HELP: What's definitive about a prog rock cover?
Mondeyano
Reykjavik 863 Posts
Hello all,
Got an assignment doing the poster for the annual conference of the Japan Association for the Study of Popular Music and I made a mock-up which went through, which basically featured an album cover, somewhat 80s looking private press thing and record sticking out of it.
I got word back they liked it but wanted to the album graphic to look "prog rock", as a lot of the members of the board are into it heavily.
So I wanted to ask the Strut, what looks "prog rock" to you?
What are the key elements to a prog rock album cover?
Bear in mind that while I can do basic drawing type things and import into Illustrator and freestyle some business from that but it can't be super elaborate a la below examples as I'm running out of time.
Any help much appreciated!
Got an assignment doing the poster for the annual conference of the Japan Association for the Study of Popular Music and I made a mock-up which went through, which basically featured an album cover, somewhat 80s looking private press thing and record sticking out of it.
I got word back they liked it but wanted to the album graphic to look "prog rock", as a lot of the members of the board are into it heavily.
So I wanted to ask the Strut, what looks "prog rock" to you?
What are the key elements to a prog rock album cover?
Bear in mind that while I can do basic drawing type things and import into Illustrator and freestyle some business from that but it can't be super elaborate a la below examples as I'm running out of time.
Any help much appreciated!
Comments
Doubt you can lift his art work with out repercussions.
What you need is private press in the style of.
Or just go with above mentioned wizard and gnomes, add castles, space ships, eyeballs, keyboards, dragons and jelly fish.
Who did that King Crimson one? That is the best of the lot by far.
A guy called Barry Godber, who died not long after the album was released. It's the only painting he ever did. Robert Fripp owns the o.g.
This is what I ended up making, pretty much based on the suggestions you made. Hope it makes it through and gets printed, pretty pleased with it. After all, the point of the conference is how the music industry is coping with the loss of the physical medium so I think it's appropriate to shine a light on a medium (and genre) that a lot of the guys that comprise the association relate with.
this is on top of my ugliest covers of all time list. next levelz tastelessness
and the best "prog" designer of all time award in my book goes to shusei nagaoka
http://pinktentacle.com/2009/11/sci-fi-illustrations-by-shusei-nagaoka/
The Roger Dean in comparison, or even just standing on his own, is kind of a hack. To me.
I was a little extra provocative cus I wanted heads to elaborate on why they like it. I liked it myself as a young kid alot, but more just lookin for something different for the sake of beeing different, classic teenage-mode.. Always down to widen my perspectives, hoping there might be some esoteric levels of that particular cover Ive missed. That shit is so individual aswell. But Im really interested in learning more about what you like about it, you seem like a smart dude and if that cover makes you think Im intrigued. Care to elaborate further? I have a hard time seeing skill, thought or ideas in there.
*plaese excuse euroman english. probably some spelling errors in there and shit. haha
A musical analogy, that leaves out prog; Roger Dean is like new age music, all pastoral and major scale, the Crimson is discordant, a grotesque scream against society, like Rock and Roll.
In terms of art technique, the Crimson appears to be an oil painting, with brush strokes. You can see the hand.
Roger Dean, by contrast, appears to air brushed.
In terms of subject, the Crimson is something unexpected and rarely seen.
Roger Dean is the pre teens boy flip side to his sister's unicorns, rainbows and dolphins.
Skill in the hand of the painting, thought/idea/insight in the unique image, meaning in the scream, reminiscent of Munch's scream.
Example?