...Speaking of Cobain,

Some things are just timeless: as relevant  as when they first came out. Some great examples of this include George Orwell's 1984, the stand-up acts of Bill Hicks or George Carlin, and this cover for Nirvana's second studio album, Nevermind.

The balance and art direction are great, but I think at the end of the day, for a design to have a great amount of impact and staying power it needs to have a great message. The message here is quite clear; it is an image of humankind, and how we're distracted and lured in by material goals to the exclusion of the important things in life. I don't think this issue will ever cease to be relevant, unless we all wake up one day to find that worldwide corporations have stopped polluting and exploiting and making wars for profit, and have instead decided to focus on feeding the hungry.

...Or something like that. It's a timeless and thought-provoking message, which is why Nirvana is as popular with angsty teenagers today as it ever was.

Let's go retro: John Lennon

For me, sometimes the classics really are the best... And it doesn't get much better than John Lennon. The art direction is genius for this cover; so simple... Nothing but John Lennon singing. I think when it's someone as iconic as he, you really don't need much more than that; some of the greatest imges from music are just the artist's portrait, looking human and being themselves. I'll take iconic imagery like this John Lennon piece or Kurt Cobain's famous shoot(below) over a half-naked woman in 10lbs of makeup or a guy looking pretentious and trendy any day.

Listen to me, eh? Any day now I'll probably start rambling on about
"You damn kids with your music... Skateboarding on the sidewalk... No respect.."

But what can I say? Sometimes the older stuff really is the best. I'd wager anything by Lady Gaga or Katy Perry will be long forgotten a decade from now; but we'll still be enjoying songs like "Come Together" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" long long after.

John Lennon album cover

If you don't know who this is just give up now.

Nine Inch Nails: The Downward Spiral

Trent Reznor was one of my favourite artists growing up... And Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral, in my opinion, his greatest album. Here we see another tactile piece: a perfect blend of fading and decay. This says much about the album itelf, which has common themes like self destruction, hurt, anger and loathing... (Basically the perfect blend of angry angsty rock, if you're a teenager.)

The text is small, but powerful; dynamic above a big brown spot.

Awesome album and awesome cover.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Show Your Bones

Here's a really neat tactile album cover from the yeah yeah yeahs. While the design itself is perfectly centered, the grain and imperfections of the material make it really visually interesting. Even the colours follow this same rule; all primary colours that make it look perfectly balanced, but with enough shadow and areas of muted colour to keep things dynamic.

Really awesome cover.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Show Your Bones

Christina Aguilera- Bi On Ic

I think this is a really well designed cd cover. Its something really difference that you havent quite seen before. I love the white space that has been left there. It really makes you focus on the initial image. The only problem I have with this cover, is the font used. I don't  find that it really is fitting for this piece.

Maroon 5-Overexposed

This cd cover, is very overwhelming. The only positive I can give it is that the colour scheme really comes together as a family, and isn't too hard to look at.

Lily Allen-The Fear

I usually prefer a cd cover that doesn't feature the artist. This was an interested way to promote it and Its a successful cover. The colours are great and very eye catching.