In today's post, we are going to give you a small guide to the elements that cannot be missing in a music album cover, in addition to talking about some of the most iconic. We will talk about how to make a record cover that catches the attention of music lovers. To do this, we will provide you with a series of very useful tips as well as tricks to achieve success.
music is a art that combine different sounds collected in a temporal sequence following harmonic laws. This set of sounds is something that we all hear in our day to day and to which we turn when we go through different moods.
The design that works on the cover of a musical album is a process of building your own brand. It is the reflection of its own style and of a history behind the music. Many of us when we go in search of new music, on many occasions we filter through the album cover because of its great appeal.
Is a good music album cover important?
The answer to this question is without a doubt, yes.. Music and image are two arts that have gone hand in hand for some years now, since it has not always been this way.
We say that they have not always been the perfect couple, since, during the 20s, the covers had only the function of protecting the disc. As the years went by and you reached your 40s, that's when the music industry underwent a big change.
Alex Steinweiss, was the one who had the great idea of adding art to the boring wrappers that protected the discs. Thanks to his designs, the sales of musical albums increased and with it, what we know today as a record cover was born.
Today, few records are sold physically, in the digital world in which we live, music listened to and purchased on online streaming platforms has gained ground. Even in this digital age it is important to design a cover for the promotion and distribution of this album. It has become a crucial phase.
A good music album cover makes people an idea is created about the music that can be heard on said album. They are like a revelation to the public, about what they are going to hear and they can even show not only the philosophy of the band but also how they are behind the music.
A correct design that is successful on the cover of an album, serves as an influence for other supports of design such as posters for concerts, textile designs, more merchandising products, among others.
Important aspects for the design of a music album cover
The cover of an album says a lot about who the band or the performer are. In solitary. It is a support, in which you can express your creativity at the highest level, but always respecting some rule that you must follow to ensure a successful design.
The first thing to do before starting the sketch phase and the subsequent design phase is to make a research on the artistic style that will bring the cover design to life. You can look for references of other cover designs, but always keeping in mind the information about the band or artist you are working with.
you have to be clear what do they want to convey, who they are as artists, their musical genre, their audience, etc.. As we already know, there are various artistic styles with which you can work, painting, a more experimental style, photography, vintage retro style, illustration, minimalism, ugliness, among many other styles.
Another important aspect is the size of the image file to work with. Normally, the standard maximum size is 3000 x 3000 pixels or 1400 x 1400 minimum. Whether you use one measure or another will depend on the format to be published.
We remind you that works with images or explicit vocabulary are not accepted. That is, pornographic images, violence, drugs, discrimination or any related subject will not be admitted. If songs or words with explicit language appear, it will be necessary to add an icon that the album contains these words.
When you already have your collection of references searched, you will realize that typography and color are two of the most important elements to take into account in the design of any graphic project.
Putting the name of the artist or artists is usually something very common for records that are going to be sold in stores, now that the vast majority of music moves on the internet, it may not be so necessary. We recommend that you try placing it in different ways, large, strategically small, not placing it, etc. Whatever best fits the design you have in mind.
We advise you to have a notebook or agenda handy, the medium with which you work and to make a list of elements that inspire you, a very useful technique is to make a mood board. If you don't know how to make one, we leave you this article where we explain it to you. All this helps you to have a clearer vision of how your design can go.
When you have all the elements defined, it is time to move on to the sketching phase. You can make one or more sketches by varying the elements, adding, removing, etc. This process will help you visualize your cover design more easily and definitively.
Lastly, in the design phase you will see how everything is taking shape, having your own style and giving life to your initial idea.
Famous musical album covers in history
In this section we have compiled some of the most famous music album covers in history.
Aladdin Sane, 1973. David Bowie
Nevermind, 1991. Nirvana
Source: https://vinylroute.com/
The Velvet Underground & Nico, 1967
Dark side of the moon, 1973. Pink Floyd
Source: https://vinylroute.com/
Live! Tequila!, 1980
The Ramons, 1976
Source: https://www.rtve.es/
Abbey Road, 1969. The Beatles
Source: https://www.rtve.es/
The art of designing musical album covers has not fallen into oblivion as it did many years ago. It is an art that continues to exist today and that collects different styles and personalities in a small format.
The design of these covers should not only be flashy and even cheeky, but should also represent ideas, beliefs, personality and philosophy. You must invite the different public to listen to your music.