The Iconic Look of Jazz Album Covers

Written by: Constanza Coscia

As I am a bit of a nerd, I am always looking at articles and videos online regarding topics of deisgn and art. Not too long ago, Vox uploaded a video on YouTube describing how the “look” of jazz was created in the 20th century thanks to one great designer.

They ponder the question: what does modern jazz look like? “For a lot of music fans, the visual identity of jazz has become synonymous with a single record label that defined the sound and feeling of the musical style during its transformation from the complicated melodies of bebop to the soulful hooks of hard bop during the 1950s and ’60s.” The record label they are talking about is Blue Note, and their album covers are so iconic that they have served as inspiration for graphic designer for the past 60 years.

The style was mainly carried out by the great Reid Miles, a graphic designer turned art director. “Miles designed well over 500 album covers for Blue Note between the mid-’50s and late ’60s, and his influence lives on. One example of that legacy is the countless homages other artists have paid to Blue Note’s album cover aesthetic, from Barack Obama portraits to Wu-Tang Clan albums.”

For a more in depth analysis of these awesome jazz covers, go watch Vox’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNgA7dDs90E&t=78s