The first album cover dates back to 1939, when Alex Steinweiss revolutionised the music industry by integrating eye-catching graphic designs. Since then, the artistic concept has gone from strength to strength. Forward-thinking album covers began to pique consumer interests during the 1950s, which coincided with the rise of rock music.
Nowadays, album artwork is integral to the music industry, and it predominantly rose to prominence during the golden era of rock and roll. The relationship between art and music is ever-growing, with graphic designs helping to portray broader social messages. So, let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at some of the rock genre’s most influential album covers.
Acting as a Gateway to Unique ContentÂ
Few can argue that having an eye-catching or thought-provoking album cover isn’t of utmost importance to musicians. Even now, in the digital era, the music experience has become a multi-sensory affair that takes consumers to a different place, and the covering artwork is paramount to triggering that emotional journey, as per HumanHuman. To date, many of the best album covers date back to the mid-1950s and 1960s, which speaks volumes about how the rock genre elevated the concept’s importance.
According to uDiscoverMusic, Elvis Presley’s 1956 album, Elvis Presley, took the world by storm because of the simplicity of the album cover. The art features a photograph of the King of Rock and Roll performing, with his name spelled out using a cartoon-like font. Aesthetically, this epitomises the genre’s golden era because of Presley’s rock allure. Following this release, the rockstar who recorded several pieces at Memphis Recording Studio inspired future artists to explore a similar approach. In 1979, the Clash copied the King of Rock and Roll by using an identical photo-themed, cartoon-like cover.

From the 1950s onwards, rock musicians used album covers as a gateway to their music, as per Ultimate Classic Rock. That said, the method of doing so altered during the 50s. As touched on above, Steinweiss first explored the concept through utilising graphic designs. However, changes to the RCA Victor policy saw album covers enter a photographic era, and that’s evident from both the King of Rock and Roll’s and the Clash’s developments. Moreover, in 2001, the Strokes used a picture as the Is This It album cover. This showcases how this manner of storytelling has retained its appeal throughout the decades.
Becoming a Broader Trend in Mainstream Music and BeyondÂ
After rising to prominence during rock’s peak years, album covers have taken off within the mainstream music sector. During the mid-2000s and early-2010s, both Amy Winehouse and Katy Perry used photographs on their album covers, Back to Black and Teenage Dream, to describe the type of content within their releases. For example, Teenage Dream had a more tongue-in-cheek aura that interested pop music fans, while Back to Black intertwined different musical styles to create an in-depth story surrounding the artists’ personal journey.
There’s an ever-growing perception that album covers will always be integral to a creator’s success, and it’s hard to argue otherwise. This isn’t only true of the music industry, as artistic designs have since transitioned into the gaming sector. Again, this is to portray an idea of what’s awaiting players within the title. Shadow of the Colossus, which hit the shelves in October 2005, features armoured fantasy enemies that are considerably larger than Wander, the protagonist. The game’s cover is arguably one of the iconic in the industry’s history, as it pictures a colossus towering over Wander and his horse.
It speaks volumes about the power of artwork within the entertainment industry that it’s since captivated creators within more diverse gaming avenues. In regards to providing a gateway to a title’s in-game themes, this is now of utmost importance within the online casino sector. At VegasSlotsOnline, where players can explore thousands of free online casino games, each of the listed and reviewed titles have a unique thumbnail. Spartacus Gladiator of Rome, for example, features two armed gladiators from the Roman era on the cover work, which accurately portrays the creation’s overriding theme. China Shores adopts a similar approach in using a panda, as, in the game, the creature acts as a Wild symbol.
Album Covers Have Come a Long WayÂ
Although traditional albums aren’t as popular as they once were, their influence remains prominent in modern-day entertainment. Rock music set the benchmark in detailing the importance of album covers, and other genres have since followed suit. The likes of Presley didn’t only alter perceptions of music, but he, and other rock musicians, shed light on the relationship between art and music.