Graphic Designer Ranks The Best Album Covers of All Time!

in this video I'm going to be ranking the best albums of all time based on their album art all right there's quite a bit of these so I'll try not to spend too much time on each of them but we're starting out with an absolute Banger the legendary Nico Velvet Underground album Andy Warhol this is probably one of the most famous album Arts of all time and even if you don't necessarily like it you cannot undermine it's just like presence in the world I know we're starting out early but I feel like I have to put this in the S tier instead of some kind of precedent Abbey Road I think this is also like a really good album and I I feel like some of these are maybe front loaded with the best albums of all time not just the music so there's some in here that are going to be good and bad but the Beatles members walking and how it's like super symmetrical reminds me of some kind of Wes Anderson movie or something and normally I like typography and stuff on my albums but this one is so good I think I might have to put this one in the S tier also next up is Patti Smith horses and honestly the typography is pretty simple it's nice and clean but the photo is kind of average it's not my favorite composition I think they could have done a lot more with it maybe framed it a little bit differently so I'm going to put it in the seats here it's not awful but definitely not one of my favorites Biggie Smalls ready to die this one's classic I mean I've always loved the Biggie Smalls like little baby in the middle the typography is definitely a little weird looking at it closely right now I never noticed the house spread out the text was at the bottom and then goes from that Sans serif to serif it is a little bit weird and the spacing's super bad between the the and the notorious and then the S and the big so there's a definitely some typography issues so we'll have to knock it down a little bit but in terms of like just how classic it is and how cool the little photo is for now I'm gonna put it in the a tier this next one's a Led Zeppelin I think it's just Zeppelin one like self-titled it kind of looks like some album you'd see someone make now with like a threshold effect or something like that I think it's pretty cool but the blimp kind of on fire or whatever and the typography it gets a lot lost in there I do do like the orange on this kind of black and white or black and cream background it's kind of like Clockwork Orange Vibes but for me I'm going to put this one in the C tier do I even have to say that this is an S tier Dark Side of the Moon is probably one of the coolest album Arts ever designed I've always liked this and I feel like it inspired a lot of album arts in the future with its Simplicity and its cool shape but to be able to design something this cool that's so simple without any text on it it doesn't say Pink Floyd it doesn't say dark side of the mood but everyone knows this album and everyone knows what it is and I saw my Hi-Lo the guy who designed the covers for little yachty recently tweet something like I want to design an album that's as legendary as this and so simple and I agree man this one's a classic and I'm definitely putting it in the S tier so there we go s tier for that one next up is the Nirvana baby I might blur out part of this I don't know if that's gonna be allowed on YouTube or whatever compositionally and from like a recognizable standpoint I'm trying to figure out how I'm kind of scaling this if we're going just off design if I didn't know anything about Nirvana or how kind of legendary this album was I would probably rank it lower because it looks pretty bad Photoshop with the dollar the text is kind of cool this was pretty cool for the time and it is like an interesting concept like coming from the money ever since you're a baby but I think it's a little overrated because of how legendary the actual music in this album was but from an actual design standpoint I'm going to put it in the B tier next up we have Cindy Lopper kind of looks like Papyrus I'm not sure but something similar to that and if it is I mean it looks pretty dope I do like that type up top the pictures dope whoever did the photography on this one is really cool and I really like the colors and I like how saturated everything is I think it's pretty cool overall I think for me this one will be a b tier also all right Public Enemy Fear of a Black Planet super cool I feel like this was one of those times when kind of Photoshop and manipulation was in its early stages and kind of taking over and everything was you know those like Three Six Mafia album Arts everything's flames and fire and blinged out text the text going edge to edge I don't think it's conveying the the vibe that it would wrap around so that kind of feels weird like they could have just brought it in I do like how back then they just threw the parental advisory label kind of wherever depending on their design this type could be centered and these shapes are a little bit weird but it's pretty cool I think it's a cool concept they're obviously taking from some tropes from like Planet of the Apes and Star Wars and stuff I think I'm gonna give it B tier Elvis Presley classic I'm sure if you're seeing this for the first time you're like oh that looks like the other one down there London Calling by The Clash and it's because they stole it since this one was the first one and the picture's cool and doing that type like that way back then was pretty I think edgy at the time and I like how they matched up the record label color with the type for now I'm gonna probably give it a tier but that's probably gonna guessed here later on I really love this album I think that the layout is wild and it kind of coincides with the music of the time and this is when the Beatles were kind of becoming this more like psychedelic band and like doing wild things so I think it's only right to have this crazy collage albemar and or the way they integrated The Beatles into the flower bed and stuff I think it's really cool with the drum and everything this one's for me is definitely probably going to be an a tier yeah I think that for sure a tier oh live through this this one's pretty cool I've actually never