Album Design Research

The Kpop industry is very detailed when it comes to designing albums and often given a lot of time and effort in order to really stand out from the rest. Here are some of the Kpop designs which I think is very interesting and works really well.


f(x)'s - Pink Tape (2013)

(f(x) is a four member girl group known for their experimental electro-pop based sound.)

• I think this album design works really well as it immediately gets people interested due to it's unique shape and concept. 
• It gives a very nostalgia feel due to it's videocassette design and typography which hints at old video games in the late 90's and early 2000's. 
• It also includes photo cards and a photo book of the (then) five members of the group which can be found within the album. 
• Overall, it also effectively illustrates the sound and genre of the album as well as the group's sounds which is artpop, synth pop and eletropop. 

Epik High - Shoebox (2014)

(Epik High is a three member alternative hip hop group, made up of two rappers and a DJ. They can be easily associated with beats and sounds which resonate back to the early 2000's.)

• This album design is effective as it gives the right tone and mood of the album right away. 
• The use of muted pastels and neutral colours give the album a very relaxed and chill tone; which is true to the genre of the songs in the album, which most of it being slow rap and mellow beats. 
• It's also clever how the utilised the name of the album 'Shoebox' and included 'ballerina shows' and an illustration of a ballerina as well as art supplies, making the album kind of interactive as there are things which the consumer can actually use. It's also interesting how traditional materials such as paintbrushes can contrast the digital cd and sound of the album. Perhaps this was done purposely for the 'old school' mood they were going for. 
• The size of the album is also unique, as it is a square which can be linked to the format we see album covers on screen and how they are presented on our phone or computer.

Recent trends

Since 2016 a noticeable trend has been going on in the album designs. Recently the use of the square has been very popular with Kpop album designs and a more structured and geometrical way of structuring the text layout out against the image can be seen. In a way in makes the albums look ore like posters and and the use of single colours makes the album look balanced and simple. It makes it look very clean and contemporary, however, I think it's becoming old quickly as too many groups have this kind of concept and now albums look increasingly basic and as if not such thought have gone into it but instead a trend is followed in an attempt to look relevant which really doesn't make anyone stand out form the rest. 

I'd like to use a more handmade method with some usage of digital media e.g. Photoshop in order to create fresher album designs. I'd like to use collage and use of pen and ink in order to create new images which can express the mood of the music and the group's image, instead of following the 'square' trend.