thoughts about good designs
~ David Cole Wheeler
There is an ongoing discussion in the design world regarding the importance of CD package design as we move forward into an age of music free of physical media. The halcyon days of album art are behind us; the foot-by-foot square canvas that gave Roger Huyssen and Gerard Huerta space to create some of the best-loved album art in history is gone forever, in its place the barely 5 inch square package of various configurations. There are opportunities here for interesting design solutions, however and there’s no reason to despair.
Until all music is sold on USB Flash sticks, that is.
Naturally, the most important piece of the design puzzle is the music itself. I listen to the CD as many times as necessary to get a feel for the music and it is from these repeated listenings that I find design ideas. They may be suggested through overall sound or approach; rarely are they based solely in the lyrics or melodies, though I’ve found inspiration for a successful package in a single word in a song. Many times it’s a question of realizing a vision that the artist already has for the packaging and trying to successfully manifest their ideas. Whatever the origin, the end result must have legible typography inside and out. Type can be very distressed or even hand drawn and still be clean and legible.
More important than ever before is creating a package with graphic elements and palettes that will translate to the artists’ website or other online promotional material – this should always be considered from the beginning of the design process. Which elements can stand on their own when pulled out for web banners, promotional package materials, etc. Also important to consider is the how the CD package art will translate into a 200 x 200 pixel .GIF or .JPEG file (or smaller) for online retail or display in the media player or browser.
I often tell clients that it is important not to try to tell the whole story of the band or of every song on the record on the cover. If there’s one particular element or idea the musician wants to get across, fine, but the general feeling of the recording is what the design should convey. Every artist should be able to identify the desired emotional response from a listener, and the same can be said of a design.
Many clients will find art or photography on the web and request that I use that on their package. Increasingly, the average man on the street is learning that graphic files generated for web use can NOT be used for print; the files for those two applications are different animals entirely, but there is still some confusion. If you as a musician want a specific picture of something on your CD package, you’d best investigate the rights clearances necessary to obtain the high-resolution file of the image (and be prepared to pay for it if it’s a rights-managed image), or provide the picture yourself via photo-shoot, etc.
However assembled, good ideas and powerful, dynamic typography will always help a CD package.
ยท David Cole Wheeler is a freelance graphic designer. Contact him at www.davidcolewheeler.com
