Greatest Album Covers of All Time Japanese Art Weird

The perfect album embrace doesn't happen overnight.

Blood, sweat, tears, greenbacks, and sleepless nights went into making every album cover on this list.

Our team is here to help break downwardly what makes a great anthology cover and give you some tips on how to brand one using Vectornator.

What Should Exist on an Album Encompass?

It's all almost the artwork for anthology cover designs. Amazing embrace art can be i of the most significant factors that will decide how well-received an album is.

Whether you go with graphic design, photography, illustration, or a mix of the three, you'll need to make sure it is the right fit for the band and the album's content.

You lot tin really make your album design really stand up out with your font choice and placement of your championship. And skipping a championship on the comprehend altogether can also be an iconic move. Any you decide to practice, it needs to fit well with your embrace art's theme and colour scheme.

Another major consideration is whether or non to characteristic and photograph the band for the comprehend or to utilize artwork and graphic design instead.

Some bands even decide to feature just one or two members of their entire band on the cover. And hey, if y'all want to start a fight that could suspension up the band you're designing for, by all means, go right ahead.

A proficient marketing and artistic team will work together to observe solutions that fit the band'south image and the creative meaning behind the album.

Now, allow'due south talk about why cover art matters.

Why are Album Covers Important?

Iconic album covers can be the thing that propels an album to the top of the charts, simply it's not an exact science. Cultural relevancy and daze factor tin make a huge difference in how an album cover is received.

Sometimes these covers are created earlier the band themselves fifty-fifty know how much they volition matter. Bands like Nirvana (among many others) created their album art with no thought of the impending fame they would experience once information technology was released.

And some of the bands, models, and designers of these albums take later said they regretted the choices they made in creating them. But, nonetheless, they accept gone down in history as iconic.

At present, that doesn't necessarily hateful they were perfect or without flaws; some were but controversial enough to height people's interest and garner attention for the album.

In the finish, we think you'll concur that album covers tin can make a difference in an album release'south performance.

Now, this list isn't necessarily in order of importance (please don't send u.s.a. hate mail service); it's meant to demonstrate how album covers can make history and leave a lasting impact on pop culture.

So, here'due south our list of the best album covers of all fourth dimension.

i. The Beatles, Abbey Road (1969)

The number 1 album encompass on our listing shouldn't surprise you. It'southward a classic for a reason. Not but is it one of the most classic albums musically, but the artwork itself is also a classic.

Lensman Iain Macmillan captured this paradigm of the Beatles casually walking across London's Abbey Road, which has since gone downward in history.

The Beatles are widely regarded as the biggest ring in history; they truly started the entire craze around male child bands. Bands like One Direction and the Backstreet Boys have them to thank for the notoriety that male child bands have today.

You have to read this kooky theory nearly the meaning behind the album that claims Paul McCartney died before the album was released.

2. The Velvet Underground and Nico, The Velvet Undercover and Nico (1967)

This archetype design by Andy Warhol is one of the most unforgettable covers on this listing. Warhol, a famous creative person and motion picture director, served as the band'southward manager, equally well as the designer of this album comprehend artwork.

Some might say this anthology cover has become more famous than the album itself. When released, the album didn't exactly fly up the charts. In fact, it largely flopped, leading to the band breaking upwards and firing Warhol as their manager.

Today, information technology goes downwards in history equally one of the well-nigh well-known albums (and covers) of all fourth dimension.

An early edition of the vinyl record had a derisive "peel slowly and see" written in the elevation right corner (pictured above).

When the assistant was peeled back, a flesh-colored banana was pictured below—very phallic, very unique, very Velvet Surreptitious.

3. Pink Floyd, Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)

Some other iconic album, with an iconic title. This encompass featured a stark dissimilarity between the dark as night background and the white light passing through a prism which created the bright colors reflected on the other side.

The artistic team behind the cover, Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell (who as well created Led Zeppelin's House of the Holy artwork), came up with the concept, and George Hardie carried out their vision.

This encompass was the brainchild of one of their many brainstorming sessions that often stretched into the early mornings.

This visual has become an icon of Pink Floyd and is often seen on T-shirts and posters. The anthology was an overwhelming success despite the mysterious band'southward purposeful lack of promotional work.

4. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin (1969)

Led Zeppelin's debut album embrace was zilch short of shocking when it came out.

The ink drawing created past George Hardie of the Hindenburg airship (adjusted from a photograph taken by Sam Shere in 1937) with Led Zeppelin in bold red letters launched this at present-famous band into popularity.

The fact that the ship in question was a zeppelin certainly wasn't an accident.

Featuring an image from the Hinderburg disaster was a bold move. Only nosotros have to wonder, would something this controversial be received well today? It'due south hard to say for certain.

George Hardie (who was paid $76 to create this now-famous drawing) has since come out and said he wished that he would have put more than thought into using an image of this tragic consequence.

5. The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Social club Band (1967)

This famous album cover is packed with bright, psychedelic colors and prominent figures. 58 celebrities, to be exact. How many do y'all recognize?

