How to Design an Album Cover
When I was approached by Shredquartet to work together on their debut album, I was super excited, because designing an album cover had been on my bucket list for a long time and I love to work with musicians. I knew it would be a super cool project, so I wanted to share the process of it with you! Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how I went from concept to final design:
Step 1: Understanding the Band's Vision
The first and most important step was to connect with the band to get a feel for the message they wanted to convey through the artwork. I got a first listen of their album and met up with the boys to discuss their music style, themes, and the emotions they hoped to evoke. It is always super fun and inspiring to talk with people about their ideas and concepts!
Step 2: Brainstorming and Concept Sketching
After gathering their input, I started brainstorming visual ideas. I began sketching out several concepts, ranging from abstract patterns to more literal interpretations. The most important thing during this part is to keep your mind absolutely judgment-free. Bring everything on paper, no matter how “stupid” or unfitting the idea might seem. Sometimes, that’s how the best ideas come through. During this phase, I experimented with different elements such as nature, space, and geometric shapes, trying to capture the duality of the album’s tone.
When I feel like I have brainstormed enough, I can start sorting through the sketches, seeing what is useful. Next, I presented four rough sketches to the band and asked them which one they liked most and, if they had any input, anything they wanted to have changed.
Step 3: Creating the Initial Draft
Once we had settled on a concept, I moved on to creating the final illustration. I used Procreate to bring the sketch to life, starting with a rough layout of the elements. When drawing digitally, I always start with a sketch layer, which serves as a guideline for the composition of the piece.
Step 4: Refinement and Feedback
After creating the initial draft, I sent it over to the band for feedback. They loved the general direction but suggested tweaking a few details. We also decided to incorporate the album title in a handwritten font to add a personal touch, which complemented the raw and honest feel of their music.
Step 5: Finalizing the Design
With the feedback implemented, I finished the illustration. For me, this is the step that is the most time-consuming, but also the most fun! I continued with adding a layer of clean outlines and adding colour to the piece. I experimented with different colour palettes but ended up sticking to more natural tones of brown, green and dark blue. After adding some final touches and the album title, the illustration was finished!
The final result was a striking cover that encapsulated the essence of the album—both visually dynamic and emotionally resonant.
After finishing the cover for their first single, we agreed to work on a design for their album as well - going through Step 1 to 5 again. Designing the cover for Shredquartet’s album was a collaborative and creatively fulfilling experience. It reminded me of the power of visual art in conveying the energy and emotion of music, and I’m proud to have played a role in bringing their vision to life. You can listen to their album here