So that you’ve recorded your music, put it via manufacturing, and now you’re able to share it with the world. There’s only one step left: designing your album cowl.
Fortunately, there are not any guidelines for how one can design album covers. Simply consider how The Beatles’ used a photograph of themselves for the duvet of their debut album Please Please Me, however made the duvet of their ninth album — The Beatles — utterly white.
However each album covers have one factor in frequent: they’re iconic ✨ So whereas the artistic course of is all yours, we’ve obtained 5 suggestions to assist set your album cowl artwork up for achievement.
Let’s have a look!
5 tricks to design an iconic album cowl
These design suggestions will assist get your artistic juices flowing and assist preserve your workflow environment friendly — it doesn’t matter what sort of album cowl artwork you’re going for:
1. Begin with a moodboard
Each nice design begins with a imaginative and prescient — and there’s no higher strategy to develop it than with a moodboard! Moodboards are primarily collages, and so they’re a helpful strategy to get a really feel for the general vibe and aesthetic you’re going for. You should use them to gather all types of visible parts like photographs, colours, or typography that you just really feel characterize your album’s idea.
On high of growing a transparent objective, a moodboard can even function a reference all through the design course of — serving to you make certain all of your design choices keep true to your imaginative and prescient.
2. Design for the suitable dimensions
If you recognize what platforms you’ll be distributing your music on, it’s price discovering out what dimensions your album cowl ought to observe. Spotify, for instance, recommends a 1:1 side ratio of not less than 640 pixels. Vinyl cowl artwork additionally makes use of a 1:1 side ratio, however they are usually a lot bigger — sometimes 1600 pixels huge and tall.
In Sketch, you’ll be able to ensure you’re designing for the suitable dimensions utilizing Artboards! Simply hit A to set off the Artboard software, draw one out wherever on the Canvas, and customise its dimensions in the Inspector. You’ll be able to create as many Artboards as you need.
You’ll be able to create a number of Artboards and provides every one distinctive dimensions.
3. Add photographs — and make them your individual
Pictures are a fast strategy to refill a clean canvas. And also you don’t at all times want to arrange a serious photoshoot to get began. There are many web sites providing royalty-free images you can begin utilizing right now, like Unsplash or Pixabay.
When you’ve discovered a picture you want, you could possibly even edit it to make it your individual, whether or not you wish to blur it, give it a filter, add shapes and textual content, and even illustrations!
Including a Gaussian Blur is one in all some ways you’ll be able to customise photographs in Sketch.
4. Save time with an album cowl template
Not within the temper to design your album cowl from scratch? Attempt utilizing a template! When you’re designing in our Mac app, all you’ll have to do is head to the menu and select File > New from Template > View all Templates. Then, scroll right down to the Mockups part and select the CD Cowl Mockup template. From there, you’ll be able to customise the template together with your most well-liked colours, photographs, textual content — or every other design parts you wish to tweak!
Save time by utilizing design templates like our CD Cowl Mockup.
5. Export to the suitable file codecs
When you’re completely satisfied together with your design, it’s time to export it. So ensure you know what file codecs your distribution platforms desire. Spotify, for instance, requires you to add your album cowl artwork as a TIFF, PNG, or JPG file.
When you’re utilizing our Mac App, you’ll be able to simply export your album cowl artwork to those codecs and extra. Simply choose an Artboard, head to the Inspector, and click on Make Exportable. From there, you’ll be able to customise your export settings, and hit Export Chosen once you’re carried out!
Exporting your design is so simple as clicking Make Exportable within the Inspector and customizing your settings.
Finally, your album cowl ought to purpose for a novel design that visually expresses your music. Experiment. Be daring. Be iconic. Most of all, get pleasure from it!
And in case you do find yourself designing your album cowl artwork in Sketch, be happy to share it with us on Twitter or Instagram utilizing the hashtag #MadeWithSketch 🤩 We’d like to see what you’ve carried out with yours!