How to Create Album Artwork for Metal Bands
Successful design communicates an idea. This means there is no standard for creating an album cover, logo, or gig poster for a heavy metal band. The artwork simply must be appropriate to the subject and convey the band's sound, motivation and style to the viewer. With more and more music being published digitally, the format of the artwork is also a necessary consideration. Above all, heavy metal band art has to sell the music, merchandise, or concert ticket. At the same time, it has to accurately represent the band and relate to their fans.
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Instructions
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Establish a portfolio by creating "fake" album covers or posters for your favorite bands or re-imagining their existing album covers. Get in touch with local bands and promoters to offer your services for free or a low cost to build a name for yourself and strengthen your portfolio. Focus on mastering Adobe Photoshop and InDesign, the two tools you will use the most. Once you have obtained a client, the project should be executed in phases to ensure the highest level of satisfaction and to help you maintain control and exude professionalism.
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Decide on an artistic approach. Listen to the band's music and get their opinion on style and overall message. They may want a straightforward "metal" look that requires little more than some research into the genre's great swag and covers, or they may want something more conceptual. Create an inspiration board containing colors, imagery, textures, and type that appeal to the band and your vision. If the band already has a logo, use it as the foundation of your design style.
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Create a few concept sketches and present them to the band for feedback. If you are working on a concert poster, the band may be less of a participant than they would be if it were an album cover. Use the promoter or any second opinion to help you refine your design if the band is not available.
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Obtain design specifications from the publisher or printer. This may include digital format and size requirements or strict print dimensions and file standards. While the design itself does not have to adhere to any rules, the final product must be produced professionally, in line with the band or promoter's choice of medium.
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Begin work on a full-color mock-up. The mock-up allows the band to get a realistic idea of how the finished product might look. If you are designing artwork for a CD cover, for example, present a printout or JPG file of the design on a digital representation of a CD. Download CD, album, and t-shirt templates from a printer or design website, or photograph your own objects to modify.
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Create three full-resolution versions of the design the band has approved. Final designs are typically 300dpi and provided as PSD or PDF files with margins. Produce one black-and-white version and one grayscale version as well as the full-color CMYK version. These will allow the band to submit the appropriate artwork depending on the intended display: websites, newspapers, magazines, or other print media. Provide the logo separately, without a background color.
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Tips & Warnings
Work as closely as you can with the printer or publisher, so your final designs come out looking exactly how the band expects them.
Use vector text and convert it to curves prior to saving. Curves allow the text elements to remain vectorized without requiring the font, which is essential if the file may be used by several other parties.
Educate bands that ask you to create an unreadable logo. While heavily illustrated logos are a trademark of some metal genres, the logo is ultimately the band's brand and needs to be unique and readable.
Be active in the music scene, locally and online. This will increase your chances of being hired.
Be realistic about your goals and capabilities, and start small. The majority of artwork created for major-label metal bands, such as Metallica, is created by marketing agencies or artists with an established presence in the scene (such as Mastodon).
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Photodisc/Photodisc/Getty Images
