In researching to get a better idea on how to aid the promotion of a new artist with their debut album cover, I looked at albums released at a variety of lengths into artist's careers.
I like these for the simple yet powerful use of faces in CU with editing effects on them. There is a very strong sense of colour and striking image without loads going on. Many famous album covers have used faces in this way including those above. Some would not take huge effort to produce but can still be striking images; this is something I would like to do, not necessary having a minimalist look but not over-edited or immensely intricate.
Unknown Pleasure by Joy Division and Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd both have uncomplicated, symbolic, and hugely iconic, album covers - I would consider using simple imagery in a similar way if I came up with something that could look great like these
Red Hot Chili Peppers' I'm With You has a similarly minimalist cover with an image that the band have admitted is supposed to draw multiple, varied meanings in people's minds, and idea I've grown fond of
Paramore's Riot clearly connotes the punk rock genre and is a well known album cover, and Sum 41's Underclass Hero uses similar style with graffiti in a punk font, with more of a high school twist. They appeal to my age group, having a rebellious idea to them.
The Battle of Los Angeles has a powerful and clear message of uprising, common with protest music and punk, the sort of which I'd really love to use if it fit the eventual choice of music
Never Mind, The Sex Pistols' debut album is one of the most iconic albums in music. Unlike more modern music in an increasingly commercialised industry where reality TV and the charts work symbiotically and in tandem, this album cover is unconventional in that it does not have an image of the artists themselves. It does however tell you something about the artist, like all debuts should. What I find so interesting is that it does this solely through its title - use of expletives and the dismissive 'never mind' strongly connotes anti-establishment ideas.
In some ways you could argue that it displays an arrogance associated with successful artists' album covers further into their careers, where many are very minimalist, like I'm With You or Beyonce's eponymous 2013 album. The impression is that they don't need to make as much effort because 'you know who they are'. This may have contributed to what established the Sex Pistols so strongly on the music scene, as they did this from the beginning.
Regardless of the type of music I might work on, I'm quite keen to make something with a similar confidence. I say this because with an effective and synergistic marketing and release strategy on every platform, (such as social media, websites, promotional material eg music videos, etc) a self assured cover with simplicity in its design can really work in the music industry. It has been effective in the past and continues to be in the present like with Jake Bugg's debut (above); giving the impression that you put in less effort and still are successful, even if marketing works very hard behind the scenes, creates a positive and very cool image of an artist.
Never Mind, The Sex Pistols' debut album is one of the most iconic albums in music. Unlike more modern music in an increasingly commercialised industry where reality TV and the charts work symbiotically and in tandem, this album cover is unconventional in that it does not have an image of the artists themselves. It does however tell you something about the artist, like all debuts should. What I find so interesting is that it does this solely through its title - use of expletives and the dismissive 'never mind' strongly connotes anti-establishment ideas.
In some ways you could argue that it displays an arrogance associated with successful artists' album covers further into their careers, where many are very minimalist, like I'm With You or Beyonce's eponymous 2013 album. The impression is that they don't need to make as much effort because 'you know who they are'. This may have contributed to what established the Sex Pistols so strongly on the music scene, as they did this from the beginning.
Regardless of the type of music I might work on, I'm quite keen to make something with a similar confidence. I say this because with an effective and synergistic marketing and release strategy on every platform, (such as social media, websites, promotional material eg music videos, etc) a self assured cover with simplicity in its design can really work in the music industry. It has been effective in the past and continues to be in the present like with Jake Bugg's debut (above); giving the impression that you put in less effort and still are successful, even if marketing works very hard behind the scenes, creates a positive and very cool image of an artist.
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