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March 28, 2024, 08:17:52 PM

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Terrible album covers

Started by Subtle Mocking, February 11, 2011, 04:05:46 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

buzby

Quote from: gilbertharding on October 14, 2019, 09:52:06 AM
I don't think those lines are supposed to be wiring conduit, because of the 'problem' of what's going on at the top of the image. I thought that was supposed to be the suspension grid, but that isn't it either.

And you wouldn't have more than one thing (fan, smoke detector, alarm sounder) per 600x600mm tile. It's all wrong.
The top of the tile has been cut into those scalloped shapes, with two slots that run down to the sides of the sirens. The bottom two speakers and smoke alarm have white surface-mounted cables running into them.

The scalloped shapes and slots are supposed to represent the Ts in State in the new logo that was designed for the album:

Pauline Walnuts

Quote from: H-O-W-L on October 11, 2019, 08:43:00 PM
Sorry, I like that. Mostly because you can tell it's entirely practical and actually there on her norks. Would be easy to shit it up with CGI.


Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Apologies if this horrific old chestnut* has already been mentioned, but fucking hell.



* That's no way to talk about Rod Stewart, I know.

alan nagsworth


Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: buzby on October 12, 2019, 09:40:41 PM
Designed by ehquestionmark (aka Vasim Bhatti, who made his name as house designer for Warp's hip-hop offshoot Lex Records).


I never realised Lex was affiliated with Warp. I have a few Kid Acne releases on from them but he did his own artwork.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: alan nagsworth on October 14, 2019, 07:30:34 PM
Lovely typeface though

It is. I like the haunted, blurry, early '70s aesthetic too, it's just a shame it's been applied to a repulsive photograph of an old man chasing some kids.

NoSleep


Ballad of Ballard Berkley



alan nagsworth


a duncandisorderly

Quote from: olliebean on October 08, 2019, 08:08:38 PM
Frankly I'd not be able to shake the thought that their bottom halves are a massive pair of bollocks.

they look like they could give you a good noshing regardless. if you could get close enough.

jenna appleseed

Can't tell if these are awesome or terrible.


Phillip Scofield Narrates Peter And The Wolf

aka cardboard cut out Pip gets licked to death by cartoon wolf
almost up the arse corner territory.
Not a escapee from H.S Art.


Sad Baldrick Tony Robinson sings a Christmas song.


eta: I'm now going OH MY GOD, NO! at the thought of Phillip Scofield Furry slash.

a duncandisorderly

Quote from: purlieu on October 11, 2019, 11:23:09 AM


either the "schoolboy" is a fucking giant or they've found a three-quarter size strat or they've gone to a great deal of unnecessary trouble to 'shop the guitar into the model's grasp.

I'm already regretting the time & bother I've put into this comment. but it gets us a bit closer to 100 pages & fucking this horrid thread off so we can start again with the thurg bashing.

NoSleep

Quote from: NoSleep on October 14, 2019, 09:19:19 PM
Letraset.

I've found page after page of examples of album covers (many of them candidates for this thread) using Letraset:

https://fontsinuse.com/foundry/124/letraset?page=1


alan nagsworth

I actually don't know a lot about fonts: why are there different variations on the same name? Was Letraset some genius fontmaker?

NoSleep

Letraset was the standard way of adding lettering to graphics in the 70's, so they had a wide range of typefaces (they weren't called fonts back then). I don't know how many they designed themselves but they popularised a number of typefaces.

NoSleep

I suppose "font" is still correctly used to describe the file that you place in your fonts folder to use a particular typeface. But it is a font of a typeface.

buzby

#2867
Quote from: alan nagsworth on October 15, 2019, 07:50:58 AM
I actually don't know a lot about fonts: why are there different variations on the same name? Was Letraset some genius fontmaker?
There are variations with different names that look similar because typefaces are copyrighted. It's wasn't unusual for type foundries to basically copy another popular typeface and make some subtle changes so it wasn't exactly the same. A typical example of this is Arial, which was a reworked copy of Helvetica produced by Monotype for IBM in 1982 (and later licenced to Microsoft for Windows) to avoid having to pay Haas for a licence to use Helvetica.

Letraset was a company that made sheets of rub-down transfers of many different typefaces, called the Letraset Type Lettering System. They started off in 1959 producing sheets of type as waterslide transfers (like what you got in Airfix kits), but then perfected the manufacture of rub-down transfers in 1961. This became a quick and convenient method for graphic designers to get access to a variety of different typefaces (previously they would have to go to a printers, get the text they wanted printed in the desired typeface, and then get it photographically transferred onto film at the required size to use in their layouts).

Letraset initially licenced some of their typefaces from type foundries, but later got increasingly into producing their own copies of other foundries and designers typefaces too. A famous example of this is Data 70, a copy of Westminister which had initially been submitted to Letraset by designer Leo Maggs (based on the computer magnetic character recognition font E-13B, used on bank cheques) in 1965 and they had rejected. He then submitted it to a photo-typesetting company called Photoscript, who agreed to licence it and it became popular, so Letraset then commisioned designer Bob Newman to make their own slighly modifed copy. The full story of Westminister can be read here, and there's more on the history of Letraset here.

ajsmith2

#2868
Quote from: buzby on October 14, 2019, 10:19:38 PM
Letraset.

Specifically Bookman Bold Italic


Also used for Decca's early 70s 'World Of' budget Lp series, (I think?)






ajsmith2

Although aesthetically my favourite old school budget LP has to be the Pye Marble Arch albums as they looked from 1967-69. Is that Helvetica? Lovely basic clean design anyway.  Penguin books esque.






NoSleep



Very easy to run out of certain characters with typefaces like this and have to start a new sheet. Simpler typefaces work out economically better. Obviously not a problem if you're doing the new Rod Stewart album cover.

buzby

Quote from: ajsmith2 on October 15, 2019, 08:35:03 AM
Also used for Decca's early 70s 'World Of' budget Lp series, (I think?)


Certainly looks like it.
Quote from: ajsmith2 on October 15, 2019, 08:38:52 AM
Although aesthetically my favourite old school budget LP has to be the Pye Marble Arch albums as they looked from 1967-69. Is that Helvetica? Lovely basic clean design anyway.  Penguin books esque.


Looks like Helvetica Bold.
We are veering off the thread subject massively here though. These belong in the other thread!

buzby

Quote from: NoSleep on October 15, 2019, 08:45:00 AM
Very easy to run out of certain characters with typefaces like this and have to start a new sheet. Simpler typefaces work out economically better. Obviously not a problem if you're doing the new Rod Stewart album cover.
Quite. on a typical Letraset sheet for Bookman Bold Italic you only got 1 or 2 of each style of the decorative capitals letters, for example:

idunnosomename

Get all of this attractive design out of the horrible album covers thread

gilbertharding


jobotic


NoSleep

Was Snagglepuss that well known those days?

buzby

Quote from: NoSleep on October 15, 2019, 12:45:47 PM
Was Snagglepuss that well known those days?
He was still being shown on CBBC in the late 80s. I'm not sure a Dan Clowes illustration deserves to be in this thread though.

jenna appleseed

stolen from a similar discogs thread


Sebastian Cobb

I never really associated Letraset with actual graphic design stuff. I've only seen the rub-down transfers used on the metal panels of hobbyist or small-scale electronic stuff.