Get top tips for designing beautiful and effective album cover art from the team at DKNG. Plus, get inspired by amazing album cover designs on Dribbble.
There’s a lot to consider when designing album cover art—from carefully selecting the right typography, to capturing the essence of a record’s sound using just the right combination of visuals.
So, what makes an album cover design stand out from the rest? We asked the designers at DKNG—a design studio with a focus on the music and entertainment industry—to share their top album design tips for folks just getting started in this niche field.
Use these tips as a guide to creating both thoughtful and effective cover art for the musicians you’re designing for.
For even more cover art inspiration, check out our recent Weekly Warm-Up, where we challenged graphic designers to redesign their favorite music album.
1. Think about versatility
Think about a range of sizes—album art appears on everything from billboards, social media, to the music app on your watch, so think about creating a design that’s iconic enough to work in small sizes, but with enough detail that it shines when reproduced in larger applications.
2. Take advantage of creative packaging options
A lot of album artwork today is simply for a digital single. But if you have the opportunity to create a unique package for vinyl, get creative with it. Ceative doesn’t need to be expensive—you could even screen print your own packaging and just have the vinyl itself commercially produced. There’s even a Grammy Award for best album packaging. Check out previous years’ winners and nominees for inspiration.
3. Understand the artist’s brand aesthetic
Our biggest goal as the designers is to let the voice of the band or musical artist come through, rather than our own aesthetic. What visual style resonates most with the band and their fan base? Some artists we work with have their own style guide which can be super helpful in knowing what themes to focus on, and which themes to avoid, to make the album art truly their own.
4. Listen to the music while you design
Even if it’s not your cup of tea, listening to the music of the artist while you design will help you determine the best look for their album art. Even if you think you have a solid opinion of what the sound and vibe is, listen again. You might be surprised to catch a specific lyric or sound that provides new inspiration.
Hire an album cover designer today
We hope you enjoyed these design tips in addition to the album title art inspiration! Thanks so much to DKNG for sharing their insights with us. Ready to hire an album cover designer for your project? Hire the world’s top designers on Dribbble.
