A digital download is a must with vinyl releasesįans of the vinyl format have come to expect a free digital download with every vinyl album purchase. You can let the internet (and that sticker on the packaging) do the magic of conveying the facts, and then use that extra visual space for some great design. In fact, you might not need them there at all, especially if your CD or vinyl package comes with a sticker on the shrinkwrap that does have your artist and album name. You might not need your artist name or album title on the coverĬonversely, because most people will see the album online (where retail stores, blogs, and review sites will display your artist name and album title next to the cover), it's less important that your band name and album title appear in bold on the cover art – though that approach worked wonders for The Black Keys. If not, try a different approach for your album cover. Does it still capture your attention? If so, you’ve got a winner. Before you commit to an album cover design, shrink it way down. Often it will appear as small as a thumbnail. They’ll see a smaller version on digital music platforms like iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon, or on review sites and blogs. The majority of people who encounter your album will do so online. That will never go out of style your web address is eternal. Instead, you absolutely should put your own website's URL in the album art. So, consider not putting your social media URLs in your album art.
Even Facebook may soon be yesterday's news. Remember when everyone put their MySpace addresses in their album art? How 2005! Social media sites come and go. Then, print the URL to your website's lyrics section on your album packaging. Post your lyrics on your website in a dedicated section that shares design elements with your album.
So if a six-page booklet insert or a giant foldout for your LP edition aren't realities, use the internet as a way to augment your album art and avoid clutter. Don’t print lyrics unless you have sufficient spaceĪre you thinking of cramming the lyrics to 12 songs onto a four-panel digipack? Where are you going to put the album credits, copyright info, and crowdfunding thank-yous? Who’s going to be able to read that tiny font anyway? Lyrics in the album packaging are great – if you can read them. To help you create album art that connects with your audience, here are 10 ways to make your next album design your best ever. Album art design is a very different animal in the digital age than it was when most music came packaged in nice, big LP jacket. That being said, the things you need to communicate (and the ways you communicate them through design) are constantly changing.
For most listeners, a single square-ish image will forever represent the collection of songs that comprise your album. So you’ve got to communicate an awful lot with that album art. You put lots of emotion, time, energy, and money into the recording, mixing, and mastering process, and now it’s time to package that music up (as an LP, CD, download, stream, etc.) and deliver it to the world. Here’s the thing, though: most independent artists can only afford to have one set of designs for their album packaging and cover art. This article originally appeared on The DIY Musician.Īn album represents a chapter in your creative life.
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