Album cover design
It’s fascinating to see the freedom that designers had – or perhaps took? – when creating their album cover designs, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. The cover designs by Hipgnosis are, of course, famous, with their LP designs for Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, T. Rex and Black Sabbath. But there have also been many beautiful designs in the world of jazz. Sometimes you can definitely see a connection between the music and the design (fluid visual language for music that is very fluid, or technological imagery for computer-inspired music), but sometimes that relationship is quite enigmatic, or even completely absent.
Is it the artwork? Is that why it catches my eye? The idea behind the design? Sometimes. What makes it stand out so much? Is it because it complements the music so well? Not always, not necessarily. Sometimes it’s hard to explain; it’s more of a feeling that ‘it’s right’. For years, cover art was a distinct design discipline. That (graphic) art form was lost with the advent of streaming and the internet. Although, recently there’s been a resurgence in physical music formats such as vinyl and CDs. Even cassettes are still sold here and there. And with that comes a renewed appreciation for ‘cover art’. Lovely!
