How to Design Stand-Out Album Cover Art

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How to Design Stand-Out Album Cover Art

“Never judge an album by its cover,” they say. Wait. Did we get that right?

In fact, whether we’re talking about a book or a music album, the cover matters. A lot. The typography, the album cover art, the content—it’s all critical in leaving a good first impression on would-be listeners and future fans.

Album artwork is the reason people will pick up your record in the vinyl store or click your album on Spotify or Apple Music. Read on to find out how to make sure that happens.

Get Thinking

Album covers define a band or musician. Spend time getting to know who you are and what your music represents.

This means asking questions like:

  • Who am I? (Or, in the case of a band, Who are we?)
  • What is my ideal audience like?
  • What is my current fanbase like?
  • What do I want people to feel when they hear my music?
  • How would I describe my music in 30 seconds?

Meditate on these questions and jot down your answers on paper or on your phone. Keep them handy when you start designing.

Learn About Design Elements

The best album cover art is a visual representation of your music. So this means you need to pay close attention to every aspect of the layout.

Color

The colors you choose say a lot about your personality as a musician or the ethos that lies behind your band. Remember, even a simple black and white album cover makes a statement. So choose your color scheme wisely!

Typography

When it comes to design tips for album cover art, it might seem like the font is a trivial consideration. In fact, whether you choose a sensible san serif, traditional serif, or messy script font can make all the difference in terms of how your music is viewed.

Images

The graphics you choose should communicate the feelings and themes you explore in your music. Take some time to browse iconic music covers to get a feel for why they chose their imagery. Just remember to leave space for the musician (or band) name, the album name, and the tracklist.

Choose Your Design Tool

Album cover designing might seem complicated, but that’s likely because you’re overcomplicating things.

Adobe Photoshop is one of the most powerful editing software available today. You can remove background from an image, create a believable vintage effect, and everything in between.

Of course, the software comes with a steep learning curve, but there are tons of tutorials online, so you can teach yourself affordably—or even for free!

If you’re looking for something you can jump into right away, there are lots of affordable design and image editing apps—one of the most popular being Canva.

Clickable, Pick-up-able Album Cover Art

Stand-out album cover art can mean the difference between people hearing what you’ve got to play or leaving your album on the digital—or physical—shelf. To create an iconic music cover, you need to know your audience, learn to use some essential design tools, and keep an eye on aesthetic trends.

If you’re looking for more ways to rock your audience, browse the other articles on our website.