Worst looking CD/LP artwork

[pjme]

Somebody okayed that?

Yes - and I did some (rewarding) research.
Peter

[71 dB]

Graphic Designer: "Hey, guys, I bought a new typeface and want to use it on that Bruckner record."

Record Company Executive: "Go right ahead. We trust you."

Wild stuff! I would like to ask people designing CD artwork like this what was their vision and how they approached it to end up with a complete mess. Just reducing the font size a little would help. You don't need to fill the space (literally in this case!) with text. You can leave some margins around the texts strategically to make the composition work better. Funnily the asterisks after the word Reloaded can almost be mistaken as a star  . The red ribbon at 45° angle with the *NEW FINALE! text is the most "successful" part of the artwork. 

This person who designed this should be doing posters promoting EDM events. This kind of style works much better in that context.

[71 dB]

That's actually pretty fine in my opinion after getting over with the strange proportions. Decent use of font The colour scheme works. The three colors used in the texts reflect the colour in the artwork and are very easy to read.

[pjme]

Who is mr. Marthé?

https://musiklexikon.ac.at/ml/musik_M/Marthe_Peter.xml

"May 3, 1949 Rottenmann/Steiermark.
Organist, conductor, composer. Studied composition, organ and conducting at the Graz and Vienna MHsch. as well as in Paris with Michel Chapuis; 1981 conducting master class with Sergiu Celibidache in Munich. International concert activities and guest appearances abroad in Europe, Mexico and India as well as teaching activities at the MHsch.n in Stockholm, Malmö/S and Avignon/F. 1983–86 Kapellmeister at the Osnabrück Municipal Theaters/D, then musical study visits to India. 1990 lecturer at the University. Osnabrück (experimental electronic composition), since 1994 M. has been chief conductor of the Junge Österreichische Philharmonie (European Philharmonic Orchestra), founded by him and Yehudi Menuhin. In his works he tries to combine elements of Indian musical culture with the latest electronic innovations."
https://ccd.pl/bruckner-symphony-iii-reloaded-new-version-p1941/


Impressive! 

.... Bruckner no longer composed "symphonies", .... much more created archaic rituals of sounds as we can find it e.g. in African or schamanic clan rituals.

[Madiel]

Oh God the Bruckner is a SERIES. 

[Peter Power Pop]

Oh God the Bruckner is a SERIES. 

And I'm here for it, asterisks and all.

[Madiel]

And I don't think we've even mentioned the use of Roman numerals on those covers.

[Jo498]

I never followed this in detail (it made some fuzz in some German language classical music fora 15-20 years ago), but the conductor/Bruckner specialist Marthé had a notoriety rivalling the covers. He claimed or at least acted like he was channelling Bruckner and IIRC made alternative versions not only for the 9th but for other of the symphonies as well, that's what "reloaded" refers to.

[AnotherSpin]

This cover is good, imo. Other Schubert cycles covers with Bostridge.

[ultralinear]

I never followed this in detail (it made some fuzz in some German language classical music fora 15-20 years ago), but the conductor/Bruckner specialist Marthé had a notoriety rivalling the covers. He claimed or at least acted like he was channelling Bruckner and IIRC made alternative versions not only for the 9th but for other of the symphonies as well, that's what "reloaded" refers to.

In the booklet notes for his "Reloaded" 5th Symphony, Marthé shares what he describes as the obvious insight which had escaped every other student and interpreter of Bruckner's music, namely that the Adagio of the 5th is - and should be presented as - an aural representation of an act of sexual congress, with a climax occurring about one-third of the way through, after which is a gradual slide into detumescence and torpor.

[Jo498]

Seriously? I didn't know it was that bad and I also thought it was very likely that Bruckner never had sexual intercourse in his life. And I doubt he had access to sufficiently precise pornography to write music about sex...

[JBS]

This is possibly the worst CD cover I've ever seen. There are lots of  grotesquely/hilariously bad covers in this thread, but this one is just plain wrong, there are no redeeming features whatsoever. No shock value, no garishness, just a vacuum of virtue.
(Ironically, if it were just a photo it might be quite interesting .. but it isn't.)

It's in the new Copland Conducts Copland set. As printed there, it is a nice photo, and the text, while not completely legible, is easier to read. Pethaps they manipulated the image a little for the CD jacket.

[It, so you don't need to scroll back three pages, is this:
]
But the very next CD in the set is nearly impossible to read. The Amazon image in this case is more legible than the physical CD jacket

[Madiel]

Reproductions of old LP jackets need some skill. Guess the skills were lacking here.

[JBS]

Not sure where to post this but it seems to fit in with the spirit of this thread.

This🔽


is the image Amazon uses for a CD containing the Triple Concerto and Third Piano Concerto drawn (apparently) from this set


One can swipe for 7 alternate views, all of them the cap from various angles.

[T. D.]

Not sure where to post this but it seems to fit in with the spirit of this thread.

This🔽


is the image Amazon uses for a CD containing the Triple Concerto and Third Piano Concerto drawn (apparently) from this set


One can swipe for 7 alternate views, all of them the cap from various angles.

That's symptomatic of Amazon's complete garbling of their CD database. Classical is the worst, but it extends to other genres. One of the reasons I try not to purchase from Amazon unless price is compelling. I've often seen Amazon offerings that I didn't bother to investigate due to uncertainty about what exactly was being offered.

[AnotherSpin]

Is there a limit to idiocy?

[pjme]

Ah....Des goûts et des couleurs.... I find this an elegant and "cool" design for "Echo chambers". Well done!

The program:
C. Debussy:
Deux Arabesques
D'un cahier d'esquisses
Masques
L'isle joyeuse

J. F. Waller:
Echo Chambers. (commissioned for Dutch Classical Talent tour of N. Filippova)

https://www.nadezdafilippova.com/
https://youtu.be/qxN1SpDWnlQ?si=58hS6IQwTDRcjImn

V. Lann:
Entranced by the beckoning light

C. Debussy:
Six épigraphes antiques

[Peter Power Pop]

The art designer probably didn't think of it, but to me it looks like cello guy is about to hit piano guy.

[Peter Power Pop]

Is there a limit to idiocy?

That reminds me of this hideous rock music cover:

[DavidW]

The rock cover shows a multitude of moods.  It seems to be designed intentionally.  The Echo Chambers cover is just lazy and odd.