Design & Pop Music by Peter Guasace

PETER VERASTEGUI

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PETER VERASTEGUI

A mi familia, porque su apoyo me llena de confianza y me hace centir muy privilegiado tenerlos conmigo.

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FOREWORD

hen I started this project for my school I was eager to talk about this topic because music is something almost anybody can relate to. Who does not remember the cover of his/her favorite music album? Their first concert? Or even their most valued music souvenir. Graphic design in a figurative way has created and continues to shape the visual, the image; the aesthetic side of popular culture. For this reason design and culture are innately intertwined and, for that matter, with music as well. As you will see the role of design when depicting our pop culture is crucial. For instance, one can argue that if we look back at the history of pop music, we can distinguish a particular aesthetic for almost any given period of time, Design has become part of the essential aspects that construct the vernacular that distinguish any period of time. One can say that thanks to the work of designers we have another visual clue of how these different periods of time looked. In this publication I talk about how design and the musicians reflect each other and how the album cover, in particular deliberately echoes the links between design, culture, and music.

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DESIGN AS CULTURE

esigners depict the ever-changing face of culture and in the same manner music also mimics this behavior, because it changes with culture. For this reason, design for music, in particular, taps the memory of people since it draws references from culture. Therefore, describing popular music with visual elements is a contribution to our cultureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s image. Although graphic designers might not create music, design works as a catalyst that depicts music and all it entails. Music and design are very active contributors to culture.

Graphic designers working in the music industry create signifiers that depict our contemporary culture by making use of a variety of visual modes of communication. Designers speak in the vernacular of the people. Unlike other methods of communication, one can experience graphic design by observing and not necessarily analyzing. One can be exposed to graphic design in such an analog manner that it is not necessary to stare at a screen or to wear a set of headphones

to come across graphic design. For this reason, design has been part of the past and continues to be an omnipresent part of our highly visual culture. This is one of the reasons memories come to mind in a pictorial manner because we remember the aesthetics; the images. Thanks to the work of designers, people have graphics that help them remember the past more vividly. We are visual learners; graphic design, nowadays is an important aspect of our culture.

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Lady Gaga, a pop superstar. Named one of the most influential people of the decade

POP CULTURE The products designers create become an archive of our culture; designers shape cultural content. Album cover design draws from cultural references, and in this sense they become artifacts of culture. One can look back at the album covers and see how a musician’s intellectual evolution is reflected in his album covers. To highlight this theory I will discuss the role of design and the artist’s identity through his/her album covers. By analyzing a group of artists’ album covers from the last decade, I will describe how graphic design depicts popular culture through music. Culture, in general, is the collection of perspectives, thoughts, values, feelings, and ideologies accepted by a group of people. Culture is composed of things like

artifacts, songs, and events, but also ways of understanding these artifacts, songs, and events (Brummet 147). Pop culture is no different. “Pop is short for popular” (Heller 11), and it is just that; it is the collection of the most popular artifacts, events, and actions within any given group. The most ubiquitous aspects of our culture can be seen as the so-called pop ones, this is what makes them characteristics of a cultural group and is for this reason they transcend history. Culture is constantly looking to reinvent itself and designers document of all these on-going changes. Designers do not just make the visuals and graphics that represent the very aspects of our culture. They create symbols and signifiers that resonate with all kind of people.

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Imagery According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, imagery is the use of figurative language in a pictorial manner. Two good examples of the use of imagery are appropriation and pastiche; These modes of communication utilize images as visual metaphors in order to convey ideas in a figurative manner. Imagery (noun) : [im-ij-ree, im-i-juh-ree] im路age路ry.. 1. The formation of mental images, figures, or likenesses of things. 2. Figurative description or illustration; rhetorical images collectively. 3. Pictorial images, as in work of art. 4. The use of rhetorical images.

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Many music band logos nowadays are regarded as icons of a genre and the fastest way to recall a music time period.

