When design meets music and results in beautiful artwork.

Design and music – a partnership that goes together like Simon & Garfunkel, Hall & Oates, Captain & Tennille. Without one, the other may just pale into insignificance. Yes, the influence of music upon professional designers and illustrators is that strong. Of course, we’re not saying without one the other wouldn’t exist; but you can’t help but think that without the influence of music, some of today’s most inspired design and illustration projects may have been a little less ‚finely tuned‘. We’re generalising a little, but poke your head into any design studio across the world and you’re likely to see designers – cans on – enjoying tunes whilst they work. Design and illustration – or any creative jobs – are professions where music doesn’t act as a distraction; it’s a way of mentally dialling in to a project, of escaping into your own thought processes, of getting inspired. (1)

„Music is a very important
aspect in design. It can influence
your thoughts, ideas, movements
and so much more.“ (2)

Different Genres – Different Styles

Of course, every music genre has it´s own visual language.
They all use different colors, typography, photography or illustration to express their message.
Have a look at these pictures to see and feel the difference.

The Forgotten Beauty of
Vinyl Album Cover Art

Long before the digital era and the design disciplines that emerged with it, there was a unique canvas, reaching a visual audience of millions; every designer dreamed of working on a vinyl record album cover. Invented in 1938 by graphic designer Alex Steinweiss while working at Columbia Records as an art director, album cover art quickly became one of the most important design disciplines in the world. Thanks to Steinweiss’s inventive concept and unique visual language, a new way of representing music was born.

In the following years, cover design became a vital part of music albums, not to mention a strong cultural influence. It was one of the few mediums at the time which reached millions of people and had a truly global impact thus providing designers with a canvas through which they could express their creativity and originality to the whole world. It was also considered to be among the most effective marketing tools. Oftentimes the album cover was the main thing that persuaded people to purchase an album, rather than the music itself. In many cases, the cover design was in fact much better than the music it represented. The importance of cover design was so immense that it became a way for artists to popularize themselves and their work. Many renowned artists, such as Andy Warhol, Burt Goldblatt and Roger Dean either gained fame or kick-started their careers by designing album covers. (3)

Quellen:
(1)     www.creativebloq.com
(2)     www.abduzeedo.com
(3)     www.awwwards.com