seen this album art before looks like it'd probably be like an indie Indie band or some kind of pop punk or like 90s grunge or even like a Deftones type thing so I'm wrong I don't know but it's pretty cool it's a little basic I think that it does convey a lot of emotion but I don't really like the type and stuff here I think that one's gonna be a c tier for me to pimp a butterfly I think this one's really cool and I think there's a lot of detail in it when you zoom in I like I think Kendrick always has really good album Arts I I really love good kid Mad City I thought damn was really cool put that one in the B tier Blink 182 The enema the state this one's awesome it's classic I think the type on the patch on the nurses like thing is dope and I think it's just so recognizable I think that if you can recognize it without any like type saying what the album is or like you would recognize this without the Blink 182 patch I think that has to weigh a lot into like how really good something is and I just think this was cool the way it shot the blue tones between the makeup and the glove and the tattoo it kind of brings it all together and you have some of the blue in the background I really like this one I'm gonna put it in the a tier Nas Illmatic this one's kind of grown on me if we were raking albums just off the music this is I think the best debut hip hop album of all time when Nas dropped this for his first album can't believe someone could make such a good album at such a young age but typography is pretty cool I liked I think it went with the vibe of the that time when it came out in the giant Parental Advisory sticker and the Double Exposure is pretty dope so hard not to be biased because if this we were going off just the album this would be an automatic s tier but from a design standpoint I think I still do like it and it is legendary so I'm gonna put it in the a tier automatic test here one of my favorite albums of all time love how they stole the Elvis Presley text I really like the photo of this album the colors a lot of people you know it's a more recognizable album and a like a good I guess stealing or whatever of the Elvis one because most people probably recognize this album more than that out of this one I've always really liked it so we're putting in the S tier Santana this one's wild uh I think the type's crazy I almost wish that this type was kind of stretched out bigger up top so we could really see all the intricacies and like maybe keep these cool designs but create some kind of border right here so we still have all this cool artwork but that type gets to shine it is a little bit crowded um honestly I'm gonna put it in the B tier The Roots I think this one's super powerful the photo is obviously like captivating and it sends a strong message I think the typography is a little like it's almost like the worst version of like a blue note album though I think the type could use a lot of work I would almost rather it just be the photo I think it'd be a lot stronger the type isn't really tight enough to kind of add to it so for that reason I'm probably going to put it in the seat here honestly Judas Priest British steel this one's awesome I mean I I don't necessarily love Judas Priest that much but the Razer and I love this soft kind of airbrush looking style of Photography and this one's dope I think with the type 2 into the razor I'm putting that one in the S tier Joy Division Unknown Pleasures I mean just from its legendary status and recognizability you have to put this in the S tier similar like I said to The Rolling Stones tongue or the Andy Warhol uh Velvet Underground banana like this everyone's had this shirt you know I mean and it's just a cool design and Peter Seville designed it putting that there Duran Duran Rio a lot of people like this aesthetic this kind of New Wave like illustration aesthetic they were doing at the time but it's honestly not one of my favorites and I don't really like this drop d on this slab serif the illustration is kind of cool but it is a little weird I'm gonna put it in the C tier I don't this one's D tier honestly I never really liked this Drake album covering I don't know where this was in the list I don't think this should be in the top 50 albums of all time or in the top 50 album covers so whoever made that list I don't know Miles Davis [ __ ] Brew the type is dope I really always really like the painting and it's a great album as well ah this one's cool I don't know if it's quite an S tier but I really think it's strong and I like the style a lot I'm gonna put it in the eight tier I think this one's really cool I like the Rolling Stones one I wish the type was a little bit more readable over here since it's red it would have been cool you know to maybe put it in the darker areas the sticky fingers and the Rolling Stones type I like how they treated the image and I think this holds up today it looks pretty contemporary I think it's a strong B tier not quite an a tier David Bowie has some good album Arts but this image is so strong I almost wish it didn't have some of the type the photo is really powerful and I think it's instantly recognizable as well the type's a little corny kind of OG photoshop with the weird gradient thing so that brings it down a little bit in my opinion but overall I think it's a good beats here this Grace Jones ones though I haven't listened to Too Much Grace Jones music but when I saw his album art I really liked it the way the poses and the shape and the shininess and holding out the mic the type is nice up top I just think it's this crazy cool composition and I like how it's almost like a sculpture I think this is an S tier for me Pearl by Janice Joplin I love Janice Joplin but not too much of a fan of this one it's a little bit boring I think honestly it might be a d-tier Bruce Springsteen this one is awesome like I said this will be so much better like some of the other ones without the type it just kind of gets lost in there but I think the image is super powerful not the biggest Springsteen fan it's a little too American patriotic for me but the album Art's dope and then it goes in the eighth here I Love Aretha Franklin but I really don't think this album Art's too strong the type's pretty cool