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IDEAS THROUGH VISUAL FORMS

raphics represent the very aspects of our culture, They create symbols and signifiers for an entire generation and what greater aspect of our culture can be more beloved and indicative of us as people than music. From this perspective, graphic designers are among the most archival citizens of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s society. The role of designers is to invent the aesthetics of a culture. Therefore, the work of designers is culturally important. We live in a post literate world where the written word has been supplanted by the visual (Shaughnessy 18). Therefore, the work of designers is essential. Album covers have always been part of the larger realm of popular culture, often epitomizing vital trends or offering visual shorthand for the cultural climate (GrĂ¸nstad 12). So, depicting music is synonymous with depicting culture and designers are well aware of such job. In fact, we are in sync with pop culture. On one side designers are participants, and on the other side they are interpreters of culture. Participants because

we are active consumers of the products that surround us. Who does not buy a book, a car, or an application, with the underlying intention to tell a little bit about themselves. Designers are no different. They fashion themselves with eclecticism. So who better to depict a culture than a self-critical consumer himself? On the other hand, designers are interpreters for they are trained as visual communicators.

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The designers as interpreter of culture understand the semiotics relevant to a group of people and use a variety of methods to communicate visually. With the intention to find the mode that best connotes an idea, a cultural moment, or a message, designers choose between a variety of modes; and two modes of communication that are frequently used in design are imagery and typography. APPROPRIATION This is exactly what it sounds like. It means to take something already made and re-purpose it. Why would you use something that has already been done, one might ask? The idea of bringing something from the past and presenting it in a

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New Order. Power Corruption & Lies. 1983. Design byt Peter Saville.

new setting is not only for reference. Appropriation connotes some form of taking, this also implies a relationship between persons or groups (Ziff 3). When designers use appropriation, the intention is to give notion of familiarity rather than stealing someone else’s idea. Appropriation evokes nostalgia since it can be viewed as a way to honor the past. For example, In New Orders’ album Power Corruption & Lies Peter Saville’s design makes use of a 1880s painting from French artist Henri Fantin-Latour, “Basket of Roses”. The appropriation of this painting was not necessarily intended to become a signature for the visual vocabulary of this band, but instead was meant to help the viewer get acquainted with the music by linking it to a reference that already exists .

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The Beatles. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.1967. Photography by Michael Cooper. Design by Peter Blake.

PASTICHE Pastiche is composed of motifs borrowed from different sources. Pastiche can be conveyed by influence, imitation, or adoption (Jaidev 3). As opposed to appropriation, pastiche tends to have a satirical intent, a collage quality that results in a hybrid message. Because of these qualities pastiche is often seen as a commentary on the past. For example The Beatles’ 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band appears to have this collage quality. Peter Blake’s design and original idea was to have the Beatles play in an imaginary band with an imaginary audience. In response the Beatles made a list of who should be in the audience. The final design had celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, and more. To a degree the

choices made in the cover were a suggestion that the band deserved a space among cultural icons and respected celebrities, making this design a commentary on their trajectory as musicians. TYPOGRAPHY Type has the power to influence meaning. It does not necessarily change meaning, but defines its shape. The malleable quality typography has makes it an unique asset for designers. It is literally a tool designers use to bring content and shape together. As Robert Bringhurst asserts, typography helps design make at least two kinds of sense, if it makes any sense at all, is visual sense and historical sense (Bringhurst 9).

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Daft Punk. Homework.1997. Design by Thomas Bangalter, and Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo.

Daft Punk. Discovery.2001. Art direction by Alexandre CourtĂ¨s.

