Artwork?

[BenignVanilla]

There are lots of great conversations here about the music...but what about the CD's themselves? What are you guys doing for your CD artwork? Press packs? etc? Is anyone using lightscribe for the CD art?

 

[Mish]

Being an artist myself, cover art is never a problem. In fact I'd never let some dumb fuck doing a design for my EP/LP etc

Otherwise, you can find loads of people on the net who would do it for just a mention of their name in credits. All you have to do is just browse some art forums/communities like deviantart etc and PM the users.

 

[BenignVanilla]

I am not much of an artist so I may take you suggestion and run with it. Does anyone post their artwork anywhere? I'd like to see what ya'll are doin' with your CD's.

 

[TerraMortim]

I'm working on a cover atm. I'll post it as soon as I'm not embarrassed by it! haha

 

[Mish]

I am not much of an artist so I may take you suggestion and run with it. Does anyone post their artwork anywhere? I'd like to see what ya'll are doin' with your CD's.

Here's a cover I used for my old band's EPs -

And the poster -

There're people who do the design alot better than I do, just look at something like this -

http://wishmistress.deviantart.com/art/Royal-Anguish-CD-cover-81872964
http://sensory-ghost.deviantart.com/art/Aeonic-CD-cover-01-40999031
http://chemical-nos.deviantart.com/art/cd-cover-Funeral-Pyre-24836808
http://tosetti.deviantart.com/art/CD-Cover-Rabboni-34965425

You can search that site for "CD covers/CD art" and message the guys/girls who did them to see if they'd be interested in making a design for you.

 

[eeb]

here's what I got so far for our album

back

Not even close to finished this at all.. adding more elements to the front and I still have to figure out what i'm doing with the song names at the back

 

[BenignVanilla]

Thanks for the tip on deviantart.com.

 

[eeb]

p.s (i've said this before) expecting ppl do to free work is a really stupid idea. If you were a carpenter would you do someones kitchen for free? probably not. and if a carpenter told me they would I'd probably think they weren't very good. I really get angry that people don't realize that a designer works at this stuff as their career and they should be paid. And designers that do stuff for free are making this field even less appriciated than it already is. It is not this great priviledge to do free work for anyone.. no matter who they are..


sorry for the rant.


You get what you pay for in the end anyway.

 

[BenignVanilla]

Eeb...I think you make a valid point to a certain extent, but I also think a lot of (musicians, artists, etc.) don't do this for a living even if we wish we could, and sometimes just doing it and getting the work out there is enough pay.

Sorry...I am a bit sensitive to this rant...when got out of college millenia ago, I got an IT job without an IT degree...I heard from many how what I was doing was "wrong" because it took a job away from IT graduates. Ridiculous.

 

[eeb]

i don't personally know very many designers that do it as a hobby.. and the reason why they wouldn't be able to get a job is because the market is flooding with any asshole with photoshop that thinks they're a designer doing work for free.

you're situation is different.. i have nothing against designers that work in the field without "education" it's all about your portfolio anyway.. your IT situation is different. it's not like you went to do that shit for free (at least I hope not because you're not screwing anyone but yourself over)

You knew your shit and your employer didnt' care that you didn't have a degree.. The degree could be important but i know some guys who have design degrees that aren't really that good..

 

[BenignVanilla]

So I guess I shouldn't ask you to do my design work, eh? Just kidding of course.

One of the reasons I stopped doing web design work was the flood of people that would do a website for $100.00 because they got FrontPage and became a "webmaster". So I see your point to a certain extent.

 

[Mish]

i don't personally know very many designers that do it as a hobby.. and the reason why they wouldn't be able to get a job is because the market is flooding with any asshole with photoshop that thinks they're a designer doing work for free.

you're situation is different.. i have nothing against designers that work in the field without "education" it's all about your portfolio anyway.. your IT situation is different. it's not like you went to do that shit for free (at least I hope not because you're not screwing anyone but yourself over)

You knew your shit and your employer didnt' care that you didn't have a degree.. The degree could be important but i know some guys who have design degrees that aren't really that good..

