The text below is copied from
wtsduplication.com. The original online article can be found by clicking here.
The first disc records, ones that we
would recognize as such, appeared around 1910. Most often these were packaged
in plain brown Paper or cardboard sleeves. Occasionally and enterprising
retailer would print his store name on the sleeve but generally they were
unadorned.
 |
| Cardboard Sleeve for Record. |
 |
| Original Plain Sleeve. |
In the early 1920's retailers started gathering many of these cardboard sleeves and binding them together with heavy paperboard or leather covers. These looked similar to large photo albums and, borrowing the name, were sold as record albums. These albums offered much greater protection for the discs than the original packaging and were seen as indispensible to disc owners that had seen too many of their fragile records broken.
 |
| Leather Sleeve for Record. |
Beginning in the 1930s the record companies started using these record albums to distribute bundles of records from one performer or a collection of performers with similar musical styles. Some of the first cover designs can be traced to these albums and the record company’s desire to graphically communicate the music each album held.
 |
| Record Cover Design from the 1930's. |
Alex Steinweiss the art director for Columbia Records is given credit for the concept of modern cover art. He experimented with different concepts and images through the late 1930s and into the early 1940s. During this time Columbia Records rebounded from the terrible years they had suffered during the depression to become one of the most prominent record companies in the United States. Much of this was due to their ground breaking use of graphical design. (Of course signing Frank Sinatra may have helped a little too).By the close of the decade all major recording companies had graphic design professionals on staff.
 |
| Alex Steinweiss. |
 |
| Alex's First Album Cover Design. |
 |
| Another Design. |
The golden era of cover art design began in the early to mid 1960s and lasted into the early 1980s. During this time the major format for music was the 12 inch, long play disc or LP. Cover art became a part of the musical culture of the time. Often used to express graphically the musician’s artistic intent, it helped connect and communicate to listeners the message or underlying theme of the album.
 |
| 1960's Design. |
Designers, photographers, and illustrators sometimes became famous for their cover art creations. Such notables as Andy Warhol and Frank Frazetta were taken from being known in their industry to becoming household names due to their cover art graphic design work. So respected and desired are the designs and illustrations found in cover art that there are numerous art galleries that specialize in helping collectors find rare album covers.
 |
| Andy Warhol's Design for an Album Cover. |
As the medium for recording transitioned from the LP to the compact disc many graphic designers failed to transition with it. Having worked for so long with the much larger canvas of the LP cover, switching to the smaller CD case left most designers dissatisfied with their results. Often artist and record companies simply tried to shrink the LP size art to fit the CD.
 |
| Transition from LP to CD. |
Album cover art, now almost exclusively CD and CD packaging artwork, went through a period of change and rebirth in the 1990s. Designers learned to capture snapshots and portions of the artist’s musical intent rather than trying to convey the entire message. Also designers started conveying the emotion of the music rather than the musical intent.
 |
| 1990's Design. |
In the late 90s computer design programs started to overcome the physical limitations of the smaller CD packaging. With the ability to draw much tighter, finer lines and have even small details look crisp and sharp, once again designers were free to explore a larger variety of design options. As the technology continued to improve graphic designers adapted and were once again producing world class artwork.
In the present, CD design is undergoing
a true renaissance. Rather than becoming obsolete in the digital age as many
thought it would, graphic design is once again proving itself as the difference
maker. The internet is now the largest record store imaginable. Now rather than
browsing a few hundred albums or songs at a time you may be exposed to
thousands and thousands. Since it would be impossible to listen to portions of
all those thousands of songs the design of the accompanying artwork must cause
potential listeners to stop and take notice and give this album a try.
 |
| Recent Album Cover Design. |
 |
| Recent Album Cover Design. |
RESEARCH: ICONIC ALBUM COVERS (Codes and Conventions)
Conventions of album covers include; Artist/Band name, Title of the album, Image relating to the album.
This site features the top 50 iconic album covers according to IGN (Imagine Games Network), with brief descriptions about the album cover and as to why it became so iconic for the time it was published.
 |
'It is actually shaving cream on model Delores Erickson here, but that little
trivia does little to diminish the cool of the 1965 album cover. The album
went on to sell 6 million copies, who knows how many were based solely on
the strength of its cover.'
|
This album cover does follow the conventions as it includes the name of the band (Herb Alperts & The Tijuana Brass), the title (Whipped Cream & Other Delights) as well as an image. The most dominant part of this album cover is the image of Delores, covered in what appears to be whipped cream (actually shaving foam) and holding a red rose. The rose has connotations of love and romance and could be a symbol of lust in this particular case. Furthermore, the woman is holding her finger to her lips in a sensual way, suggesting a sexual inclination and a gesture of lust. Moreover, the whipped cream is covering her body and she appears to be waiting for something or someone. This could be to draw the audiences attention due to the sexual nature of the image. The audience will pick this up and be drawn towards her 'charms'.