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The vernacular and sense of character that typefaces have are visual guides that can complement or lead a design direction. For example, Daft Punk albums have worked around one vernacular for years, ‘70s disco and ‘80s electro-funk era. In this duo’s album covers one can see the crucial role different typographic treatments have played in constructing this vernacular. For instance, their debut album in 1997, Homework, page 26, has a typographic treatment that nudges to the punk rock scene of the ‘70s. In their following album, Discovery, page 27, the typography speaks for the entire music in the album. The logo of the duo appears in a glossy silver liquid-like letters, suggesting the cyber-future theme of the duo’s image, and underneath these letters, the colors seem to flow off them are implying their connection to the wildly colorful disco era. In their last album, Random Access Memory, opposite page, the ‘80s is all one sees judging by the illustration, and the

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type pays homage to Michael Jackson’s famous album cover,Thriller from 1982, opposite page. Another great example of typography’s essential role in design is the unforgettable counterculture of the ‘60s, page 30-32. The arrival of the psychedelic movement propelled illustration and typographic virtuosity that gave a sense of freedom that resonated with musicians, designers, and the public (Drate 57). The album covers of this era shows how typography can be an essential tool in an artist’s creative expression. In a broad sense, typography plays a crucial part in design. As the previous examples show, album covers can rely on typography alone to depict an entire vernacular or idea.

Top, Daft Punk. Random Access Memory.2013. Art direction by Cédric Hervet. Bottom, Michael Jackson. Thriller.1982. Photography by Dick Zimmerman. lettering by Mac James.

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Opposite, The Who. Magic Bus.1968. The arrival of the psychedelic movement propelled illustration and typographic virtuosity that gave a sense of freedom that resonated with musicians, designers, and the public (Drate 57). A similar trend is true for typography being today, one can see the different aesthetics the contemporary genres take.

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EVOLUTION THROUGH VISUAL BRANDING

rtists harness their image by the way they dress, the way they talk, they way they perform. For musicians their album covers are another outlet to exploit, and for new artists is to introduce themselves. The covers are not only packages that wrap their music. The design of an album cover is a statement that talks about their work, their culture, and for that matter their entire image. For example, in 2003 the rapper 50 Cent’s album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, page 35, makes use of imagery that bluntly represents his music and his life at that moment.

The then up-and-coming artist broke into the mainstream when he released his album Get Rich or Die Tryin’. The design in this album cover cites his battle scars as evidence of his true-to-life depiction of the streets (Cepeda 285). The broken glass with lines diverging in all directions has an energy that attracts the viewer. The holster he wears, his jewelry, the fearless pose, all these aspects of the image

form part of a visual metaphor. All this suggests the artist’s tough origins, even a direct reference to an incident in which he got shot. The name of the album, Get Rich or Die Trying’, summarizes all these visual clues: I am getting money and if I have to die in the attempt, so be it. In another example that also marks the beginning of an artist’s career, the pop singer Lady Gaga’s debuted with the album The Fame, page 35,

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Previous page, Jimi Hendrix. Are You Experienced. 1967. Photography and design by Karl Ferris.

which used the cover to introduce her persona to the public. She wore large glasses that have the reflection of her cane of crystals, which she used in performances. This outfit suggests her sense of style. With a typographic treatment similar to 50 Cent’s album, the name of the artist is so large that it is the first things our eyes see. This is simply a way to announce the name of the new artist. The image in this cover is quite simple compared to the artist’s later covers. The Fame did not depict a semi-naked, sensual, or sexually explicit photo of the new artist (Morgan 102). Instead Lady Gaga, judging by the name of the album, states that she is already famous. The design was neither commercial nor predictable.

The artist did not want to go unnoticed, but, as she mentioned in an interview, she just wanted to introduce her true self by suggesting: my friends and I just simply declared fame in our own, and we made art, and we said, ‘This is the future’ and we dressed in a way that said, ‘This is fashion’(Morgan 90). My album covers are not sexual at all which was an issue at my record label. I fought months and I cried at meetings. They didn’t think the photos were commercial enough. (Morgan 102) In this instance the artist is not celebrating her fame, but rather she is happy to share it and does not bother to make it commercial enough for the

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Lady Gaga. The Fame, 2008. Photography by Pieter Henket. Design by Liam Ward

media. As these previous examples show, from the moment a musician career’s take off, their image and their work have unique qualities. The evolution of their image also is quite idiosyncratic. Much like culture, they evolve and shift with time. In the following examples of album covers I analyze the work of three artist in a chronological fashion; in this manner I will describe the different modes in which the type, the color, and

50 Cent. Get Rich or Die Tryin’. 2003. Art direction by Julian Alexander

the imagery form the visual composition that depicts the artists’ images. Emphasizing these changes, I will highlight the different modes of visual communication in the design.

