THE UNDER COVER AGENTS

A NEW SET OF DESIGNERS AT THE FOREFRONT OF INDIA'S AUDIO-VISUAL LANDSCAPE ARE REWRITING THE RULES OF COVER ART, ONE MUSIC ALBUM AT A TIME.

- By SHARANYAA NAIR

In 1938, 23-year-old Alex Steinweiss designed the first-ever album cover for Smash Song Hits by Rodgers & Hart, replacing the paper brown vinyl record sleeves with a striking photo of New York's Imperial Theatre. That simple act turned album covers into cultural artifacts. From bedroom posters to vinyl collections, they've become a graphic extension of the artist's sonic vision.

Over the decades, cover art has become more than just packaging. From Dark Side of the Moon and Abbey Road to Nevermind, iconic album covers have shaped subcultures, sparked debates, and stayed etched in memory long after the penultimate track. Today, they extend their influence to marketing and business strategies too. For instance, the global impact of Charli XCX's BRAT went beyond pop culture iconography, becoming a masterclass in music marketing. Who knew the lime-green, blurry typeface-laden cover would be used as a visual aesthetic for US Vice President Kamala Harris's social media campaigns, or hailed as “word of the year” by Collins dictionary? In the age of extensive rollouts, a simple, verdant visual became a global phenomenon, igniting the everlasting spark of BRAT summer. On the flipside, covers are also serving as social media triggers or hotspots of controversy (we tip our hat to you, Ms. Carpenter). From sparking lawsuits to dividing the internet, they're now a consumerist specimen, immortalized through digital art, collector's editions, and alternate versions.

India, too, is witnessing artists creating boundary-pushing visual identities. From the radioactive tones in Chaar Diwaari's Jhaag to Hanumankind's lore-laden Monsoon Season and Yashraj's Meri Jaan Pehele Naach, the first Indian album to be featured on Cover Art Matters, musicians are leaning towards developing distinct visual narratives.