As well as this, the font is quite fancy and is used in a waved motion, creating a sense of figure and could be used as something quite fun or exciting. It is also capitalised for a reason, which, could be because the producer wants it to stand out, due to importance, OR it is to convey the female figure; curved, giving a more sensual connotation.
Something on this album cover that is not a convention would be the inclusion of tracks. There is a small track listing, however, I am unsure whether this is the full track listing or just a few of the songs. Although, the text is all to do with some form of sweet food, which, again adds to the nature of what I have mentioned before; sensual and something to do with pleasure.
 |
'Some bands spend loads of money and makeup to create a menacing cover
art, but Black Sabbath pulled it off with a simple distressed photo of a figure in
black in front of Mapledurham Watermill in Oxfordshire. Add the fact that
it was originally released on Friday the 13th, in February of 1970, and you
have yourself an appropriately sinister album cover from one of the earliest
heavy metal bands.'
|
Black Sabbath also follow two of the conventions including the band name and an image. However, they do not include the title of the album but this is called 'Black Sabbath' so it is self-titled. In this album cover, all of the codes suggest heavy metal due to the dark nature of the image and the style/colour of the font. The black connotes death or dying and the curling letters could be a symbol for the scythe. As well as this the figure is cloaked in black, possibly death and the background is red; suggesting blood and anger. All of this related to a darker style of music and would appear to be something metal related, due to a preconceived idea of what is expected; conventions. All of the codes suggest this, the curling letters, the colours, the run-down house, the dead tree etc. These all suggest a dark genre.
 |
'This classic black and white cover features the visual representation of the
first pulsar discovered, pulled from the Cambridge Encyclopedia of
Astrology. The textured sleeve provided no track listing on the back,
leaving a blank space where most albums list songs.'
|
This album cover is a complete juxtaposition to the two above. There is no font or text, no name of the artist and also no album name. This is called Joy Division: Unknown Pleasures. Unlike the others, this image gives the impression of a techno collection as the lines with bumps almost look like sound waves and it is something I would imagine to see on a techno band cover. However, I can't decode this as well as the other two due too the fact that there is no text and the image centred is quite obscure, maybe this is an indie band that creates alternative style music.
RESEARCH: CD DIGIPACK CODES AND CONVENTIONS
 |
| Figuring out the codes and conventions that are used on a CD Digipack. |
Today we worked in pairs to decode multiple CD digipack's, discovering the conventions that are used and the typical things you would find on these. We discovered that the majority of digipack's include a track listing on the back, small print (including copyright, producer and the record company) and a connected image. The image is usually wrapped and it continues on the inside front, back and the spine. Also, on the front, their is usually an image, album title and artist/band name. As discussed before, these are the conventions that we as an audience expect to see. However, some bands include lyrics on the inside front of their digipack's and also images of the artist which is quite peculiar as there was only two out of six that included this.
 |
| Photograph of the working process. |
This will help in future as it will show me the conventions that I need to use when designing my own digipack and also some of the codes that will need to be used to portray the genre of music that is represented by my chosen artist. My chosen artist is an acoustic/soft-rock artist and the particular theme for him is surfing, therefore, I should take this into account when designing the digipack. When I look at all of his CD covers I can see that they usually include an image or silhouette of Jack Johnson and I should try to use this too so that I stick to the conventions discussed above.
RESEARCH: DECODING A CD DIGIPACK
'Means Nothing' are a rock/indie band consisting of four male members and this is their first album titled 'Just Hidden'. They are an unsigned band and are relatively unheard of, except to a minority group.
All of the conventions for a front cover are present on this CD digipack; an image, band name and an album name. As well as this, all of the codes show the style or genre of music that this band produce.
The dishevelled woman, not a member of the band and most likely a model, is crying, sharing her pain and anguish and also the hurt she is feeling, portraying to the audience a pain or anguish only she is visible to. She is quite scruffy, appearing as a victim, and her colouring is black and white, presenting to the audience the colour scheme that is expected from this type of music as well as the style of image that is likely to be shown. The black colouring is expected from a rock band and is therefore a code for what is expected. However, there is also a lot of white in the image and the high contrast looks extremely striking and is very powerful. Due to this lighting, you can clearly see the woman's pain. The bleeding mascara from where she has been crying is contrasted by the pale colour of her skin. Furthermore, this shows two opposites and the contrast works quite well here. As well as this, the only colour that is visible is her eyes. This, although a deliberate choice, makes her appear quite sinister rather than someone who looks like a victim. This is then juxtaposed by the tape across her mouth as it says 'just listen' and this contrasts the fact that her mouth is sealed. Therefore, there is a lot of conflict within the image that is presented. This could be used as a message as there is a lot of conflict in the music industry due to the differences in style and genre and what is now known as 'popular' music.
