TYPOGRAPHY

MUSIC PACKAGING

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an album cover is the initial moment of the record. it’s a doorway into the music. peter blake

jamie reidBritish graphic designer born 1947

Attended Croydon Art School with Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren

Influenced by student uprisings in Paris during May 1968, + the accompanying Situationist-themed posters/graffiti

10/1977

First + only album by the Sex Pistols

Used the ‘ransom note’ typography that Reid developed while art directing radical political magazine Suburban Press

never mindthe bollocks

barney bubblesAlias of British graphic designer Colin Fulcher, born in Middlesex, 1942

In-house designer for independent label Stiff Records

Very publicity-shy, + never signed his work

Suffered from depression, + committed suicide in 1983 at the age of 41

03/1978

Second Elvis Costello album

Sleeve intentionally designed to look misprint-ed, with letters cut off on left side + printer’s colour bar appearing on right

this year’smodel

02/1980

Fourth Elvis Costello album

Overkerned, con-densed typography

Ring wear not genuine, but printed on sleeve

get happy!

peter savilleBritish graphic designer born in Manchester, 1955

Became in-house designer for independent Manchester record label Factory Records after graduating from Manchester Polytechnic

Greatly influenced by Constructivism, Futurism, + Jan Tschichold’s New Typography

Notorious for missing deadlines

unknown pleasures

06/1979

First Joy Division album

Sleeve had neither band name nor title visible

Removed from the normal process of commerce

“It quite plainly didn’t care if you bought it or not”

09/1981

First Section 25 album

All type set in Bembo

Very high production costs due to marbled sleeve paper

“An object exercise in over-design”

always now

11/1981

First album from the former members of Joy Division in their new incarnation as New Order

Design appropriated from a poster by Futurist painter Fortunato Depero

movement

03/1983

Fourth New Order single

Production costs of complicated sleeve design greater than retail price

Became the best-selling 12-inch single of all time

blue monday

British graphic designer born in London, 1957

Attended London College of Printing

Art director for culture/fashion magazines The Face (1981–86) + Arena (1987–90)

Designed sleeves for industrial bands Throbbing Gristle, 23 Skidoo, + Cabaret Voltaire

Founded Research Studios in 1994

neville brody

11/1984

Sixth studio album by Sheffield industrial band Cabaret Voltaire

Artwork used custom typeface designed by Brody

micro-phonies

British graphic designer born in Newcastle- upon-Tyne, 1957

Founder of studios 23 Envelope + v23

Best known for work with British indepen-dent record label 4AD, home of US bands Throwing Muses + The Pixies

His highly conceptual work did not always appear to relate to the subject matter

vaughan oliver

08/1986

Self-titled first album from Throwing Muses

Screened typography using multiple typefaces + hand-drawn lettering

throwingmuses

04/1989

Second studio album from The Pixies

Access to album lyrics al-lowed Oliver to tie artwork more closely to content

Uses surrealist + abstract images

doolittle

British art/design/music collective founded in 1991

Founding partners include Karl Hyde + Rick Smith of electronic duo Underworld

Graphic designers include John Warwicker, Jason Kedgley, + Dylan Kendle

tomato

01/1994

Mixing music + design—Tomato/Underworld

Renavigating concept of authorship

dubnobasswithmyheadman

10/2007

Tenth Underworld album

Layered, fragmented black+white typography typical of John Warwicker

oblivion with bells

British designer born in Croydon (London), 1961

Founded Sheffield studio The Designers Republic (tDR) in 1986

Self-taught designer with a degree in philosophy

Best known for his work with Sheffield electronic music label Warp Records, home of artists such as Autechre, Aphex Twin, + Boards of Canada

ian anderson

03/1995

Album of remixes by industrial band Pop Will Eat Itself (PWEI)