Figures like Marilyn Monroe, Shirley Temple, and Albert Einstein were included in this chaotic collage image.

Pop artists Peter Blackness and Jan Haworth (who were married at the time) staged this image, which is said to take been thought of by none other than Paul McCartney himself.

The album cover cost around $3,000 to brand. That amount might not audio like much, but that would exist about $l,000 today. At that time, no album artwork had ever cost that much to create.

half-dozen. The Notorious B.I.G., Ready To Dice (1994)

This album cover for Christopher Wallace (best known as The Notorious B.I.Yard.) was the first of a remarkable career for the then 22-year-old.

His lyrical prowess is evident in this album, which has had a strong cultural touch on. With this album, Biggie is said to have revitalized the East Coast hip-hop scene.

The stark blank canvass with a pocket-size child wearing only a diaper on the comprehend made a statement about innocence, new life, and vulnerability. All leading back to the concept behind the anthology: the life bicycle of an artist.

Fun fact: that child on the cover turned 28 this yr.

7. Nirvana, Nevermind (1991)

Nevermind is one of Nirvana'southward virtually pop titles, and the cover for this 1 is, you lot guessed it, iconic.

Much similar The Notorious B.I.Thousand. album, the infant on the encompass featured on the cover represents innocence. The fact that he is reaching for coin represents the superficial values we pass on to children in our society, just the kind of statement that Nirvana makes with their music.

Kurt Cobain, the band's frontman, was the one to come up with the concept, which he allegedly thought of while watching a program about water births.

The child in question, Spencer Elden, has mixed feelings about having appeared naked on such a momentous anthology cover.

Nevermind was non expected to be the major striking that information technology was. Merely in the end, this album cover fits Nirvana's energy perfectly.

8. Fleetwood Mac, Rumors (1977)

Fleetwood Mac'south best-selling album has a cover with merely 2 members of the band? It seems foreign, nosotros know.

Fleetwood Mac is infamous for their group dynamic. They dated, fought, broke up, and Rumors is known to exist based on much of that drama.

Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood are featured prominently on this cover, while the residuum of the band is left out. Nicks is dancing and holding a crystal brawl while Fleetwood stands stoic with a pair of balls hanging between his legs.

Well-nigh every fellow member of the ring was going through a tumultuous breakup or divorce at the fourth dimension (many with each other), and that drama and intrigue play out throughout the album and cover art.

9. Blink 182, Enema Of The State (1999)

Evocative and instantly iconic, this epitome personifies the 90s pop scene. The provocative comprehend photo of a nurse snapping her safe gloves into place is hard to forget.

Enema of the State (a play on "enemy of the land") was a major success for the band and helped alter the time to come of their genre.

Fun Fact: the album was almost chosen "Turn Your Head and Cough," hence the nurse costume.

David Goldman took this paradigm, and the scantily clad nurse in the moving picture is developed movie actress Janine Lindermulde. Lindermulde too was featured in the music video for "Human being Overboard" and "What's My Age Again."

10. Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley (1956)

This album introduced Elvis to the world. As the oldest album on this listing, this one has some serious prestige. Elvis is an iconic household name and has been for decades.

This image was snapped in 1955 while Elvis was performing at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory in Florida. The black and white action shot mixed with the colorful pop of big text is heart-communicable and original.

The pink and greenish letters and unusual font were an interesting option by this album comprehend's creative team that seems to have paid off.

The Disharmonism later copied this style for their album London Calling, farther cementing the fashion as i to recall.

This is one of those archetype albums that volition go down in history because of the album's content and the album embrace itself.

11. The Clash, London Calling (1979)

The Clash created this album every bit a direct fake of Elvis Presley's debut album cover art, with a similar blackness and white activity shot of them playing, coupled with identical font color and manner.

The ring'due south bassist, Paul Simonon, is featured on the front neat his guitar. This epitome is now displayed in the Cleveland Rock and Rock Hall of Fame.

The rebellious nature of this image and the guitar nifty on the comprehend embodies stone and gyre and are a perfect representation of the rock and roll scene of the late 70s and early on 80s.

12. David Bowie, Aladdin Sane (1973)

Bowie'southward 6th studio album was the first he released after gaining major notoriety in the mainstream media.

Bowie falls under the niche category of "glam rock" and is known for his outlandish fashion style and stage presence. With scarlet hair and a lightning bolt drawn on his confront, this look leaves a distinctive impression.

Shot by Brian Duffy, this photo was the most expensive cover anthology shot at the time. To gain notoriety, a genuine endeavor was made to brand the cost of the album record-breaking.

Fun Fact: though Bowie is iconic for the lightning bolt, this was the only fourth dimension he was pictured with it drawn on his face.

13. Prince, Purple Rain (1984)

Another outstanding comprehend that has cemented itself in pop civilization. Who could forget this image of Prince in a purple suit, posed on a motorcycle?

In the summer of 1984, Prince flew to the tiptop of the charts with his album Regal Rain. The album, cover art cover, and music video were an instant hit.

The title track, Purple Pelting, is 8 minutes long (this was cut down from a whopping eleven minutes).

