Music is a form of art. It is a medium. The medium of sound is specific, but making people feel with sounds is just one aspect of being a musician. When you make music, you need visual accompaniments to the sounds. You need album covers, photos of the band, branding artwork, tour and show posters, as well as everything else that goes into promoting the music. People love live videos and other ways to understand both the music and the musician. Below are five ways to appeal to fans of music with artwork.
Tour & Show Posters
People respond inherently to a good flier or poster. When it comes to events, people are moved to attend the show if they like what they see on the flier. You need to appeal to their aesthetic sensibilities. You also need to represent the music of the people who are playing. If you are one of the acts, the poster should do a good job of showing the people what the show will be like. When your band is going on tour, you should be clear where you are going and when. You should understand that people respond to this type of messaging and are more likely to attend shows when they like the artwork they see on the flyers and posters.
Record & CD Artwork
When you are making an album, the artwork is more important than you might think. It should represent the sounds, but it doesn’t necessarily need to embody them. It needs to look good, first and foremost. It needs to appeal to the people who might like the music. It should be a way for you to show what you are all about. Of course, you might not be able to do the art yourself. That’s why you should hire someone to make great unique cover art. When it comes to vinyl and
CD design, you should have a professional helping you out. It’s the thing people see first. It could be the deciding factor of listening to the music online, buying a hard copy, or skipping it entirely.
Website & Blog Design
Music fans love to talk about musicians, their music, and their personas. It’s necessary to make a platform for these people to openly discuss, but no one wants to be on a site that doesn’t look good. Furthermore, you want the images and design of the website to represent the music. You should view the
website and blog of your band as a part of the art associated with your music. It’s also a great way to promote what you are doing. Make a post for every announcement, show, record, or event you are doing. When you approach web design as art, you will benefit from the response people will have to it.
Photos of the Musicians
While a lot of musicians don’t care for this part, fans want to see the people who are making the music. They want to get a feel for who they are and what they do. This is especially the case when the lineup changes from tour to tour, album to album. Every band or solo musician should have
professional artful photos taken of them. You have to approach it as art or you could end up hating the way you are represented. If you care about your music, putting in the effort to take good photos is compulsory.
Logo & Branding
Every musician or band should have a good logo that represents their music. Logos catch people’s attention. They provide a window into what the music might sound like and what the project is doing. Whether you are interested in branding and marketing of music or not, if you see it as an extension of your art you can hire someone to make a great logo and use branding to your advantage.
Music is art, but art also represents music. It is one of the most central parts of promoting what you do. Musicians make music, so visual art might not be your forte but if you have someone in the band who is visually talented or know someone who can help you create art you’re in a good spot. Eventually, hiring great artists pays off.