but I don't know I think the image could be treated differently and maybe I've chose like a different expression or something I think C tier I haven't listened to much Twigs at all so I definitely don't have any bias based on the music but this album's crazy can't really tell if it's a photo or a 3D render or some kind of filter or a mask or whatever but I really like the colors I like the Simplicity AIDS here great album I love the sex pistols and I always really like this one but there is like from a typographic standpoint don't get me wrong it is a little a little rocky but yeah I think it's still the colors are dope and it is pretty legendary so I think it still deserves an a tier ah I think beats here you know obviously with all the controversy and stuff with Kanye but we're basing this solely off the album art design so I think a tier because I really love the painting a or S tier and if you actually have the gatefold album of this it has a bunch of other cool paintings and stuff I think I'm putting it in the S tier actually the slits this one's super dope I really like the image I like the texture of the album the type is cool this really strong powerful image an awesome female band and balance AIDS here Master of Puppets I think this is an S tier I mean metallic always has some crazy album Arts they were doing super cool type treatments way back I really like this the style the red and the pool like I think it might be Euro style down here that one's going s tier next up we have the Joni Mitchell one this one's pretty I don't honestly I don't like this one too much it's very kind of 90s weird Double Exposure put that one in the D tier Madonna blue I think this one's cool I like how they'd use the image I like the kind of cool black and white up front with that blue background peeking out I like this one I think this one's going to be a solid B tier Johnny Cash I think Johnny Cash has some cooler other album Arts honestly but pretty cool how he made just a simple sans-serif logo type like that in all caps like a recognizable almost logo and brand there's some of that and I do like the somberness of it I think B tier Beyonce I mean this one's pretty boring just the type in the middle like that I'm just that one's going D tier this one's cool I like the it's a nice photo I think the background maybe could be a little bit lighter I think it bring it maybe some more texture to it I think that one for me is a seat here no doubt I really like this one even though it's not like the best from a design pure like objective standpoint I think it's cool it's really reminiscent of the time when they were just throwing stuff out there and I mean like this cool picture of Gwen Stefani and the type and everything I really like when things are in little containers like that too honestly I think I might put this one in the eighth here I don't the same with this one I don't know I don't think this should have been in the top 50 albums or album cover design if I'm being honest so sorry if you like Nicki Minaj like that but I don't like this type and I think the concept's a little on the nose I only gonna be detier for me obviously amazing album this was probably in the top 10 on the 50 albums from Rolling Stone the type's cool I think it's recognizable it's legendary I think this one's going into a tier if this is actually the number one best album of all time according to The Rolling Stones list and they ranked 500 albums and it's honestly a good album I love the Tama um record label logo is what's going on type is super solid I love the way they shot Marvin Gaye Here this is a good album art and an amazing album man I think it might be a s tier same with this one Funkadelic Maggot Brain this one's an S tier for sure love that the powerful image of the head coming out of the dirt dope type cool colors for sure s tier Whitney Houston obviously it's super talented the kind of like this I almost feel like it'd be something that would be made nowadays I like the gradient I wish the type was a little bit more in the margins and not offset to the left like that so for that I'm gonna bring it down a little bit but I think it's still a b tier a lot of people like this one I think the type is I don't know it's kind of basic but I do love this one I think would be cooler without the text again like the way it's shaped with the squareness of the jacket and the hair is really cool I think the type could have been placed a little bit differently or changed up a bit but overall it's pretty good I think it still deserves a b tier at least one I don't know I don't really like the type on this it looks very the colors and stuff are cool but the type kind of I don't like in the I don't know the recording thing seems kind of random I think that's a c tier all right I mean Taylor Swift man her fan base is is really popular I want to get dragged but I think it makes sense for the time why it was done this way but I'm honestly not a big fan so I'm putting that one in detail Ariana Grande I love this photo I think it's really cool and the upside down adds some more Dimension to it I think it actually at least gives it some more uniqueness and the colors are nice I like how it's all one kind of tonal but the she still comes out from the background I think it's like solid beats here Beach Boys Pet Sounds all time classic I love the Cooper black type lock up right here the photo's amazing this s tier album s tier album cover art this Joni Mitchell one I do like the texture it has and kind of the mood it conveys but the type I think could maybe be placed it would be cool if they placed a little bit more down just to give it some more Dimension but I think it's pretty solid it's a high low B high C CV Wonder amazing album but I really don't like the type on this one at all and like the photo gets kind of lost in there and the I don't really know what they were going for too much so I was not really I'm not a fan of it purple rain I think this one would have been so much more cool if they just got the photo and extended it back out brought that type down in the middle locked it up nice I don't think you need the weird wallpaper floral background on borders on the side but I do like the type and the photos super cool so