R+P Post 10: Album covers that have inspired and influenced my ideas

Album covers are a vital part of an artist's promotional package because they sell not only the music but the artist's image and brand as a whole.

A debut album should:

• Introduce the artist and their identity
• Establish the genre
• Stand out and draw attention
• Work in synergy with other products
• Include institutional information such as:
• record label
• copyright
• music format
• year of release
• distributor
• parental advisory if necessary

I looked at a range of different album covers to get an understanding of conventions and style before narrowing my research down and looking at album covers that were along similar lines to what I originally envisioned - dramatic lighting, CU and a dark colour scheme.

Below is a collection of some of the album covers that I looked at.

In addition to this, I also did a close analysis on Amy Winehouse's album cover for 'The Best of Amy Winehouse' 

Although this isn't a debut album cover I think that the sole focus on the artist, colour scheme and eye-catching simplicity is something we can really learn from for our own album cover.