hip hop album cover

[Guest banksboy]

^ im too lazy to upload the finished verse, but here is the 80% complete version of the album cover

reply as you would like

[Legend_Killer33]

Well just to start off, I don't like it. The font you used is not the greatest, maybe a more solid font wwould be more effective. Secondly, the blending is a bit of a mess. What is that thing on the left? A sign or something? Seems pretty out of place to me. But yeah I'd give it a 4/10 but that's just me

[Guest banksboy]

Well just to start off, I don't like it. The font you used is not the greatest, maybe a more solid font wwould be more effective. Secondly, the blending is a bit of a mess. What is that thing on the left? A sign or something? Seems pretty out of place to me. But yeah I'd give it a 4/10 but that's just me

[Legend_Killer33]

Yeah I see what your saying but I meant the blending between that white thing on the left hand side of the album and the Dominant Visual Image being the rapper

[Guest banksboy]

Yeah I see what your saying but I meant the blending between that white thing on the left hand side of the album and the Dominant Visual Image being the rapper

[Docpepper]

3/10

a lot of the text is hard to read

the colors used clash together with the background imo

The main downfall of the graphic too me is the text. if tis an album cover it should be easy to read

[Guest banksboy]

I simply dont understand what yall talking about lolol unless you're on some kinda crazy resolution, that thing is pretty easy to read lolol....none of the critism on this makes any sense lol

EDIT: and let me edit that I WANT to understand, but I simply can not see whats wrong, and the only thing I can derive from this is the fact maybe you're not use to hip hop album covers, and know maybe too much about photoshop to really see the need for simplicity in this...and ya know, no harsh feelings, I love the feedback, I just wished I could see it lololol

Edited November 24, 2006 by banksboy

[AJ]

My opinion is that it's basically too busy. There's lots (7 pieces by my count) of text in different colors, sizes and fonts dotted around the place. Due to this, it lacks a main focal point. Aside from that, don't use the gaussian blur effect over everything. It was once (I think) a nice effect, but it's definately cheap by now. I'm also sure the parental guidance thing would have to be plain black and white but that doesn't really matter if you're only making this for fun and not for realism.

[Lord Nibbler]

I think you need to rethink the layout. Like AJ said, you've got text all over the place in different fonts, a BIG parental advisory label, a cut-away in the top right...it is too busy. You should have the picture of the artist as the main focus, put all the text (or at least most of it) in the same font.

Check out some of the mixtapes here. They have to pack a lot of information onto the cover, but they structure it better.

[Nerf]

Why ask for feedback if you're not going to pay attention to it?

[Guest banksboy]

Why ask for feedback if you're not going to pay attention to it?

[therockbox]

It makes perfect sense, stop acting like a tit because you don't like the fact you're getting criticised.

[The Mask of Norro]

It does make sense, though, you need to realize that.

Here, tell you what: take a look at various hip hop albums, put them next to yours. Note how alot of those are professional, but yours is actually quite amateurish (to be expected, but hear me out).

It just... it doesn't work as a hip hop album. For me, because I'm in college for this, I look into alot of jewel case designs so I'll know how to handle those (do it with other things too, obviously). What you've got doesn't "work", I guess you could say. I mean it works if all you want to show is that you're just another dime a dozen local artist, but if you want to set yourself out from the rest... it doesn't work.

You're right: most ARE simple, but this isn't simple. It's a low quality picture with alot of low quality text. I'd seriously suggest looking into some of the suggestions here, and use my advice with looking at other albums, okay?

Edited November 24, 2006 by The Mask of Norbert

[Guest banksboy]

It does make sense, though, you need to realize that.

Here, tell you what: take a look at various hip hop albums, put them next to yours. Note how alot of those are professional, but yours is actually quite amateurish (to be expected, but hear me out).

It just... it doesn't work as a hip hop album. For me, because I'm in college for this, I look into alot of jewel case designs so I'll know how to handle those (do it with other things too, obviously). What you've got doesn't "work", I guess you could say. I mean it works if all you want to show is that you're just another dime a dozen local artist, but if you want to set yourself out from the rest... it doesn't work.

You're right: most ARE simple, but this isn't simple. It's a low quality picture with alot of low quality text. I'd seriously suggest looking into some of the suggestions here, and use my advice with looking at other albums, okay?

[Docpepper]

Maybe the reason they tell you its the best is because they are your friends and don't want to hurt your feelings or they know nothing about design.

Just because you don't have a lot money doesn't mean you can't make a good graphic . Gimp(almost identical to photoshop) is freeware . no matter what program you are using it will be a big help to read some tutorials for it. And I'm sorry but whoever bought that for $100 got screwed

Edited November 24, 2006 by Dochappy

[Guest banksboy]

Maybe the reason they tell you its the best is because they are your friends and don't want to hurt your feelings or they know nothing about design.

Just because you don't have a lot money doesn't mean you cna make a good graphic . Gimp(almost identical to photoshop) is freeware . no matter what program you are using it will be a big help to read some tutorials for it. And I'm sorry but whoever bought that for $100 got screwed

Edited November 24, 2006 by banksboy

[therockbox]

Most non-designers wouldn't think much of that either, to be fair.

And what does having a camera have to do with poor text and shoddy effects? I'm not entirely sure what your point is.

Edited November 24, 2006 by therockbox

[The Mask of Norro]

It does make sense, though, you need to realize that.

Here, tell you what: take a look at various hip hop albums, put them next to yours. Note how alot of those are professional, but yours is actually quite amateurish (to be expected, but hear me out).

It just... it doesn't work as a hip hop album. For me, because I'm in college for this, I look into alot of jewel case designs so I'll know how to handle those (do it with other things too, obviously). What you've got doesn't "work", I guess you could say. I mean it works if all you want to show is that you're just another dime a dozen local artist, but if you want to set yourself out from the rest... it doesn't work.

You're right: most ARE simple, but this isn't simple. It's a low quality picture with alot of low quality text. I'd seriously suggest looking into some of the suggestions here, and use my advice with looking at other albums, okay?

Ummmm, this cover, for one is not the finish version, as the finish verse (back and front cover) was bought for 100 bucks, and is on dopeboy's album cover as we speak right now, and people are saying its the best album cover made in West Memphis....

OF COURSE, it is going to be amature as I don't go to college for graphic arts until january, but Dopeboys is also only a 18 year old underground artist who is still at school....

The feedback isn't helping me at all......you're telling me things that only a professional artist can do in such situations....I can't afford a 5,000 10-11 megapixel camera with lights around the subject so my picture can look hi-quality

thus I can only work with what I got....And thus is why I can't understand, at all, the criticism, I didnt say it was wrong, I didnt say it was welcome, I only wish I could understand what I could....

I can't DO anything about it, unless I was rich....thats what im saying...And also, the feedback from hip hop forums, and people I know, are opposite of the ones here, so I am confused as to what to really think

thats why I asked somebody to link me to a good tutorial/brush/or anything site, so I can practice (because i really dont know which ones are good or not) lol

I'm not saying my album cover is good in yall opinion, but I need yall to be more realistic with what i can do

It IS realistic, and like Doc said: whover bought 100 for that got ripped off. You can do much better with that even just using Paint Shop Pro for God's sake.

I'm not telling you things only a professional could do either. My girlfriend uses a very simple, affordable digital camera for pictures she takes, and they come out 1000x better then the one used on the cover did. The quality on this picture of yours is just... bad.

You don't need to be rich, you just need to know what you're doing with what you're given. No offense, but this cover shows that apparently you didn't quite know where the piece was going while you made it, and if you DID know then you still've got a long way to go. I'm not trying to discourage you, I'm just saying. This... this is not a good jewel case design.

EDIT: Hm. West Memphis must have low standards. Even as an "onlooker", that design still is poor.

I'm not even trying to look into it and tell you from a "nerds" point of view, as you so ineloquently put it. Judging just by what I see, without looking into any technical aspects, it's just a bad design.

Edited November 24, 2006 by The Mask of Norbert

[Guest banksboy]

okay, but I still saying its only a opinion other than actual help

and you still missing the fact this one isn't the finished one.....

That how I know the minds on this particalar topic are one sided, going off what their friend says

because no one mentioned the fact it wasn't completed, and no one asked to see the finished verse

EDIT: Yes we do have low standards, which is way the crime rate is so high,

Edited November 24, 2006 by banksboy

[The Mask of Norro]

Because no one wants to see it finished, the design itself needs to be scrapped, and a new one made entirely. What you've got, right now, is bad. The design is bad, and the look is bad. The layout doesn't work well at all. The whole thing just needs to be remade.

It IS an opinion, and opinions DO HELP when listened to. However, you apparently don't know how to draw anything from what's been said here so far, when so many other people in your situation actually could. Don't say there's nothing being offered to help, either: there is, but you can't seem to see it.

EDIT: ... crime rate is high because of low standards?

The fuck?

Edited November 24, 2006 by The Mask of Norbert