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ALBUM COVERS TIMELINE

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GOOD GIRL GONE BAD (2008) Rihanna. Good girl gone bad. 2007. Creative Direction by Ciarra Pardo, Robyn Rihanna Fenty Design by Ciarra Pardo

This is Rhianna’s third studio album, the beginning state of an artist career is always important and that has been taken in account in this cover, The intention`s are to make the artist as legible as possible, for a Pop artist like herself a sexy pose, and a clean cover that says my name is ____, might seem like is all she needs. But in this album cover there is a bit more to it, she is posing in a magazine’s cover-girl manner very fashionable appealing to an audience with an affinity for fashion such as the pop culture of today. Which can well be the intention of her music, since her lyrics resonate with the youth in the main stream. The type face is an elegant old style serif font going across the page with a continuance quality that almost it doesn’t interrupt the way the

eyes scan the layout. Underneath the name of the album sits really small, almost look like a tag-line. The name of the album suggests a transition in the artist life, the good girl turning bad theme is being implied by the use of color. The contrast of this delicate turquoises blue against the obscure dark background only highlights this idea of good and evil. The treatment in the color and the typography is pretty subtle, quite calm as if the intentions is to highlight the good side of her, because is just warning us about her bad side. Again this is a welcoming approach, we just met the artist, and indeed we will see this artist image fluctuate, but in the meantime the design is saying: let’s find out who this sort of new artist is.

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TALK THAT TALK (2011) Creative Direction: Robyn Rihanna Fenty & Ciarra Pardo for Gravity Creative Art Direction: Ciarra Pardo for Gravity Creative and JP Robinson.

In “Talk that Talk”, Rhianna’s sixth album, she has already put her name among the most respectable in music; and by now all she is doing is expressing herself and is not trying to impress the media. Starting with her logo in the top left corner, that raw look of the “R” has a primitive-art look; asymmetrical lines and sharp edges, very indicative of her persona, she is care-free, sexy, young, perhaps wild. She is posing in this suggestive way while wearing animal print. All this with a sense of fashion that suggests her own style, out of the ordinary. Which is more than a typical behavior for renowned pop star. In the front the typeface plays an small part since it is almost minuscule, something similar happens in the back part of the album, the type is sideways as if it was not meant to be read following the direction of her

body; which brings attention again to her image. If one pays attention, we can see the full-color picture in the front and a black and white picture in the back, the deliberate treatment of the color of the pictures suggests a pictorial look in the back, she is posing in a less than ideal location for a famous singer and looking oblivious to the viewer, the way she carries herself in this picture is an depiction of her character. While in the other side one can see a more staged approach for the front cover. Although both of the pictures are different, they are more about the artist’s character rather than her appearance.

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UNAPOLOGETIC (2012) Design by Mario Hugo

Again in this album Rhianna is looking to make an statement. The name of the album is “unapologetic”, and remorseless is what she looks like. Shameless, nude, and serious, the typefaces are all scattered and overlapping her own images, with this free-hand appearance she underlines that she is care-free, that is her image and she does not care, she is not sorry about her nudity, one can see this is where the richness of her music and persona lays. The distress, the grunge, and the improvised look of the image, could be considered quite noncommercial, but that’s what artists do, they push limits. She is portraying a naked Rhianna that is literally nude, if there is an statement I think is “this is Rhianna deal with it.”The imagery in the back cover and the CD are along the same line. Very distressed, grungy, and rough. In the back there is a picture of Rhianna

holding a lighter and blowing smoke from her mouth, this is a clear representation of the rebel child image her personality evokes. The image takes the majority of the cover making it the only aspect the viewer to has look at, the typography is so small and out of eye sight, and blends in the background. This negligent look in the back cover fortifies the message. By treating all these elements in such manner, the design makes her image the most prominent part of the cover.