Doing a design is shit easy. I've done loads of websites for friends for free, in fact for half of my class in college for the IT exams. I did use them as my portfolio to get a web-designer's job later, but that doesn't alter the point.

Alex Pardee for example. He totally got hooked on The Used music so he just sent them his artworks which he thought would fit their next album . That's exactly what happened - they used all of them.

The deviantart links I've posted here - all that stuff is done by "amateurs". In many cases they beat the crap out of "professional" artists' works. You don't need a degree to be a good artist, it's like saying to be a good musician you need to go to musical school. lol

 

[eeb]

Doing a design is shit easy.

This is like saying that writing great music is easy.. simply not true.. or doing a great mix is "shit easy" again not true.. it takes skill and knowledge.


and no offence judging by your album cover you have alot to learn about graphic design if you think it's soo easy (i'm not trying to say at all that i'm superior in anyway.. i have alot to learn as well..)


I'm also not trying to bash you in any way but what you posted is a very VERY far cry from professional or "good" but just one persons opinion..

 

[VomitHatSteve]

Otherwise, you can find loads of people on the net who would do it for just a mention of their name in credits. All you have to do is just browse some art forums/communities like deviantart etc and PM the users.

A caveat with that (and advantage to hiring professionals) is that you don't get any guarantee of quality or completion with random amateurs on the net.

I commissioned a friend to do art for one of my bandsites back in October. I'm still waiting for her to finish.

If you hire a professional, you don't have to worry about that kind of crap.

 

[eeb]

A caveat with that (and advantage to hiring professionals) is that you don't get any guarantee of quality or completion with random amateurs on the net.

I commissioned a friend to do art for one of my bandsites back in October. I'm still waiting for her to finish.

If you hire a professional, you don't have to worry about that kind of crap.

this is very true


a professional's (we won't get into the definition of that)
career is based on his/her reputation.. which is why you'll usually get exactly what you want in the end

 

[Mish]

This is like saying that writing great music is easy.. simply not true.. or doing a great mix is "shit easy" again not true.. it takes skill and knowledge.


and no offence judging by your album cover you have alot to learn about graphic design if you think it's soo easy (i'm not trying to say at all that i'm superior in anyway.. i have alot to learn as well..)


I'm also not trying to bash you in any way but what you posted is a very VERY far cry from professional or "good" but just one persons opinion..

That's not a design, it's just a photograph . That EP was released in a copy of 5, and it's the only thing I've done for my old band graphics wise. Besides, define professional.

IMO one of the best CD-art I've ever seen. Far cry from good or professional? Personally I couldn't care less

 

[Mish]

A caveat with that (and advantage to hiring professionals) is that you don't get any guarantee of quality or completion with random amateurs on the net.

I commissioned a friend to do art for one of my bandsites back in October. I'm still waiting for her to finish.

If you hire a professional, you don't have to worry about that kind of crap.

If you have the money nothing is a problem. But let's not forget the 2012 UK Olympics logo has been designed by professionals, after a large contest, apparently.

 

[Nightfire]

Speaking of cool CD art, the Bright Eyes' "cassadaga" CD has some really really neat CD art.
Back to the topic on hand.


Mike

 

[TerraMortim]

here's what I got so far for our album

back

Not even close to finished this at all.. adding more elements to the front and I still have to figure out what i'm doing with the song names at the back

nice. Subtle but still engaging.

 

[TerraMortim]

This is like saying that writing great music is easy.. simply not true.. or doing a great mix is "shit easy" again not true.. it takes skill and knowledge.


and no offence judging by your album cover you have alot to learn about graphic design if you think it's soo easy (i'm not trying to say at all that i'm superior in anyway.. i have alot to learn as well..)


I'm also not trying to bash you in any way but what you posted is a very VERY far cry from professional or "good" but just one persons opinion..

I totally agree with everything you've said so far. Let's put it this way. It's easy to create A design.. but it's not easy to create a GOOD design, something that's engaging, complements the music on the record, something that stands alone as a piece of art even if the CD didn't exist. That's how I look at it, anyway. Sure anyone could throw a bunch of half assed shit together and call it a design but there's a huge expanse between that and the designs people like.