Don't design your album cover
Find an amazing Graphic Artist instead. Many legendary album artworks gained bands recognition all through the work of, at the time, relatively unknown Graphic Artists. These types of beautiful and punchy artworks entice audiences into listening to the music, and to look more into the artist behind the cover. For this reason, Graphic Artists relish the opportunity to gain exposure by getting involved with musical projects.While not all graphic artists will do this for free, there are many out there who will use it as an alternative method to promote their work.
1 Add a new dimension to your music
Album artwork adds a new artistic dimension to your music while simultaneously bringing the art to life. Working with different artists will stretch your perceptions of visual art and inspire you. This helps both the band and the artist bounce off of each other’s ideas and create in different ways than they usually would.
2 Expand your social engagement
The synergy created through this is hugely beneficial. Bands and Graphic Artists will both promote their works through hashtags and handles, increasing your reach drastically across a number of social media platforms.
3 Reach for new audiences
Meanwhile, this collaborative relationship can internationalise a band's output, reaching a wider audience in previously inaccessible places and building connections around the globe.
Where to find great artists
You might have a talented friend ready to help. If you don't or are looking for something particular, just search for tags like Illustrator, Art, and Graphics on Instagram and you will get flooded. If you want a better selection, then go straight for Behance.
And this is how we did it
As you know, we are always the first to implement all the ideas and strategies we talk about. For our first Hardcore Punk compilation on Soundcloud (a strategy we will touch more on in later articles), Sam Goodwin compiled ten tracks from some of our favourite labels, such as Holy Roar, and new artists that we wanted to connect and work with. We asked LA-based Graphic Artist Conrado Salinas to give us one of his best works. His characters, set within a desolate underbelly of society, draw a good parallelism with the chaos of Hardcore Punk. This formed a working relationship between us and Conrado, allowing us to reach the fans of his work in the US.