Deconstructed + fragmented visual aesthetic

two fingersmy friends

09/2003

Third album from Leeds-based electronic duo LFO

No paper in packaging except adhesive strip with track listing

Custom typeface screened onto clear plastic CD case + clear outer sheath

sheath

03/2010

Tenth Autechre album

Sleeve almost entirely typographic, using a custom hand-drawn sans serif typefaceoversteps

British graphic designer

Started his career working for Manchester’s Factory Records + The Haçienda nightclub

Launched his own studio in 1995

Work characterized by minimalist aesthetic

Voted “the most important graphic designer working today” by Creative Review in 2004

mark farrow

06/1997

Special edition featured twelve 3-inch CDs in foil blister packaging similar to pharmaceuticals

Only 1,000 copies of this edition were ever made

we are floatingin space

ladies + gentlemen

British graphic designer , born 1971

Studied design at the Camberwell College of Art in London

Was in-house creative director for independent record label Peacefrog

Currently a partner with Tomato

Known for hand-drawn typography

dylan kendle

08/2004

First album from French musical collective Nouvelle Vague

Bossa nova-style reworkings of punk + post-punk classics

Hand-drawn type + illustration

nouvellevague

06/2006

Second album from Nouvelle Vague

Stencilled type + illustration

bande à part

American experimental electronic musician, photographer, + graphic designer , born 1971

Self-taught designer—graduated from NYU with a degree in photography

Founded record label 12k in 1997

Music emphasizes abstract atmospherics

taylor deupree

Tra

07/2006

Collaborative venture between Taylor Deupree + Richard Chartier

Minimalist design using photograph by Hiroshi Sugimoto

specification.fifteen

Tra

06/2009

Third album from Polish experimental musician Tomasz Bednarczyk

Sleeve is primarily photographic, with minimalist typography (FF DIN)

let’s makebetter mistakestomorrow

Tra

05/2011

Collaboration by sound artists Molly Berg, Olivia Block, Steve Roden, + Stephen Vitiello

Type set in FF DIN

Transparent CD

moss

Vienna-based collective, consisting of expatriate Swiss artists/designers Nik Thoenen + Maia Gusberti

Focuses on interdisciplinary projects that lie between art + design

Best known for their work with Austrian record label Mosz

re-p

Tra

05/2005

Solo electronic music from British experi-mental saxophonist Boris Hauf

Sleeve design uses pixelated typography + wireframe boxes for a retro-electronic feel

softleft onto

westland

Tra

05/2006

Fifth full-length release by US post rock musi-cian Pan·American (real name Mark Nelson)

Minimalist, condensed sans serif typography

for waitingfor chasing

Tra

11/2008

Project from Austrian experimental musicians Christian Fennesz, Martin Brandlmayr, + Werner Dafeldecker

Sleeve uses layered, translucent paper stock

till the old world’sblown up +

a new oneis created

Tra

11/2009

Experimental MIDI-enhanced organ music from Düsseldorf trio September Collective (Stefan Schneider, Barbara Morgenstern, + Paul Wirkus)

Custom typeface (based on Akkurat) using extreme forced hyphenation

alwaysmonsterbreathing

Anglo/Scandinavian studio, consisting of Kjell Ekhorn (Norwegian) + Jon Forss (English)

Founded in 2000 in London

Offices currently in Oslo + Minneapolis

Focus on editorial design + music packaging

Particularly known for hand-drawn + computer-altered variants of existing typefaces

non-format

Tra

07/2009

Remix of 1975 album by French disco artist Bernard Fevre’s new project, Black Devil Disco Club

Avant Garde, with hand-drawn Modern elements

strange new worldtheof bernard

fevre

Tra

01/2010

First album from Manchester-based alternative dance band Delphic

Heavily-cropped custom typeface

acolyte

Tra

04/2010

Fifth album from London-based experimental pop band The Chap

Uses typeface constructed from shapes

well done europe

i’ve never believed you can listen to music devoid of visual references. julian house

CHRISTOPHER10/2011

MOOREHEAD