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THE FAME (2008) Photography by Pieter Henket. Design by Liam Ward.

In The Fame Lady Gaga wears big glasses with the reflection of some crystals coming from her crystal cane. This is the first album for Lady Gaga and that is why intentionally her name is the first thing we recognize in those big red letters. The name of the album is placed second in the visual hierarchy. The simple image tells us about her album and although she is not the first artist to use fame as a theme, she is portrayed embracing her fame in subtle manner. As she mentioned before â&#x20AC;&#x153;fame is a state of mindâ&#x20AC;? and she always felt famous. Here she might not be wearing the biggest names in fashion but she is already implying that she has a strong idea of her sense of fashion and style. The particular use of Bodoni links to this idea of fame and fashion because this typeface has been used in the fashion industry for a long time now, mostly due to her

clean and elegant look. The stylized look of this type makes the design look like the opening spread of a magazine. In the back we can see again the name of the artist across the page and a picture of her in a very theatrical pose. The typography in the text that lists the songs in the album is a very slender sans serif type, this geometric and slender treatment is common in clubs and nightlife scene, which reflects the sound of her music in this album.

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BORN THIS WAY (2011) Design & photography by Nick Knight

“Mutant freak” a famous blogger called it . In this cover Lady Gaga is screaming and wearing red lips, that red color pops against that black and white picture, bringing attention to her lips, The color red is highlighted in a manner that really suggests the power of this color, because whether designers are using it to connote red-passion, red-blood, red-aggression, red-authority, red caution; the intention is always to complement a bold statement. Whether the message is implied or stated. Here the message is stated, I am a crazy freak, the album is called “Born This Way” and perhaps this is why she is this half machine, half human motorcycle looking belligerent. A bit of a rock heavy metal look can be sensed judging by the sound of her music, the leather she is wearing, the motorcycle, and the title treatment in the cover, which is in shiny chrome letters in a black sand serif typeface,

resembling the name the logo of a rock band. The entire composition has references to a rock/heavy metal vernacular . This is the second album of the artist, and the aesthetic in this cover is completely different to her previous work. In the back of this album for instance she is posing in an abnormal manner, with wind blowing at her hair. One can not help to see the resemblance to the portrait of a sort of exotic beast. This can be a picture nodding to the idea that people should love themselves no matter how eccentric people might think they are. This was a message she signs about in one of her songs in this albums, she says “I’m beautiful in my way/ Cause God makes no mistakes/ I’m on the right track, baby/ I was born this way.” This album conveys this idea in a subtle typography, a narrow color palette and black and white photography.

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ARTPOP (2013) Design by Jeff Koons

ARTPOP is the third album of the renowned artist. In her relatively short career Gaga has been label as one of the most iconic global superstars of the decade, and this is not an understatement, Her work as well as her image from a beginning has been about expressing her creative life style. From the way she dresses to the way she performs, she is out of the ordinary. The album is no different, the album name is Artpop which give us a hint of what her work is about. Is music, it is art, it is pure art form. The image of Gaga in this cover is literally a work of art. In the center of the cover one can see a sculpture of herself by the pop-artist Jeff Koons. Renowned in the art scene Koons is famous for his mirror-like sculptures such as the blue ball of gaze which is in the foreground of this image standing before the sculpture of Lady Gaga within her legs. As if it was if it was a artistic depiction of the nude

body, this childbearing position suggests the birth of the of a work of art, much like the work of art in the background. We can see, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The birth of Venusâ&#x20AC;?, a painting by the Renaissance master, Botticelli; and also what it seems to be an ancient sculpture. These two works of art are spread in the background as if a radiant force had tore them apart. Spreading from the center in all directions, this composition portrays an energy coming from the artist. The typographic treatment also suggests this energy which follows the scattered look of the composition. The letters reading Artpop and Lady Gaga are displayed in a mutilated fashion; looking as if they were sliced in pieces. This album cover tries to convey the relationship Lady Gaga has with the art world by paying homage to renowned works of art and putting herself among them.

