Photo: © Vanessa Heins
Album cover artworks represent one of the final touch-points of an artist's music project, and one of the first touch-points of potential listeners. If you’re an artist then, you want to make sure that your album cover artwork not only encapsulates your identity as an artist and the overall spirit of your music, but that it has the ability to captivate the attention of new listeners who are not already familiar with you or your music.
Less than 24 hours ago, just before writing this article, I was deeply captivated by an album cover I’d accidentally stumbled upon online. I’d been speaking with a friend, an emerging music artist, who’d recommended that I look up a small band whose visual aesthetic she was really into and was hoping to reference in her own projects. I searched endlessly on Google Images for the specific image she’d instructed me to find, but I had no luck finding it. Before closing the page and moving on, an image in the related image section quickly caught my eye — a hazy, black & white, film-grained, out-of-focus picture of a woman on a beach, walking away from the the camera (viewer), but turning her head to look back, as if to get one final look at the viewer before fading into the desolate landscape, scattering away like the grains of the film she’s been captured on.
The image (stunningly captured by photographer Vanessa Heins) immediately piqued my interest. There was ample curiosity built into the beautifully composed photograph: Who is this woman? Why are we not able to see her? What’s her story? What is the narrative attached to this album? And on the technical side, why this creative choice—an out-of-focus image—for an album cover? All of these wandering questions were quickly quieted once I read the title of the album, written in the upper right hand corner of the cover: “Are You Gone.”
Suddenly, the striking image had meaningful context. There is a tone of loss, of quietude, and perhaps even of heartbreak and what it’s like to lose loved ones, or worse, one’s self. I wondered if the conclusions I’d drawn were remotely close to the content of the album. Nonetheless, the powerful album cover artwork had already hooked me, and I knew it’d be up to the music to determine whether or not I’d appreciate this artist’s work. I took to Spotify, searched Sarah Harmer’s name, followed her profile, and dove into the album, her most recently released (February 2020) project.
Upon hearing the first track, St. Peter’s Bay, I knew I’d stumbled upon a one-of-a-kind artist. I replayed the introductory track several times before finally moving on to the other tracks. I even made a Twitter post bringing attention to a lyric I’d really loved in that first song (see image below), which, retrospectively, also brought some clarity to the cover artwork and title of the album. To my surprise, Sarah saw the post and shared a reply.
As I listened to more of the album (an absolute masterpiece, if I might add), I searched for Sarah Harmer on Instagram, Twitter, & Facebook and proceeded to follow all of her accounts on each platform so that I can be more up to date with her newest works and upcoming tour dates.
I share this unique experience not because it’s the first time it’s occurred for me, but because it’s a perfect illustration of why cover artworks matter, especially for emerging music artists who often do not prioritize them. Album cover artworks are statement pieces, a visual representation of the music on an album, they are creative marketing tools, authentic artwork pieces that listeners add to their collections (in vinyl format, etc), and the perfect opportunity to be as artistically expressive as one can be. A well thought-out and executed album cover artwork could be the reason why an artist’s music stands out enough to draw in new dedicated listeners, attract new followers across all platforms, gain new fans willing to pay to attend live shows, and develop core fanbases eager to recommend the music to the people in their network. The upside is limitless. But it begins with the fundamental understanding that album cover artworks matter, just as much as the lyrics and music production that go into the music. Every part plays a critical role in shaping the musical journey & experience for the listener.