Dissertation

CHAPTER 1
THE ‘90S TO NOW
The ‘90s saw the rise of grunge rock bands
such as; Nirvana, who defined a generation
with their anti-capitalism ideologies like that of
the punk movement in the 1970s. They rejected
the flamboyance and excess of the 80s preferring
a dishevelled and ‘rawer’ identity to emphasis
their political and socio-economic status. This
anti-capitalism view is distilled in their iconic
cover, Nevermind.
The distribution of music has greatly changed
from 1990s to now. There are different types
of distribution networks and forms that music
packaging takes. Most record covers are now
digitally uploaded and streamed online. This
means that the 12” vinyls, cassette tapes and
CD jewel cases have been shrunk into small,
square pixels to be seen on a smartphone and
other digital interfaces. There is an increased
importance on the musician’s identity and their
use of social media to express the musical content
rather than a vinyl record, cassette tape or CD.
Peter Saville (2003, 496) states that ‘...[graphic
design is] the interface of today’s social and
cultural change, graphic design will continue to
evolve as a reflection of the needs and values
of it’s audience and it’s practitioners.’
Designers who have lived through these changes
in graphic design and art direction are championing
them. Such as designers like Jonathan Barnbrook.
Barnbrook most notably designed the most recent
of David Bowie’s record covers. The record cover,
The Next Day with a monochrome colour palette
and layout for the CD case and printed advertising
allowed the public to play with their own versions
of the record cover.
Barnbrook challenged and grew the same idea
with the last Bowie cover, Blackstar. The simple
black star artwork forms a pattern and language
have been released by Jonathan Barnbrook
and Bowie under the Creative Commons Non
Commercial Share Alike licence. Meaning that
they are accessible to the masses to reproduce
and will become affiliated with the Bowie brand
identity due to the accessibility and meaning
behind the album artwork. This record cover will
be iconic and significant for many decades in the
future due to the success of the collaboration
between musician and designer.
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