Music has always been a huge part of my life. I have played guitar and sang in bands since my teenage years. I even spent six years on the road in a touring band. When I’m out at a show or a store, I always keep an eye out for CD layout designs that compliment artists’ visions. This is important for every artist, from folk singers to independent film producers selling DVDs.
Despite the popularity of digital streaming music, many still prefer physical media. Great album artwork still makes a big difference when it is displayed on a proud collector’s shelf.
Contact me for your own CD layout graphic design
See samples of my CD layout design and digital download art in my portfolio below. Then contact me today with your own proposal. I take great pride in helping fellow artists create the ideal image for their labor of love.
Analog Apostles
Lexington, KY
I designed this CD art for Lexington, KY alternative rock band Analog Apostles’ debut EP “The Other Side of the Sea”. Since I played lead guitar in the band at the time, it was a no brainer for me to do the artwork. I was also very involved in the music production side. Ben, the main songwriter and rhythm guitarist, thought of the title long before we recorded the first note. The title and many of the songs made references to water, so we decided together on a nautical theme.
CD art – setting sail for the high seas
The four panel digipak layout started with an antique style treasure map background. Then, I overlaid a classical pirate ship illustration in brown as the focal point. The “A” monogram mark from the logo I designed was later superimposed onto the ship’s main sail. After that, I set the band‘s name in an antique “swashbuckling” style font face. The album’s title then materialized in a classic cursive script. I capped off the design with a ghostly image of the band’s “A” icon over the dark blue ocean background in the tray card. Since the record’s theme suggested high adventure, a hint of supernatural mystery put it over the top.
From start to finish, this record truly was a DIY project. We performed every aspect of the production, from the recording process to ordering the album duplication. Ben’s wife Amanda did a great job with the posed band photography. Our fan base fully funded the CD’s production online via Indiegogo, which is a great fundraising tool for artists on a budget.
Hire me to design your CD art
Are you a band or record label currently hoisting the main sails on a new album? Contact me today for a CD layout design that will shiver your fans’ timbers.
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CD Layout and Digital Download Art Design
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Misty Mountain String Band
Louisville, KY
Derek Harris is a vocalist and the bassist in this traditional bluegrass quartet and a long time friend of mine. He contacted me in 2013 to create the CD layout for their debut EP “Went to the Well”.
Bluegrass music CD layout story
The group already had chosen a few elements to bring to the table. Therefore, it was up to me to work them into the final composition and make a few minor adjustments. This was similar to later full length CD layout projects I completed for them, entitled
“Brownsboro” and
“Red Horizon”. The fabulous Louisville based photographer
Cherise Mingus provided the posed photograph for the inside jacket. The talented nature artist
Abby Diamond also came on board to create the gorgeous Kentucky cardinal illustration. This was the first of a series of album art collaborations I was fortunate enough to have with these talented artists.
I used Adobe Photoshop to retouch and color correct the band’s posed group photograph. I also removed a small tree from the picture by using the rubber stamp cloning tool. Then, I cleaned up the edges of the cardinal illustration for the clean white background. Finally, the band sent me a very rough sketch of a Greek runes themed “MMSB” logo they had sometimes use in promotional materials. I used Adobe Illustrator to recreate this image as a vector file they could use for any application. Then, I added it to the design. It is featured on both on the inside jacket and on the CD face itself.
Check out MMSB’s music online!
CD layout for your band or music project
Are you about to drop a hot new record? I’m ready to complete the project with professional packaging design and CD art.
Contact me today to get started.
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Wellington Beck Music Group
Nashville, TN
The groundbreaking “American Country Hits” series rolled on with the latest installment, Volume 19. Each volume includes both a “Hits” version (covers recorded by studio musicians) and a “Karaoke” version with instrumental tracks only. The karaoke album art design version that I created is pictured above.
Karaoke album art design story
This time out, I decided I should use a deep turquoise background. I blended a mottled grunge pattern that resembled marble into the rich greenish blue color. Then, I created an inner shadow layer effect for it. This effect fades into the background from a light to dark shade. I also added a bright white burst brush shape located in the center of the artwork. I situated it between the background and the title layers. When I added a glow layer effect to it, it really made it shine. It also caused the main title text to pop off of the screen.
After that, I contrasted the background elements against the main title. This title uses the same logo I created for the previous installments of the series. I set the words in the LHF Boston Truckstyle font. I proceeded to color it with a rusty shade of red, then added both satin and inner shadow effects to the letters. A light golden yellow inside stroke came together with a thicker brown outline in order to complete the title text’s rustic theme.
All of the elements come together to create an outstanding karaoke album art design. This, as well as all of the other installments in the series, is available on many online music retailers. These include Amazon, iTunes, and many others.
Contact me to create your karaoke album art design
Do you own a record label or a digital music publisher? If you need quick turnaround art to accompany your digital music, I am your graphic designer. Contact me today to get started!
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Wellington Beck Music Group
Nashville, TN
This is a digital download graphic design for a compilation of many popular country music singles of the day. This series is much like digital albums such as Kidz Bop and NOW! That’s What I Call Music. The collection of songs is exclusively available online via iTunes, Amazon, and other online music outlets. It is a part of the long running series of cover albums produced by Wellington Beck that I designed art for. Quick turnaround was the name of the game for these projects. I excelled at exceeding my client’s expectations on time, each and every time.
Digital download graphic design for country music single
My client requested me to base the album artwork concept on the hit ABC TV series Nashville. I mimicked the show’s mix of serif and condensed sans serif fonts, as well as the bright pink and grey color scheme. The music publisher also made the request that I incorporate an image of a vintage tube television. I started with these ideas, and then decided to expand on them.
Finally, I incorporated a retro television “test pattern” graphic to complete the image’s layout. Many older listeners and fans of the days when television stations signed off for the night with similar images enjoyed this touch. I made an instant hit with both my client and their listeners.
Hire me for your digital download graphic design
These album art web graphics are among some of my favorite projects. I found it exciting whenever a new assignment would come across my desk. Are you a music publisher or an artist who needs a quality design created to meet digital retailers’ standards? I am just as passionate about music as I am about top shelf graphic design. Contact me today to get started.
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CD Layout and Digital Download Art Design
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test pattern,
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Connect with me!