for that just because those borders I'm probably gonna put it in the Beats here Bob Dylan Blood on the tracks this one's cool but it's a little boring I don't really like the photo treatment too much I do like that type lockup and this little Banner like C tier for that one Lauren Hill I really like this one etching it into the desk I think it's a cool concept and it's executed pretty good for the time so I think that's an a tier let's get through the rest of these I don't want this video to be like an hour long this one always hasn't really been one of my favorites I think the Beatles have a lot other stronger albums so honestly I don't know that one might be just a b tier for me I think Thriller is doped I love this photo I love the type I think it's an all-time classic and obviously you recognizable bowl and then that one's going s tier Rolling Stones this one's pretty cool the photos are wild I think this is a kind of bad scan of it I wish the type was a little bit different though so for that reason I think I'm gonna go beat here this Public Enemy one's dope I really like their logo and shot through the bars like this with the type on the side I think this one's better than the Fear of a Black Planet one as well I think that one go in eight tier also Bob Dylan this one's classic I like the photo the types nice and locked up I'm gonna go through a few of these and then we'll rank them after I think for now this one's probably gonna be a b-tier kid a great album radiohead's obviously super good but I'm not it's not the biggest fan it reminds me of a weird like Playstation One graphics I don't really like this Bruce Springsteen one either it's kind of boring so this one will go B tier hit a c and Bruce Springsteen one might be D tier Carol King Tapestry I like this type I like the blurriness of the photo and the little cat pretty cool actually when I might go beats here love this album 36 Chambers is a classic the woods Tang logo already adds a bunch of points uh I think for this one we'll go from the music I think it's an A or S tier prior s but I think it's a b tier to be fair this D'Angelo one's pretty cool I always really liked it I think it was cool for the time that it came out so I'm definitely throwing that one in the a tier Beatles White Album I think this was a cool concept I liked that they went with the risky execution and I remember one time when I was little we found a puzzle that was this and we tried doing it and it was like 10 000 pieces and you know it's just all white basically besides that text I like that one though I'm gonna put in the a tier are you experienced this one's probably gonna be an a tier for me I like the type I like the container again Miles Davis Kind of Blue this one's probably an eight tier as well pretty contemporary for the time it came out and inspired a lot of other albums in the future lemonade like I think this would be better without the type um so Miles Davis we're gonna put a tier a tier as well for the Jimi Hendrix one and the lemonade we're gonna put seats here Amy wine in-house classic I really like this one the type's cool the photos cool I think that one's going to be an a tier TV Wonder intervisions this one's a lot stronger than the other one I like the style it's still not one of my favorites favorites though so B tier Rubber Sole I think this one might be an A or this one's an S tier honestly I love the type I like the way the heads are shaped and everything really cool off the wall is dope too but I don't really like the ah the shininess is kind of cool but the type's a little corny I think Off the Wall we're gonna go beat here Dr Dre's chronic could be executed a lot better so I think C tier another Bob Dylan one kind of boring honestly I'm gonna put it in the D tier Talking Heads one I really like this one I like the type I like the crazy red over their faces this one's probably gonna go s tier this is probably one of the better Rolling Stones albums in terms of the design as well as the music I like this one with the little cake and everything that one's gonna go a tier Okay computer I like this one's wild it's really post modernism 90s grunge style stuff that one's cool Low End Theory one of my favorite albums I like the midnight Marauder album art better too but this one is awesome I think low end theories going s tier Okay computer is going a tier this Prince one's pretty cool I think I like the way they layered it and had them blurry up front so I'm gonna go B tier Paul Simon I like the art here I almost wish it was bigger I think beats here as well Ramon a tier I like the type it's classic the Bob Marley type lockup is really nice actually over there I like that a lot and the photo's strong and like how his eyes are looking to the lock up it kind of leads you that way I'm gonna be a tier the outcasts equipment I this one's crazy but it is dope and I think they went far out for this one I think I'm gonna go a tier as well Young Thug one's cool I don't really like the album that that much but I really like the photo and the design so I think for sure we're gonna go s tier Jay-Z's blueprint's a little it's cool it's a little boring but I think it still deserves at least a c tier rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust I like this one a little bit more a little bit less actually than the other one with his face I think it's still cool I think seat here that was a lot of albums to rank and I didn't think that there was going to be this many I probably should have spent a little bit less time on each one but there you have it there's the list I hope you enjoyed this video let me know in the comments what you think about the rankings subscribe for more and I'll see you next time peace

Channel: Jesse Nyberg

Views: 27,235

Keywords: graphic designer reacts, reacts, graphic design, graphic designer, graphic design tier list, album art, album art graphic designer, best album art of all time, ranking best album art of all time, best albums of all time, ranking the best albums of all time, album cover art, album artwork, cover art, graphic design album art, graphic design videos, jesse nyberg, tier list

Id: bL2yq7Vyjak

Length: 21min 30sec (1290 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 20 2023