Ten of the most iconic electronic album covers

Over the years, the electronic music industry has seen the release of a variety of highly influential albums. While, of course, the focus around these albums has been the music, the cover artwork has had a huge part to play in catapulting each one to widespread success. While each genre in the music industry tends to have its own artwork trend, there are many examples in the electronic music industry that defy this rule. Although the primary trend focuses around darker, more atmospheric colours, each individual artwork has a completely different look. Each of the different approaches shine a light on the artist’s talent in a completely different way. We’ve put together a list of some of the most influential dance album covers of all time.

Daft Punk – Discovery

Perhaps one of the most iconic ever album covers within the music industry as a whole is Daft Punk’s ‘Discovery’ artwork, an instantly recognizable image which has made a resounding imprint on the music industry. A household name around the world, the French duo have an unbelievable level of power, despite having not performed a live show in years. Their 2001 ‘Discovery’ album included some of their biggest hits to date including ‘One More Time’, ‘Aerodynamic’ and ‘Harder Better Faster Stronger’. Focusing on the artwork itself, the enlarged metallic lettering of the words ‘Daft Punk’ with rainbow embellishment make the image impossible to be missed. Brought to life with its contrast against the black background, even the font alone is easily recognizable.

Justice – Woman

One of the more recent albums to feature on our list, French duo Justice’s 2016 album ‘Woman’ is undoubtedly one of the most aesthetic album artworks to ever hit the shelves. Featuring the duo’s iconic cross logo as the centrepiece, the album cover instantly draws attention with its spectacular color scheme. Marking their first album in four years, it was important for the duo to make a huge impression, and the cover art does just that, adding the finishing touch to an incredible album.

Steve Angello – Wild Youth

In 2016, Steve Angello released his debut album ‘Wild Youth’, hailed as one of the most influential electronic music releases in recent years. While the music itself was a smash hit, the album artwork also drew in listeners with its stunning simplicity. Utilising the black background to bring the focus onto the main image, the cover centres around the decorated knuckle duster. This imagery was then carried forth onto many of Steve Angello’s merchandise items that also proved a hit with his fanbase. His logo is also highlighted, standing out prominently in the lower centre of the artwork.

Jack Ü – Skrillex and Diplo present Jack Ü

Standing out from the rest of the list, Jack Ü’s iconic 2015 debut album featured a completely unique cover. Featuring a collage of images of both Skrillex and Diplo as its background, the artwork has a completely different look when compared with other album artworks. Like the other albums in our list, Jack Ü used their logo as the centrepiece, drawing all attention to the Ü symbol. Unlike the previously mentioned albums, the Jack Ü artwork also draws attention to the logos of the two labels it was released on.

The Chemical Brothers – Further

English electronic duo The Chemical Brothers have undoubtedly one of the most impressive catalogues of album artwork. With each one intricately designed, each artwork tells a completely different story, reflective of the music the album contains. In particular, their 2010 album ‘Further’ featured a beautifully designed artwork. The focus of the cover is the image of a woman diving, showing the impact of her hitting the water. Their logo is also presented centre stage just below the image, giving the album clear identity.

Swedish House Mafia – Until Now

Swedish House Mafia’s 2012 album ‘Until Now’ is undoubtedly one of the most well-branded album covers of all time. The album cover contains plenty of symbolism surrounding their three dots branding. The trio are shown on the cover representative of the three dots, and three circles can be seen behind them in the background. Unlike other album covers, this one does not feature any text at all, the branding is strong enough to signify their ownership. In contrast with most electronic albums, Swedish House Mafia primarily focussed their album covers on bright white imagery rather than dark, an unusual move.

Pendulum – Immersion

In 2010, Pendulum released their most recent album Immersion, receiving praise from fans and critics alike. Featuring many tracks that are still influential to this day, the album was a pivotal moment in the Australian band’s history. In fitting with the sound generated by the album, the cover artwork has a very futuristic feel. Focussing on blue tones, the cover portrays a man and woman underwater. Perhaps one of the most detailed artworks on the list, the Immersion cover features an immense level of detail, depicting every aspect down to sea creatures and coral.

Avicii – True

In contrast with most cover artworks, Avicii’s True album cover is rather simplistic and dark. However, the dark background allows the album to truly shine. The painted letters depicting the name of the album ‘True’ instantly draw attention, giving more weight to the name. Avicii’s logo can be seen at the lower centre of the cover, but his identity is also portrayed by his silhouette that is visible in the background.

deadmau5 – 4×4=12

With so many iconic album covers behind him, it is an impossible task to choose one that stands out over the rest. However, ‘4×4=12’ is definitely one of deadmau5’s all time most recognisable covers. Featuring his iconic mau5 head logo in shining green LEDs against a solid black background, the cover is truly in fitting with electronic album artwork trends. Highlighting both deadmau5’s name and the album title at the top, the cover is easily recognisable as a deadmau5 original.

David Guetta – Nothing But The Beat

David Guetta’s highly influential ‘Nothing But The Beat’ album caused quite a stir in 2011. Taking over radio stations worldwide, many of the tracks featured soon became massive hits. This album cover stands out from the rest due to being primarily red, with the bright background drawing attention. With an image of David Guetta himself in the foreground, the cover is instantly recognizable, and representative of his branding at the time. His logo takes pride of place in the centre, focussing attention towards it.

Each of these album covers remains influential in its own right. While the designs are diverse, the quality is exceedingly high across each and every cover. A similarity seen across all of the examples is the prioritizing of the branding. With each cover, the title and the logo are given centre stage, regardless of the design. This is certainly something that should be considered by all artists when creating their own cover artwork. Your branding should always be your highest priority, even after you have created a visually stunning artwork. Even the best photography and design is essentially counterproductive if it draws attention away from your logo. Overall, the main important features of an effective album artwork are its ability to covey a message without using text to do so, making an impact on the listener. Alongside this, the highlighting of your brand and persona also play a major role in creating an effective artwork. With all of these aspects tied together, you will be left with an inspiring, dynamic artwork that showcases your brand and highlights the quality of your music.