In our 2012 Album Covers of the Year feature, we once again get our hands on everyone we can. Through interviews with designers, musicians, labels, and plenty of others, we take a close look at just how many hands are in the pot when it comes to the album artwork process.
Inside this feature are 98 album covers spanning a wide array of sonic and visual styles, each selected for its own unique contribution to the world. They are not ranked; instead, they are broken down into sections based on conceptual underpinnings or artistic mediums, and then are displayed on spectrums.
Get started by navigating into any of these six sections:
Geometric & Pattern-Based
Classically-Influenced
Narrative & Symbolic
Photography & Manipulations
Painting & Illustration
Collage, Sculpture & Mixed Media
You can also see last year’s at 2011 Year-End Respect For Album Cover Art