Great Design is Never an Accident

Josh Wilhelm
Jun 25
3 min read

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.

RECORD STORE, FLIPPING THROUGH VINYL RECORDS. COVER ART DISCOVERY

Great cover art doesn’t happen by accident. It’s intentionally designed to reflect your voice, your story, and your message. It becomes part of how people identify you, remember you, and connect with your content.

Quality of Composition: Storytelling Is Rarely Accidental

At the core of any strong visual design is composition—the way elements are laid out, balanced, and presented. DIY design often falls short here. Elements may feel randomly placed or lacking in intention. But strong composition is how a story comes to life visually.

A perfect example of this is the band Tool. Their album covers are rich with symbolism, surrealism, and layered complexity. Albums like Lateralus and 10,000 Days aren’t just cool to look at—they’re meticulously constructed to mirror the spiritual, psychological, and metaphysical themes woven into the music.

Their artwork feels like a natural extension of their sound. It's not just a "cool image"—it's storytelling in visual form. Every texture, line, and element feels like it belongs.

Good design doesn’t just look good. It feels intentional.

Cohesion with Sound or Message: A Visual Extension of the Art

Your cover art should look like your music feels. When there's cohesion between the sound and the visuals, the experience is seamless—and more impactful.

Lana Del Rey is a master of this. Her covers often evoke vintage Hollywood glamor, soft light, Americana, and nostalgic melancholy. From Born to Die to Norman F-ing Rockwell, there’s a dreamy, faded-film quality that perfectly aligns with her lyrics, tone, and voice.

Her imagery creates a world—a brand—that’s consistent and immersive. Even if you muted the audio, you’d still know exactly what her music feels like just from the visuals.

That’s the power of cohesive design. It gives your audience a sensory shortcut into your story.

Adaptability to Digital Spaces: Design that Survives the Scroll

In today’s world, cover art has to do more than look good on a record sleeve. It needs to perform in a digital-first environment. That means holding up at small sizes, catching the eye on a screen, and being instantly recognizable in a feed full of distractions.

Take Charli XCX’s new album Brat. That ultra-bright neon green background paired with a sharp, unmistakable font? It's pure digital gold. You could slap that green and that font on a napkin, and fans would know it’s Charli’s.

It works on Instagram. It stands out on Spotify. It demands attention in Apple Music.

That kind of visual consistency across digital platforms creates brand power—and gives your cover art a life beyond just the album page.

Authenticity: The Story Has to Be Yours

One of the biggest traps creators fall into is chasing trends. A moody film photo here, a gritty texture there… because it's what everyone else is doing.

But great cover art—the kind that resonates—feels real. It feels like you. Taylor Swift nails this. Each of her album eras reflects a different aspect of her identity and evolution. From the glittery fairy-tale feel of Speak Now to the indie-folk aesthetics of Folklore, her visuals grow with her. They’re never cookie-cutter, never fake.

She’s not chasing what’s hot—she’s building a world that’s authentically hers. And fans can feel that. Authentic visuals build trust. They create connection. And they elevate your brand.

Your First Impression Matters

Cover art isn’t just a graphic. It’s your first impression. It’s your brand at a glance. And when done well, it tells your story before anyone hits play.

If you're serious about elevating your music, podcast, or brand—don’t leave the visual storytelling to chance. A professional designer (like me 👋) brings not just technical skills, but strategic thinking: