Your guide to creating an album cover for your indie music

As an indie artist, you probably don’t have access to the vast marketing resources big name musicians usually have. In addition, without much industry support, you have to do almost everything yourself. This also applies to designing your album covers. Once you have a list of tracks shortlisted for a cohesive album, you need to compile it in the best way possible. In addition, your album cover should represent your music and also be appealing to your target audience. Here’s a simple guide to help you achieve this balance.

Figure out the tone

First of all, you need to work out the tone your album cover will have. Take a look at the tracks you’ve shortlisted and what sort of ambiance they create. For example, if you go for darker themes, then you should make sure your album cover reflects that too. If your music is very lively, then your album cover will be completely different.

So, assess the tone of your music, and then narrow down what sort of aesthetic would work for your album cover. Of course, this tone will not be set in stone. If you want to go for something completely out of left field, that would work, especially if executed well.

Choose your imagery

Next, you should choose your imagery carefully. When you nail down your tone, this will be a much easier step in designing your album cover. If your music is autobiographical, you might want to add a headshot or maybe even a childhood picture. In addition, see what motifs are present in your music. Then, choose the imagery that fits with those motifs.

A great example of this would be the artist Japanese Breakfast’s album cover for her album Psychopomp. The album pays tribute to her mother, who passed away of cancer. The cover has an older picture of the artist’s mother on a road trip, with her hand outstretched. This imagery works perfectly with the tone of the music, which explores the artist’s complex yet loving relationship with her mother.

Pick the right tools for the job

Now that you have an idea of the tone and aesthetic, you should choose the right tools to make your album cover. There are a number of software tools that will help you draw original images and incorporate them into your album designs. Opt for one of these to draw the different unique elements of your album cover.

Next, you need to make sure you know how to put these elements together. The best way to do this is to go to the album cover templates on PosterMyWall, and pick the option you like the most. Then, you can just add in your own elements. This will make the whole process much easier.

Work on your layout

This is where things get a little more complex. You need to make sure your album cover layout is appealing, but still conveys the needed information. First of all, you should figure out the font size and typography. Pick some fun options that work well with your music, and are coherent with your imagery.

In addition, make sure the colors you opt for are complementary enough to give a cohesive look. If you want to go for an album cover that pops out, then you should pick colors that offer more visible contrasts. This part of the process requires a lot of trial and error, so play around with your album cover layout to get the best results. Of course, if you use the templates on PosterMyWall, you can get some great layouts already set up for you.

Take inspiration from other artists

The key to getting your album cover the popularity it needs is to follow or make trends. As an emerging indie artist, you should take inspiration from other album covers that have had a major impact. So, see what other artists in your genre have done. Then, you can see whether you want to do something similar or completely break out of the box. If you follow current album trends, you’ll be able to appeal to an audience who has already responded well to similar covers.

However, you can really make an impact if you choose something innovative. Pink Floyd is the perfect example of taking different approaches for each of their album cover designs. While the iconic prism and rainbow cover of The Dark Side of the Moon is still recognized widely, their covers for The Wall and Wish You Were Here were completely unique. The first one kept things simple with just a white brick wall and red text, following on to the unique simplicity of The Dark Side of the Moon.

However, Wish You Were Here went down a totally different path, with two people shaking hands, with one’s silhouetted figure on fire. This unique approach has kept the band’s covers memorable to date. So, you can opt for totally unique ideas, as long as they are executed in an excellent manner.

To sum up, your approach to making your album cover as an indie artist will not be the same as anyone else’s. However, if you follow the advice given above, you’ll be on the right path for an iconic album cover of your own.

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Holli Greaves: Meet Holly, our versatile freelance journalist and featuers writer who has a passion for dissecting the ever-evolving landscape of business and technology. Your guide to understanding the forces driving our digital age with insightful perspectives and in-depth storytelling.