It is now many decades gone since vinyl album cover art was introduced by Alex Steinweiss. As soon as it came to light, all illustrators and artists wanted to showcase their skills on the canvas.

Even though many years have gone by and the digital era has brought other innovations in art, the top rated illustrations agencies agree that vinyl album cover art still has a place in the hearts of many. It has made cover art an important aspect of almost all music album covers.

As recalled by many seasoned illustrators, it is the cover art that enabled designers to tell the world what they could do. As a matter of fact, some of these artists got contracted by major art organizations after they saw an artist’s work on an album cover. Some of the great illustrators and artists molded their careers through album cover designs. Here are some of the beautiful themes and early design agencies that people are forgetting very fast.

Hipgnosis

Very few millennials have heard of this early cover art agency. It was shaped by great designers like Aubrey Powell and Storm Thorgerson. All were cover art designers with great skills and talents to showcase. Their work spread all over the world with some of the best being ‘’Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd and “Savage Eye” by The Pretty Things among many others.
These designers did not compromise any of their work in any way especially after building a reputation. Some of their work can be found today in art archives and museums.

Jazz

We still celebrate jazz music today. However, not many know that when it started, some designers emerged to make album cover art harmonized with the music. According to many experts who have been around since when all this started, not much art in this genre can match the old work.

Some of the work they did is celebrated to date in various archives. “The Panic Is On’’ by The Nick Travis Quintet is a great example of what jazz vinyl covers looked like. The good thing is that they have been digitized, and you can check them out on the web.

Rock and Heavy Metal

The rock music we have today is more moderate than the original provocative heavy metal. When it all started, the designers who were talented in coming up with appropriate cover art did not hesitate. Their work did not just stand out physically, but every person could get the intended message with ease. Just to enlighten those who do not have an idea of what we are talking about, check out “Pyramid” by The Alan Parsons Project, ‘’Astra’’ by Asia or “Hysteria’’ by Def Leppard to appreciate the great work done here.

Conclusion

This is indeed a great beauty that most young people have not yet known. We cannot also forget the classic rock genre, which also had its share of talented cover art illustrators. From the above insights, it is convincing that there is much-forgotten beauty in vinyl album cover art.