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COLLEGE DROP OUT (2004) Photography by Danny Clinch. Art direction by Eric Duvauchelle.

This is the first album of the artist, titled The College Drop Out. By observing the design of the cover one can see a metaphorical representation that the name of the album helps us understand. A mascot sits in the empty bleaches, those seats usually seen in schools, with a sense of resignation; shown by the expression on his pose. The mascot sits as if he were lamenting some bad decisions. He is confined in the center by a baroque paintingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s frame. Here these visual clues tell us a bit of the life of the artist during that time. He dropped out of art school but still preserves those thoughts that motivates him to keep pursuing his intellectual evolution. The back cover has the title of songs in yellow slab serif type, the typographic choice makes reference to the letters used by college football teams, this treatment adds to the vernacular of the college

life he wants to convey. The imagery in the cover makes more sense if one hears the lyrics in this album. The artistic ambition, the sophistication, and at times melodic sound of his music gives us a hint of his distinct taste. The songs tell us about his flawed ambitions, but a the same time suggest he stills honors that time in his life. Judging by the celebratory ornaments and the warm color palette he uses to depict this phase in his life one can conclude the cover is an stylized image of a sad memory.

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808S & HEARTBREAK (2008) Kanye West. 808s & Heartbreak. 2008. Art direction: Past Tell Museum/Virgil Abloh/Willo Perron. Illustration by KAWS (Brian Donnelly) (Deluxe Edition only). Photographer by Kristen Yiengst

This is the fifth album of the artist. An artist known for being big in his britches here shows us a more vulnerable side of his persona. In this album Kanye branded his album with an melancholic imagery. The album cover uses a pale color palette, the colors in this album are a nice array of pastels, with an elegant typographic treatment that catches our eye. in the front cover the deflated balloon in the shape of a heart gives a sense of what the album is about; love songs. In the back one encounters the typography so small and neatly kerned that is welcoming to eye. The colors complement each other in a subtle way. For example the color of the background and the type are the same but the typefaceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hue is dark enough that comes to the foreground. When looking to the composition we see a layout that is very generous with the use of white space

that make us look at the design in sections, one element at the time. This lets the viewer appreciate the aesthetic choices. The name of the album helps to tie a not in all the visual clues the design give us. Heartbreak. With this word in mind, the design resembles the look of a love note; one that is more sad and nostalgic than an optimistic and cheerful. Meant to complement the music, the design neatly conveys this almost seasonal state that break-ups go through.

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YEEZUS (2013) Kanye West. Yeezus. 2013. Art direction by Justin Saudners. Design by Joe Perez

This is Kanye’s sixth album, the cover album for this artist is always an statement about his music. This time is no different, He is talking about the evolution of his music. In this instance he makes his statement in a completely different manner when compared to his previous work. In previous album covers Kanye went really pictorial and colorful, as if he were attempting to achieve a unique aesthetic by collaborating with renowned illustrator and plastic artists. He created a brand around his previous albums. Yeezus is different, it looks unbranded and extremely simple, so much it brings the elements in the cover to its very basic forms. The imagery in this album is a direct commentary to the disposition the artist seems to have with the media. As he mention in one of his song: “Fuck you and your corporation, you...can’t control me, you control ‘J’”.

He is intentionally making the cover look noncommercial, unmarketable. The jewel box appears naked with only one discernible element of design. The red tape which connotes aggression, passion, or could even be a red-alert; that screams for attention. Interestingly enough the red tape is placed in an utilitarian position because it keeps the clamp-design of the case closed, as if it were a wax seal meant to be broken, the red tape resembles a symbol of aristocracy. Kanye is more than deliberate in this deisgn choice. He is saying he did not do this album for the screen, he did it because at this point in his career he has complete creative freedom and no one can stop him.