This cover image was photographed at the Warner Bros studio in California, and the background was purposefully fabricated to look like a New York City tenement. It's a perfect sneak peek into what the now-famous music video would look similar.

14. Joy Sectionalisation, Unknown Pleasures (1979)

The iconic pulsar radio waves in this cover paradigm were an incredible choice by Joy Division and the designer, Peter Seville.

This is an excellent example of how a minimalistic nonetheless meaningful design can create an enormous impact. Iconic anthology covers don't e'er need to exist bold, half-nude photos to capture attention. This anthology has left a lasting impression on the world of music.

Disney even created a parody of this album artwork featuring none other than Mickey Mouse.

15. Bruce Springsteen, Born In The U.Due south.A. (1984)

This all-American encompass image was the perfect aesthetic choice for Springsteen. The image perfectly represented him and his music and made him a cultural icon.

Ballcap tucked into his jeans, huge American flag in the background, and the simplicity of blue jeans and a white shirt. Information technology's the perfect representation of country music at the time.

The album title says it all, Springsteen is the quintessential American boy.

When this album was released, Springsteen had been well-known for almost a decade, but this provocative and unproblematic paradigm created an awareness of his music that far exceeded his electric current popularity.

16. The Smiths, Meat Is Murder (1985)

This iconic cover art is another meant to provoke and create controversy, something the Smiths were very familiar with. This being just their second studio anthology, The Smiths fabricated a large splash when it was released.

The lead singer of the band, Morrissey, said that the album cover's blueprint was intended to encourage activists to have a militant arroyo to their protests. Specifically, the fauna rights move.

A few of the ring members were vegetarian, and Morrissey himself has always been an outspoken abet of reducing meat consumption.

Surprisingly, this was The Smith'due south only album to reach the elusive number ane spot on United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland'southward summit billboard charts.

17. Neutral Milk Hotel, In the Plane Over the Sea (1998)

Neutral Milk Hotel might be ane of the less well-known bands on this listing of mega-stars, but they are an indie favorite.

The cover for this album was created past Chris Bilheimer and featured an illustration of two people wading in water, one with a pulsate over their face. Jeff Mangum, the bandleader, wanted the album artwork to be reminiscent of 20th-century penny arcades artwork, and he asked Bilheimer to create something unique.

This indie stone/psychedelic folk band is known for having intentionally poor audio quality and surrealist lyrics.

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea was their second and most well-known album, and information technology gained them a cult following that eventually led to Mangum purposefully fading out of the public center.

xviii. The Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers (1971)

This bright cover expressed the Rolling Stones music and persona perfectly. This was the start album released on their own record characterization, Rolling Stones Records.

The artwork for this album was idea up by Andy Warhol (who also created the Velvet Underground's album cover that captured the #two spot on this list). Photography was washed by Billy Proper name and the design was created by Craig Braun.

The original cover design for this album included a working attachment that opened to reveal a pair of white boxer briefs. This feature is very reminiscent of the Velvet Underground's anthology that Warhol also designed.

Notably, this was the first album that featured the iconic natural language and lips logo that later became the central icon for the ring.

19. Pink Floyd, Wish Yous Were Here (1975)

Pink Floyd was known for their album art and worked with the pattern studio Hipgnosis to create both of the anthology covers that made our top xx list.

The image was photographed by Aubrey "Po" Powell, and the handshake featured on the cover was meant to symbolize empty gestures.

In the photograph, 1 man is on fire, while the other, dressed in a business arrange, casually shakes his manus. In that location are many interpretations, but many think information technology symbolizes the idea that this gesture typically is made in a one-half-hearted empty manner and that people tend to hide their real emotions for others.

20. Rage Against The Machine, Rage Confronting The Machine (1992)

This debut album by the soon-to-be controversial Rage Against the Auto evokes an emotional response immediately, fifty-fifty if y'all don't recognize the famous image information technology features.

The 1963 image of the Buddhist monk, Thích Quảng Đức, who set himself on burn in protestation of the oppression of Buddhists in Vietnam, is a historically famous image that holds significant significant. Associated Press correspondent Malcolm Browne took the image.

The photo taken of this activist gained such considerable attending that information technology persuaded so-president John F. Kennedy to withdraw support from Vietnam.

Utilize Vectornator For Your Album Encompass Designs

If you're feeling inspired past all of these smashing covers and want to make your ain, we're here to help!

Just download Vectornator to get started. It'due south free! And we've got all the tools and templates y'all'll need to create album embrace artwork that will accident anybody'south mind.

Album covers should exist sized to 1600 x 1600 pixels minimum, merely we recommend sizing your album to 3000 x 3000 pixels.

And, of course, we've got templates for that! You can apply Vectornator tools to create shapes, text, or draw objects. Our Pen Tool tin help you create Bézier curves (or paths) in order to describe unique shapes.

We're confident you lot accept the skills to create the album cover of your dreams using our tools and tips.

Now, start designing! We're and so excited to see the album cover art you come up with. Don't forget to post it on social media and tag united states! If we like it, we might reshare it!

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