Black, White, and Red All Over
Let's face it: good color schemes don't grow on trees. Any subset of black, white and red looks good. The White Stripes are distinctive. Even with a few shades of gray in the mix, the cover to Misspent Youth is nigh iconic. Heck, a Google images search for "black white red" looks designed, not algorithmically generated. Bands are all over this look: almost any Alkaline Trio album has it, so does Ben Folds Five's The Unauthorized Autobiography of Reinhold Messner... do I have to go through the alphabet?
Some go the extra mile and combine this reduced pallet with hand-made letterforms. The pinnacle and most minimalistic of these covers is The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place by Explosions in the Sky:
Reading (or writing) "The Earth is not a cold dead place" over and over is a great way to feel a little crazy. I love the irregular line weight, letter-sizes, and the meandering baseline. The lack of punctuation is a great touch, and the band's name in red cursive seals the deal.
It took me a few months to figure out why I felt there was something familiar about this cover, since I never actually owned Rock Steady by No Doubt.
Once I was tuned into this style, it was easier to find on other albums I don't own:
I'm not sure I dig the left-margin scribbles and black background, though.
I do dig how Set Yourself on Fire by Stars breaks the mold, though:
Have you seen variations of this design anywhere else? Do ya dig it? Hate it? Let me know!
Some go the extra mile and combine this reduced pallet with hand-made letterforms. The pinnacle and most minimalistic of these covers is The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place by Explosions in the Sky:
Reading (or writing) "The Earth is not a cold dead place" over and over is a great way to feel a little crazy. I love the irregular line weight, letter-sizes, and the meandering baseline. The lack of punctuation is a great touch, and the band's name in red cursive seals the deal.
It took me a few months to figure out why I felt there was something familiar about this cover, since I never actually owned Rock Steady by No Doubt.
Once I was tuned into this style, it was easier to find on other albums I don't own:
I'm not sure I dig the left-margin scribbles and black background, though.
I do dig how Set Yourself on Fire by Stars breaks the mold, though:
Have you seen variations of this design anywhere else? Do ya dig it? Hate it? Let me know!