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CONCLUSION The aesthetics of album covers evolve over may say what is so important about portraying time due to the fluctuating trends of popular the most ubiquitous side of our society, such as culture. As the different examples have shown, the pop culture? One can argue that design has artists have an image that changes with their a perennial quality and by creating images that artistic and intellectual evolution. Because of this depict our culture, we are preserving, creating, constant shifting, the album covers hone their and transforming what later would be indicative identity as their images change throughout the of an era, a decade, or a moment in our history. As memory of our popular culture. Music, culture, Steven Heller explains: and design will always complement each other, “Pop culture is often maligned as fleeting. But and although sometimes design might be history shows that. . . what is pop in one culture thought as the middleman; the scriber that keeps has time-honored resonance in later ones. . . Pop documenting all this on-going change. There are culture, specially as seen through the lens of aspects that makes design significantly importdesign... is integral to a broader understanding ant to our culture. One of them is the privilege to of how we are and where we are going.” (Heller 12) shape content, and by doing so, design gets to Heller’s point underlines how the aesthetics; enhance meaning if not purpose. To this some the design, reflect the evolution of a culture,

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and by doing so design perpetuates the values and ideas that later become characteristic of a society. As the ‘60s showed us, album covers are not only depictions of creative expression but reflections of our culture’s values. For instance in the last decade the album cover of artists like Lady Gaga, Rhianna, and Kanye West have a theme in common regardless of the music style. This is the acceptance of the eccentric, not just tolerance, the acceptance of the unusual. For example When Lady Gaga’s jump to fame happened so quickly that her whimsical weirdness became ubiquitous, she embraced her uniqueness and turned that attention into positive support for people label as eccentric and different; people such as the LGBT (lesbian, gay,

bisexual, and transgender) community. When Rihanna departed from her fabricated image of pop celebrity and opted for a more distinctive look, one that fit her personality, she became less reclusive and her music started to sound more genuine and less commercial. When Kanye came up with rap that was more personal rather than aggressive or sarcastic, when he came with a sense of fashion and creative sensibility totally different from the one of his peers; he stood for his individuality. If the ‘60s had causes to fight for such as the war or the civil rights, the ‘00s had the intentions to create a more accepting society one that embraces the differences. Although right now the album covers of today might not be seen

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as true-to-culture depictions, the simple idea that in the future an entire generation could be remembered just by looking to an album cover is fascinating, and to know that designers are the ones perpetuating this work is intellectually inspiring. I believe it is important to be aware of this aspect of our job because the design of album covers are another important vehicle that popular culture uses to define itself, and it is uplifting to think of the privilege that is to contribute to such significant part of our culture.

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INTERVIEW For my project I chose to interview Carlos Perez, creative director and founder of Elastic People. I thought of Carlos Perez as the right person to interview because my thesis talks about the important role of design in pop music, and Carlos Perez is one the most prestigious names in the Latin music scene in the United States. Perez has turned his love for music and design into a successful design firm. Today his creative agency works with a variety of renowned Latin artists. The work coming from Elastic People is multidisciplinary; this consists of film, creative direction, and branding. Among the several achievements of the agency’s remarkable trajectory are: the album cover designs for three of the top five Latin Albums of the last Decade including Daddy Yankee’s “Barrio Fino”; the

number one album of the decade, and creative collaborations with 12 of the decade’s Best Latin Artists; according to Billboard Magazine’s “Best of Decade” Charts. Lastly, to name just some of his clients, we have Interscope Records, Machete Music, Sony Music Latin, Universal Music Latin Entertainment, El Cartel Records, Emi Music, Pepsi International, and Nike. This interview was done over e-mail on February 14 2014. After a brief exchange of emails with the office of Elastic people and Carlos himself, he agreed to answer some questions. He was really approachable, I was surprised when he politely agreed to answer my questions.

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How â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;reliableâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is an album cover in indicating what the music is like?

The art director or designer in charge of designing an album cover has a great responsibility. The cover is the visual component to the audio. Almost like a tattoo, It represents the artist and their music. The album cover is the seed of the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visual identity yet today, it is solely one visual component of many in the lifespan of an album. Some people would claim album covers became less important when the CD (compact disc) was introduced and became the industry standard. What are your thoughts in this change of format, and do you think it changes your job as a designer? And if so how?

