JW's NOTES

Welcome back to another episode of the Judged by the Cover podcast! In this episode Phil and I are going back to the roots of why this show started in the first place — talking about iconic album cover design. Sometimes we explore classic records, and other times we dig into albums that one of us simply loves.

Every year on Judged by the Cover, we take an episode to look back at the music, design, and physical releases that stood out most. The Best of 2025 episode was all about reflection — not just on great albums, but on the artwork, packaging, and cultural shifts that shaped the year in music.

What makes a Christmas movie truly unforgettable? Is it the sparkling lights, the heartfelt stories — or is it the music that follows us from living room speakers to local shopping malls, and straight into our collective cultural memory?

When it comes to building a recognizable brand—whether you’re a musician, podcaster, or content creator—your cover art is one of your most powerful tools. It’s not just decoration. It’s a statement.

Ever wondered how a simple black square became one of rock's most iconic album covers? In the latest episode of the Judged by the Cover podc

Since January 2024, I've had the pleasure of welcoming my good friend Phil Hyland as the co-host of the Judged by the Cover podcast....

Dark Side of the Moon is instantly recognizable. It's a testament to the power of great design and its ability to transcend time.

Come hang out with Josh and Phil as we celebrate Record Store Day 2024.

Go on a journey with us as we discover an amazingly fun album and band by doing some curiosity buying solely based on the cover art!

To kick off this new season, I thought it would be fun to look at some of our favorite album covers, physical packaging, and music from 2023

New episode of the Judged by the Cover podcast, with the theme Cars on Album Covers.

Welcome back to the Judged by the Cover Podcast, a JW Creates podcast. Today I have an album cover that I am really excited to talk about. As a hint, when I say the name Steve Miller Band….What imagery or album cover pops into your mind…? If it’s not a horse or a Pegasus….then you probably haven't listened to or looked at any of Steve Miller Band's album covers. That's ok because I was actually surprised at how few of their album covers had this imagery…but a couple of their

The group that put band logos on the map Guess who’s back….back again….. Welcome back to the Judged by the cover podcast. After what seems like an eternity, I am back to bring you examples of great album cover design, and some fun behind the scenes knowledge that I find along the way. I will also be continuing our Near Miss segment at the end of the show to discuss some unfortunate cover art design as well. You will notice that there is a slight format change. There will not

I’m sad that I didn’t grow up during the hey day of vinyl records. What an experience it must have been to go to the store and find the record for the artist/song that you heard on the radio. To pick it up, to feel and study the art work and packaging, and read every single word on the cover. Our modern format of buying and discovering music doesn’t even compare! One of the major things that gets lost in our modern music buying, is the liner notes. Liner notes were usually th