Secret7 - Album Cover Research

I realised that I've thrown myself right into this brief without even looking at album artwork. I have to admit I don't know a lot about music and my taste is probably quite shameful and not up to date at all so this isn't a good area of knowledge for me. I picked out some iconic album covers from the past and briefly analysed them just to give myself an idea of what seems to work and what doesn't. I have purposely chosen abstract designs so this remains relevant to my objective.

When I think of abstract album art I think of examples like these which are photographic based but highly digitally edited. I want to move away from the photographs work for this brief and focus on handmade elements to build up the design. 

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures (by Peter Saville)

This design is based on radio waves from Cambridge Encyclopedia of Astronomy, the source material is clearly obscure but the image created from it is so interesting to look at and it became a highly iconic design for them. 

The Strokes - Is This It (by Colin Lane)

It surprised me that there was no actual concept behind this image, Lane says that it was a photograph taken of his girlfriend of the time as she came out of the shower. It's strange to think that an image as recognisable as this stemmed from literally nothing, only the idea that whatever it was, it needed to be sexy. 

The Cure - Boys Don't Cry (by Bill Smith)

This album cover is a total opposite to the Strokes cover because this image is a very literal representation of one of the tracks on the album, 'Fire in Cairo'. He has used very recognisable imagery  and simplified it down to shape form, the burned edge at the bottom adds depth to the image but the overall concept is blatantly obvious.

Introspective - The Pet Shop Boys (by Mark Farrow)

This bold design contrasts with the title of the album totally. 

The Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground and Nico (by Andy Warhol)

First impressions about this album cover are totally directed at the creator of the image rather than who has actually made the album. The writeup for this cover on shortlist.com makes a valid point when it says that this album cover was going to be successful and iconic, whoever it was made for. 

I know this research has not gone in to massive depth but I just wanted to get the gist of what made a really good record sleeve. After doing this research, I have come to the conclusion that there is no magic formula. Some successful designs barely relate to the artist or genre of the music while others use such obvious concepts. I suppose music is a personal thing, people interpret things differently so you can either take a risk and put your own personal thoughts into it or make it so generic that almost everyone feels a connection to it on some level. In hindsight, I should have focussed on more modern examples but I felt that a lot of the things I have picked up on here actually carry through to modern day anyway. After doing this exercise, I don't feel I have a clearer way of approaching this brief other than just doing what I think is right. There isn't a way of appealing to everyone and it might be good to take a punt on something obscure because it might just work.