Covered in Color

One of my favorite aspects of the music industry, besides the music itself, is the album cover art. I have a ton of respect for those who create them because they are essentially trying to create a physical face for a non-physical piece of art, whether that be for a full album, EP, or single. Plus, in my opinion, if the album cover is not very exciting or cool to look at, the song is typically not very exciting or cool either. However, the most popular album covers and those that are most memorable can usually even tell a story of their own through symbolic uses of objects and wording. For example, on the famous Dark Side of the Moon cover by Pink Floyd, the prism, according to the designer Storm Thorgerson, "...represented both the diversity and cleanliness of the sound of the music." The triangle even goes on to symbolize ambition, which is a key theme for the band.

By utilizing the cover of an album to tell a story about the type of music or describe an aspect of themselves, artists have created some absolutely incredible covers. Calling back to my third blog on finding inspiration, album covers are typically a go-to for me to get some ideas and new perspectives. In fact, the art form inspired me so much that I even started making some myself, and they are so much fun to make. The two of mine I enjoy the most have to be for With You/Carnival by Xander and Flow by Allie Austin. The two are both very different in terms of style but shared the same goal in conveying the feeling and tone of the actual song into an image! For example, for the With You/Carnival album cover, I tried to convey the fun and lighthearted feelings that the music embodies. And I accomplished that by using the simple, sketch-looking style of the final product.

With You/Carnival - Xander

Flow - Allie Austin

Now, besides my own, there are thousands of other album covers out in the world today. Of them all, my favorites are mainly from the genres of indie, dance, and house music! I figure since I mentioned it, I might as well share some of my favorites:

Skin - Flume

Tourist History - Two Door Cinema Club

True Colors - Zedd

More Than Just A Dream - Fitz and The Tantrums

- Jared