more I felt inspired by the design. Like said previously, photography is a technique which I would love to experiment more with in year 2, and this is a very interesting approach, with it being very candid and natural. The technique of using nature in the design is something which I have noticed frequently in the covers that I am inspired by, so I think I will definitely be experimenting with nature of some kind in second year.

Another aspect of this design which inspires me is the positioning of everything. Having the berry bush flow throughout the design and over him is very interesting, as if the photo has been taken from inside the bush. The thought of somebody walking though fields and touching bushes and the nature around them makes is feel like a very peaceful and calm atmosphere, much like the songs in the album. Again, making this link where the songs and the design have the same feel and vibe is very important.

3. Home Is Where the Art Is by Barney Artist

Barney Artist, as well as being one of my favourite artists, often has beautiful cover work like the design above, so I decided I would put one of my favourite designs in this list. The atmosphere in this design is so happy and feel good, with the concept of home and having family photos around, with him sitting in a chair, very happy and relaxed and even down to the finer details with the family board game Monopoly in the bottom left corner. The sense of home and family gives a very happy and safe atmosphere to the design.

One of my favourite aspects about this design is the type used. The concept of using brush stroke marks to create the type is very fitting for the title of the album. The way each different word is a different size and it still fits together so well is very interesting and inspiring. Furthermore, the way it flows around him and the chair allows it to fit in and be apart of the design.

Another aspect which inspires me in this design is the concept of incorporating his own families culture and upbringing to make it much more personal and true, with that being on the furniture on the right and the drums, it shows that he is really comfortable and actually happy where he is. Furthermore, the colour palette used also links to this. The designer has used very bright and bold colours, being mainly red and yellow, which are both very warm and happy colours, again further showing how happy and proud he is. This style is very inspiring and something I would love to experiment with in the future.

2. FIRE ON MARZZ by BENEE

This is my second favourite cover art because of how interesting and different the design is from my own design. I mentioned in the introduction of this post that sometimes if I love the design enough, I will spend more time and effort listening to the songs and try to enjoy them more. At first listen, I actually did not feel too interested with any of the songs, however I listened to them again and ended up adding three out of the six songs into my main playlist, with them now being some of my favourites. This is a clear example of how having interesting and unique cover art can help an artist gain attention.

One aspect of this design which first got my attention was the very bright and bold colour palette. They're are a variety of colours chosen in this design, all being very vibrant and strong. In my own designs, I would usually aim for having a restricted colour palette with 2-3 colours however this approach is very interesting to me and something I would love to experiment with in the future.

Another aspect of this design which I love is the style of illustration. It is very child like, however doesn't look as if it has actually been drawn by a child, which is something that is very difficult to achieve. The creatures in the background make the design very fun and childish, which is very inspiring. Furthermore, having all the creatures compact and cramped together very close, leaving minimal space is an interesting and fitting approach for this design, as I think if this was not the case the design would look very unusual and incomplete.

This style also heavily reminds of an artist called Talyeh Galvez who creates very similar work to this who experiments with hallucinations. I found her page on TikTok (@aliengirl._._), who paints her own room similar to this style to help distract herself from her mental health issues. She also experiments with bright colours and abnormal features like having 4 eyes. Realising that I have found two different artists who have very similar styles that I am inspired by encourages me to want to use a similar style like this in my own work.

https://talyehgalvez.com/collections/art-work

1. Press L To Continue by ROMderful

My favourite cover design currently would have to be Press L To Continue by ROMderful for a variety of reasons. The aspect which initially interested me was the colour palette used. The main colour in the design is a very vibrant and bold orange which did catch my eye. Furthermore, using a cyan blue in the screen heavily contrasts against the orange background, making a very unique and powerful design. ROMderful is wearing a blue and orange t-shirt which helps him blend in with the design, which is very inspiring and shows his attention to detail. Another aspect which inspires me about this cover is the precise layout of all the items on the floor and how it is all neatly scattered across the floor. Furthermore, the way the background has been made to be mostly the same shade of orange with the use of lighting again further proves the attention to detail in the cover design, as well as adding to the childish and fun atmosphere.

The vintage look of this design such as the retro video game consoles reminds me of the same video games that were around in my childhood, which may draw people from his own generation to the design and create a somewhat homely vibe, quite like the Home Is Where the Art Is cover by Barney Artist. Using technique like this helps draw a specific target audience, which is interesting.