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Things
to remember about Album Cover Design....
When releasing their CDs, some artists
work so hard on the sound and quality of the recording that they often fail to
understand the importance of creating an attractive product for the market
place. Your CD cover is the first thing a potential buyer will see. It must work
to attract the eye while representing graphically the sound/style/genre of the
music within. A poor quality CD cover may result in a lack of interest from
distributors, agents, record companies and the buying public even before they
get to hear the music beneath the cover.
Remember, Web Design &
Beyond has affordable solutions in graphic art design, so please email
us if you'd like more information. In the mean time . . . here are top three
tips regarding CD cover design given by bands, artists and musos that have
released successful CDs independently around the world.
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1.
"Don't
be afraid to spend money on the cover - its an investment."
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Think of it this way: your CD cover has
to compete with the number one CD on the charts in whatever style you play.
Don't settle for 2nd best. Even if you're selling over the net and people can
download a sample of your music, don't assume they'll buy it just because the
tunes grab them. Once they get to the all-important 'Buy Now' button and see an
album cover that looks like it was sketched on the back of a school boy's text
book the warning bells will ring through their heads and the sale will be lost.
No one wants to buy a 'dud'.
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2.
"Don't
get a friend to do it unless they are an experienced graphic artist."
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Sure, you might have taken an amazing
photo or you've lined up a really talented artist to do the cover, but don't
forget you'll still need to choose the fonts, place the text and most
importantly have some background knowledge on design principles; balance,
colours and tones, marketability. Pro graphic artists know all kinds of stuff,
like what shapes help attract the eye, what colours help CDs sell; what font
styles are timeless, trend driven, or "just soooo last year. . ."; and
where to place the text so it doesn't kill the image.
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3.
"Your
CD cover has to represent the sound, style, genre of your music."
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Sure,
make a statement, be bold! Or if you have to: stick to a tried and true formula
(close up of singer's face). But whatever you do, make sure the CD cover
represents your music. Heavy Metal CDs generally don't have a picture of a
bucktooth farmer playing a banjo on the cover - it wouldn't sell (unless the
band was already well known - even then they'd have to have an element of parody
in their music to pull off a cover like that!) You get the idea. Stay true to
your music. Look through your collection at a few all-time classic CD covers and
get inspired. Flesh out some ideas and take them to a professional.
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