Seven Tips for Designing Cover Art on Your CD

People do judge a book by its cover. Yellow teeth can leave you giving off a bad impression despite how nice you are. Good looks seem to be what counts first on television, and then talent comes second. Therefore, having compelling cover art on your CD can make the difference of getting it sold or not.

So what makes compelling cover art that get others to pick up your CD?

ONE. The cover art on your CD should invoke strong emotions. An example of this is Rage Against the Machine's cover art for an album using a photo taken on June 11, 1963, a Buddhist monk burning alive while sitting in a perfect half-lotus in protest against religious oppression in Vietnam. If your cover art can make someone ask themselves, How? What? When? Where? And most importantly... Why? Then you've done your job.

TWO. The cover art on the CD should be loyal to the content in the CD. For example, cover art representing swaying flowers or people holding hands while walking on a brightly lit beach; but were the content on the CD is actually about World War II and B-52 bombers, will leave the consumer feeling tricked and confused. The whole point of cover art is to have a snap shot of the overall theme of the content you deliver.

THREE. Browse the internet for examples of cover art that instantly strike you; notice the first thing you see when your eyes fall on the cover art. Is it the color? Are there any subtle geometric patterns? Are you attracted to a certain font in words and phrases? Is the cover art representing universal emotional themes?

FOUR. Do it your self cover design! If you wish to have more creative freedom than what cheap click & pick logos and design software provides. Then sign up for a free trial using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Flash. A huge amount of incredible art work has been conjured up from these programs, and possibly even helping to redefine what exactly fine art is in this digital era.

FIVE. Understanding your artistic tastes may not be the tastes of your target audience. Design or choose your cover art accordingly.

SIX. Check out Craigslist, visit your local college or university and hire a starving artist to help you with a cover design for your CD. You might be able to save a little money finding some new talent eager to show off what their made of.

SEVEN. Can't make a decision on what your CD's cover design should be? Try to remember some of your dreams and sketch the images out on paper. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it should inspire some interesting ideas.

Good luck!