Cover Art

We’ve been watching with interest the latest trend for uber simple album cover art. Arctic Monkeys AM, Ed Sheeran X and David Bowie Blackstar being notable examples. In our digital lives most album cover art is reduced to the size of a postage stamp. We’re a long way from the 70’s when a two hour study of intricate sleeve designs and liner notes followed an LP’s first listen (or so I’ve been told).

Love them or hate them - the new breed of ultra bold and minimal designs seem aimed firmly at standing out above the noise, rather than perhaps rewarding our hearts and mind. Look further at this recent crop of album art as an overall campaign and one starts to realise there is perhaps a little more going on than we first realise. Across the wealth of marketing channels an iconic concept could make all the difference when it comes to getting noticed.  A moody black and white shot of the band as cover art isn’t necessarily going to cut through the noise.This new breed of iconic designs seem more aligned to being an intrinsic part of a ‘campaign’ more than just the outer packaging.

For example - consider the versatility of the Ed Sheeran X concept. A flyposter of the striking black X on green will most likely stay in the mind until the next visit to the itunes store. How about Ed signing off on twitter to his fans with an ‘X’ and a countdown of days to launch starting at a big ‘X’ on his website. With a little imagination a bold, simple concept can fly when implemented across many parts of the marketing mix. Another factor to consider here is the cost effectiveness of the whole concept, just two simple colours -  black and green.



So what learnings as designers can we take from these current crop of simple album cover concepts? When cut-through and recognition in the mass market is called for - sometimes it’s not how ‘lovely’ a creative idea is  -  it’s how flexible, recognisable and truly effective it is.

 

Brand Tonic - Foodie heaven

Visiting the summer food festivals is always a real treat and last weekend was no
exception. It’s a great way to spot trends, innovative products and be aware of emerging brands.

The Ludlow food Festival was basking in late summer sunshine and a wonderful example of everything that is important in the current climate..a celebration of British producers, provenance and quality.

We were glad we took the train as The ales and ciders were flowing and for us were the highlight of the festival, proof that micro breweries are most definitely a growing market.


Bristol hosted the Organic Show in the superb dockland setting once again and despite the fears of the current climate and negative press on organic it was busy to the close. One question we were left wondering though “is just saying organic enough?” When you consider the organic brands that communicate a great brand story, and perhaps also that link to local provenance they have created a strong proposition in the marketplace that perhaps will give them the added dimension to ride the current downturn.