Album art is a big part of an artist's passion project; it's the face of the album. Like the iconic art on the Smashing Pumpkin's "Siamese Dream" or Taylor Swift's "1989." Just hearing those names brings the artwork to mind.
But times have changed. Before album art was made for physical formats like CDs or tapes, but now it's all digital. Platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, and TikTok are the primary way people consume music. This shift has changed how artists create album art. Now it's tailored to look good on smaller screens, like phones and tablets, so it can be easily shared on digital platforms. Often this means simpler, more minimalistic designs.
"Digital platforms have changed the way we think about album art," says Scott Lenhardt, a designer who has created cover art for Christian artists such as MercyMe, Todd Agnew, and The Afters. "It's now more about creating something simple, legible, and easily identifiable on a small screen. The key is to create something that effectively represents the music and its themes."
Album art is mainly used to identify albums, EPs, and singles and less for music discovery. As a result, some album art is less elaborate and more focused on legibility to make it easily identifiable on a small screen. On streaming services like Apple Music, some artists simply use a headshot with their name and the album title.
"With streaming, the artwork is no longer the gatekeeper to the music. It's now more of an identifier. It's the thing that helps you find the record amongst the millions of other records. It's not as important as it was before," says Brian Roettinger, designer of album art for artists Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, and Fleet Foxes.
Despite the new norms, some artists and designers continue to create elaborate and visually striking cover art—even for digital platforms. In 2022, rock band Seventh Day Slumber turned heads on social media with the cover art for their recent album, Halos. Also, hip-hop artist Andy Mineo used striking cover art to describe the theme of his recent album, Never Land II.
"I think that the shift towards digital platforms has changed the way we think about album art. It's not just about creating a beautiful image, it's about creating something that looks good on a small screen and can be easily shared across social media," says David N. White, the artist who has created cover art for Christian artists such as Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Casting Crowns.
Many designers and artists are taking advantage of current technology to create different art that is more interactive, with artists using augmented reality, 3D animation, and other interactive elements to engage with audiences. Using digital art, 3D renders, and graphic design has become more popular in the last 10 years, as it allows for more flexibility and experimentation with the eventual outcome.
Bottom line, artists and designers are adapting to how music is consumed and shared, with a greater emphasis on digitalization, social media, and interactive elements. It's not bad, just different.
Paul Phillips is a Canadian journalist with 20 years of experience writing and editing digital and print content. He specializes in health, fitness, nutrition, and travel. He loves music, movies, and, of course, living for Jesus. Portions of this article were written with the help of chat.openai.com.
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