12 Music Albums With Great Cover Design According To Our Senior Art Director
FEMALE's resident audiophile and design guru Jonathan Chia opens up his music vault to pull out 12 albums that not only rock the sound waves but also the visuals and graphics.
By Imran Jalal,
By his own admission, Jonathan Chia, FEMALE's senior art director, DJ and resident music curator (check out his monthly edit of music on our Spotify channel) has too many CDs in the cache to count. But there are 12 particular titles that speak to his inner graphic designer for their great cover designs. "I love how these covers can be simple or chaotic but through their clever use of colours and graphics, they successfully convey the message of the band or musician." Scroll on for a peep at his picks.
"The indie pop band always uses the letter X for all of its album designs without ever showing their faces. What I really like about this cover is that this stylistic motif has been embossed on a reflective silver surface. So if you are to pick up the physical copy, the first thing you'll see is yourself, cleverly turning the focus back on you."
"This cover design was the brainchild of German photographer, graphic artist and art director Johann Zambryski and features the four members of the German electronic group riding bikes on a road painted with colours of the French flag. The design is an interpretation of an image found on a 1953 Hungarian postage stamp while the use of the geometric Futura Caps typeface conveys the album's title instantly and effectively. The inside of the CD booklet also features designs that are connected either to Tour de France, bikes or France."
"Bjork's third studio album was designed by the renowned London-based Me Company. The floral motifs and silver background takes cues from the pattern of Bjork's Alexander McQueen kimono-inspired outfit. The final image makes Bjork look like an icy futuristic alien."
"The artwork on this debut album by the British trip-hop collective was designed by its own member Robert del Naja, who is also known for his work as a graffiti artist. True to del Naja's love for symbology, he employed industrial flame pictogram and the Helvetica Black Oblique typeface. The cool graphics would go on to be a trademark of the group."
"The debut album of the English funk and acid jazz band features the silhouette of its frontman Jay Kay. There is also the specially-designed typeface that is now a trademark for all their albums. The simple and easily recognisable design makes this an example of great graphic design."
"This is just a simple idea by the influential Japanese composer and musician. At one glance, it looks like a hexagon with many graphic lines inside of it. But on closer inspection, it is actually composed of 12 different coloured geometric forms to represent the number of tracks in the album."
"This definitely takes the cake for its unconventional use of typography. The overlaying graphic and lines might be hard to read but somehow this chaotic aspect conveys what the electronic music inside is all about. Plus, the design reminds me of a modern version of the seminal alt-rock 'n' roll magazine, Ray Gun."
"The design of this debut studio album by the American rock band the Velvet Underground and German singer Nico is very iconic – thanks to the banana print designed by Andy Warhol. Trivia: The first run of the album featured a sticker on the banana, inviting the buyer to slowly peel the skin to reveal a flesh-coloured fruit underneath. Very provocative at that time for any band."
"I was attracted to this album – it's the debut album of the French electronic music producer – not knowing who the artist. Rather, I was drawn by its brilliant usage of typography, colours and Japanese animation. It was a joy to find good music just based on an album's cover design alone."
"As a graphic designer, I definitely gravitated to the cover design on this album by the Irish electronic musician. Simple white lettering against an orange background. Period."
"The Pet Shop Boys always have great graphic design work for their albums – most of which are created by Mark Farrow. I particularly like the one that Farrow worked on for this limited-edition release for Japan. The tick is made up of 11 coloured squares, each representing a track. The album design marked Farrow's return to simpler graphics and was inspired by German artist Gerhard Richter."
"All in all, this is an iconic yet simple cover. It was designed by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, one of the electronic group's members. The graphic he used looks like a patch you'd find on a varsity jacket and has gone on to become the group's logo and visual identity for all of their subsequent album covers."