As well as this, the font and colour used for the text portrays a rock band overall. The black, as said before, symbolises death or dying. This could relate to the image and could also be seen as a cry for help. Then again, this is juxtaposed by the choice of font as the font looks as though it could be a neck of a guitar, due to the similar shape OR it could be the blade of a knife of some sort, therefore supporting the above idea. Even if it was the shape of a guitars neck, this could present them as a group as there is most likely to be someone who plays an electric guitar. However, the text across the tape (album title) is more delicate and contrasts this idea again and it is also more fancy and due to this, the woman then again appears fragile. In contrast to this, the text could also be seen as quite gothic, supporting this bands particular genre.
There is also a parental advisory sticker on the cover of the album, suggesting that there is probably swearing or some form of violent language that is used in the album, again this is what is expected from this genre of music.
This gives me the impression that there is a lot of conflict that is happening in this image due to all of the above which suggests something sinister but also the use of delicacy. Overall, the cover is quite depressing and is therefore supporting the bands genre of music as the audience expect this style of music to be depressing and quite heavy.
On the back design, there is a typical convention of track listing, which, is in the same font as the album title. This could be the conflict arising again, as I know they are a rock band and this contrasts the delicacy of the font. However, there is something that supports the genre of music they produce and that is the faded image. The image appears to be a grey blood splatter as it looks spontaneous. Alternatively it could be some form of smoke or fog, which, again supports the genre of music and sticks to the conventions. From a heavy metal or rock band we, as an audience, expect to see a blood splatter or smoke as it is something to be associated with that particular genre of music. Something that is also present is the small print. However, this only includes the copyright symbol. This does't include a producer company or record label and this is due to the fact that thy are an un-signed banned, hence the use of 'all rights reserved'.
Similarly, on the inside back the image is very key. This is quite clearly the band that is being presented and it follows the codes for this genre as the members have tattoos or are wearing some form of stereotypical metal clothing that features death or images related to this genre of music; dark and quite twisted. I would expect to see images such as skulls, dragons, tigers or even blood. This is quite clearly presented. However, there are also some of the band members who have neither of these things. The second one in on the left, for example, is wearing relatively plain clothes and this could again be the conflict that is arising. As well as this, the image isn't wrapped anymore and is just placed rather than everything being connected. Although this image is key, there are also other elements that support the codes and conventions of this band. For example, the band name is presented again on the back but this time it is more of a sepia colour rather than black with hints of white. This is still something that is expected, however, it doesn't support the conventions as the other album covers that I have looked at don't tend to include this on the inside back.
I know when I do my own CD digipack, not to include any similar codes to this design as this is to show a heavy metal/rock band and the acoustic genre doesn't conform to this. I will also have to take into account the target audience as what I produce will have to be something they expect to see, otherwise it won't appeal to that group.
Here is another example of a digipack I have decoded;
Looked at Jack Johnson's albums and decoded those in the same way so that I could understand what is expected to be seen from his genre of music.
PLANNING: TESTING OUT PHOTOSHOP
When it comes to design my album digipack, I want to experiment with Photoshop and explore digital drawing and this is what I created as an attempt for testing the tablet out.
 |
| This is the first layer and it includes an image that I took from google as a starting point for testing out the tablet. |
 |
This is the second layer and it includes the base drawing with minor details included as well as some tonal values to the robot. I then hid the image and continued to work on the robot.
|
 |
This is when I decided to refine the design and also begin to add a background to the drawing. I decided to include both a technical aspect (robot) and something natural.
|
 |
| I then continued this process by adding some rough sketches of mountains in the background. |
 |
| I then worked on the left hand side and completed the sloping of the grass for the background. |
 |
| The completed rough sketch of the background. |
 |
| I then added some clouds to the sky. |
This has really helped me to move forward as it means I can use digital drawing for my CD Digipack design rather than overlaying images and just editing. However, I do intend to develop this further by learning how to use the brush tool for shading and creating a more realistic image. This is not the image I will be using, this was just a test to see if I can produce something well in Photoshop. I do believe that this has worked and it is also something I would like to explore further.
 |
| This is the completed drawing. |
PLANNING: INITIAL CD DIGIPACK DESIGNS
This is the initial ideas that I have for my CD Digipack design and I have used Photoshop to create them as it is a quicker tool and enables me to do more things than when producing them on paper.