What changed is the actual distribution format for the album. We went from 12 x 12 inches (LP) to 5 x 5 (CD) to 1.5 x 1.5 (iTunes) Because the canvas is so small we have to consider more variables, how it looks on the itunes browser, in a mobile scenario and so forth. Yes, the actual canvas for distribution got physically smaller yet the amount

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of scenarios we design for in support of an album have multiplied and become more dynamic with the internet, branded content, tours and so on. Your interdisciplinary work goes from video direction to creative direction. In some projects your job is to design and direct the imagery and visual iconography of an artist throughout different platforms. What role does the artist play in your design process? How do you collaborate and how does this collaboration affect the visual product?

The process is very organic, not systematic at all. Some artists have a very clear idea of what direction they want to experiment with, others don’t. Our responsibility becomes like one of a doctor. You sit with the artist, examine them, hear them out and their music and give them your recipe. At the end design should communicate, not decorate. So we must explore and contribute

to the artist through visual ideas. The brainstorm part of the project is the most fascinating. How does the artistic and intellectual evolution of an artist’s career influence the way you depict the person in his/her album covers?

It’s really all about the music and the artist’s point of view. I try to be selective and surround the company with artists who want to communicate and impact the culture in some way. In recent years few album cover designs have been impressive as design solutions, but this year the work of people like Kanye West, in his album YEEZUS, have caught my attention for its rather lack of design; aesthetically speaking. Do you think this approach is successful in attempting to convey the artist’s relationship with traditional media? If so how?

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I think design for entertainment today is more about making noise than it is about academic design per se. There is so much junk out there that you must be loud in order to get noticed. That loudness may be visual or conceptual. In Kanyeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s case he is a unique individual. He surrounds himself with great minds who come together to communicate whatever it is he is feeling at the time. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thought out but def more impulsive. Design today is more about the experience it creates than about the aesthetic it shares. The music gives life to our design, never the other way around. If design carries the weight, then you are dealing with the wrong artist.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Arntson, Amy. Graphic Design Basics. Australia; United States: Thomson/Wadsworth. 2007. Print Brummett, Barry. Rhetoric in Popular Culture. Los Angeles : SAGE Publications. 2011. Print. Bringhurst, Robert. The Elements of Typographic Style. Point Roberts, WA : Hartley & Marks, Publishers . 2004. Print Cepeda,Raquel. The Best American Hip-Hop Journalism of the Last 25 Years. New York: Faber and Faber, Inc. 2004. Print Drate, Spencer . 45 RPM : A Visual History of the Seven-Inch Record. New York : Princeton Architectural Press, 2002. Print. Ego Trip. “The Making of 50 Cents’ Get Rich Or Die Tryinem Album Cover 2003 with Art Director Julian Alexander.” Egotripland. com.n.p., 02 June 2013. Web. 01 Nov. 2013.

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Grønstad, Asbjørn, and Øyvind Vågnes. Cover Scaping : Discovering Album Aesthetics. Copenhagen : Museum Tusculanum Press, 2010. Print. Heller, Steven. Pop How Graphic Design Shapes Popular Culture. New York: Allworth Press. 2010. Print. Jaidev, The Culture of Pastiche: Existential Aestheticism in the Contemporary Hindi Novel. Shimla: India Institute of Advanced Study. 1993.Print. Morgan, Johnny. GAGA. New York: Sterling Publishing Co.,2010.Print. Shaughnessy, Adrian. Sampler: Contemporary Music Graphics. New York: Universe Pulbishing. 1999.Print. White, Alex. Thinking in Type: The Practical Philosophy of Typography. New York: Allworth Press. 2005.Print. Ziff, Bruce, and Pratima V. Rao. Borrowed Power: Essays on Cultural Appropriation. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. 1997. Print.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Music creates culture, design defines itâ&#x20AC;?.