Design Number 1:
 |
This is the final layer where I refined everything by highlighting/darkening areas and also adding more detail to the background and also focusing upon the smaller details. I have also included a small bird that is flying into the distance.
|
 |
| First attempt at the design for my front cover of the CD Digipack. I am unsure as of yet whether to have the design in full colour or in black & white. This will be decided later, these are just my initial thoughts based off of the research. I have decided to include a drawing of the person with the guitar as it explicitly shows the genre and the tree is to show the relaxing nature of the music. By including the artists name and the name of the album, I have also considered the conventions. |
 |
| On the back design, I intend to have it as a wrap around so that it all connects. I have also applied the conventions on this as it includes the track listing. I will also include the bar code and any small print that is needed when I produce a more developed design. |
Design Number 2:
 |
| This is the second design for my CD Digipack. This is only a rough idea of what I would do, it will be more polished if this was to be the final design. Also, this design links to my music video as there is a starry night that will be featured in the overlaying. I have also tried to make certain things stand out such as the silhouettes and also the titles, ensuring that it is visible. I will look at YouTube videos to help me for the final design, especially if it is in colour so that it can be cleaner and better blended - again this is just the rough sketch! |
 |
| This would be the back design, however, it will include the barcode and small print. Also, I will attempt to make the text 3D in the actual one. I feel that the font is quite relaxed in this design and that the images are also simple - calming even. |
Design Number 3:
 |
| This is my third design and it is probably the most simple. However, it doesn't need to be complex and I think the simplicity of the design adds to the relaxing atmosphere that the music gives. Also, I have not yet decided what will be on the front cover. |
There is also another design that I would like to test out, however, that will be featured later on my blog as it involves some photography from the actual filming process. The initial idea of it though is to have the artist singing into the microphone, to the right of the design with some colour spots in certain areas. I feel that this could be a design that I work with as it means I can relate it to the music video and it will be more applicable. I feel that the text will either need to be black or white so that the simplicity is kept, however, I will play around with effects in Photoshop so that it looks more interesting. Below is a quick mock up of what I mean;
 |
This is a similar effect to that which I want to test out. The only difference
will be that there is an overlay of images onto the T-shirt. However, I may
use this idea for the MMA. |
Another idea that I could potentially use is the use of screenshots from the footage and using this in photoshop, manipulating the images so that they are in a specific effect and have an almost wrap-around CD Digipack design. Some screenshots are below;
I like the idea of using my own screenshots from the footage as it will enable me to connect all three of the promotional products that I create and it will also allow me to test out more effects than just the tint and overlaying.
PLANNING: TEXT IDEAS
I have used the font chalkduster here to manipulate the text and to also test out multiple ideas for the actual design. I have tested out both dull colours and also something quite pale as I am most likely going to have a black and white CD digipack design. Also, this will link in with the colour scheme as it won't appear too placed or just 'stuck on' - blending better. However, I have also looked at black because that is also another idea so that it is a direct link; simplicity will be more. In addition I have looked at different effects that can be added onto the font e.g. 3-D. I feel that this text will work quite well as it is fun and also looks drawn on, not too traditional and nothing too formal as this will not support the relaxing genre that is Jack Johnson's style.
 |
| Rather than focusing on one font, this is aimed at a range so I can test faster. |
PLANNING: AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
I have handed out some questionnaires that include my initial designs for the CD digipack, however, this does not include the one with the colour spots as this is something I would like to test for both the CD digipack and the magazine advertisement. I have received the feedback which has these designs on and a lot of people agree that the first design is more suitable - for the target audience and the genre style. However, the screenshots from the footage is also very popular so I will produce a preliminary of both so that I can decide upon a final design. Following are some photographs of the questionnaires;
PLANNING: FINAL IDEAS
Below are my 2 favourite designs for the CD Digipack including the idea of screenshots from the footage as well as the actor with a guitar as these are the most appealing ideas and also got the majority of the votes.
 |
| Idea Design 1: Using Screenshots from the footage. May change the image of the artist (close-up) with hands on microphone. |
 |
| Layers used for the idea. |
 |
| More layers. |
 |
| Here is the second design - unfinished but the last section will be of the scenery and will feature the bar code and also tracks on the album. |
 |
| Original. |
 |
| Edited. |
 |
| Original image. |
 |
| This is the edited version of the image. |
 |
| Edited. |
FINAL CD DIGIPACK
