Best looking CD/LP for sleeve & artwork

[Peter Power Pop]

I like your cover better than mine.  I have a 3-CD set with the Talich (numbering is changed a bit--starting with 5's rather than 9's.  I can't find one of that same CD, but you can see how they changed things around a bit.  Well, I was going to share an image with you but can't!  In any event, the painting is reduced and just in the bottom half of the cover and only showing the hands.  In the upper left-hand corner is a photo showing the heads of the musicians.

The other two CDs are in a similar style.

PD

[Peter Power Pop]

Fabulous.

[steve ridgway]

Note they didn't have AI generated art in 1986 .

[steve ridgway]

[ShineyMcShineShine]

Stolen from WAYL2N. Love this cover:

I have the feeling like this photo was originally intended for the cover of Tafelmusik.

[ShineyMcShineShine]

I quite like the template Praga uses, apparently for historical releases. That typeface was a bold choice but it works. The graphic designer really knew what they were doing.

[ShineyMcShineShine]

The Glossa label has some fine covers.

[ShineyMcShineShine]

Those Double Deccas were always impeccably designed.

[ShineyMcShineShine]

I've always liked ECM's grey aesthetic.

[ShineyMcShineShine]

Alpha's releases are always visually striking and well designed.

[Irons]

Depending on taste could qualify either best or worst. 

[Florestan]

Depending on taste could qualify either best or worst. 

Reminds me a bit of Saint-Exupery's own drawings for Le petit prince --- so given the music, I'd say it's very good.

[JBS]

H/T @hopefullytrusting

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Reminds me a bit of Saint-Exupery's own drawings for Le petit prince --- so given the music, I'd say it's very good.

I still remember his drawing and the words:  "Ce n'était pas un chapeau.  C'était un serpent boa qui digérait un éléphant."   



PD

[ShineyMcShineShine]

Depending on taste could qualify either best or worst. 

Worst, but could have been saved with better typography.

[ShineyMcShineShine]

H/T @hopefullytrusting

Artwork is nice but typography is lacking. Also, 2,3,4,9 should have continued the theme of antique illustrations followed by the other two.

[71 dB]

I made some adjustments on this cover art to make it please my own eyes even more. In my opinion it is better everything obeys the same sepia colour scheme. I also feel the texts aren't balanced in and also take a bit too much horizontal space making the tower visually less prominent. I'm interested to hear if other here agree with my adjustments.

[Irons]

Reminds me a bit of Saint-Exupery's own drawings for Le petit prince --- so given the music, I'd say it's very good.

I like it, but maybe after decorating a room in white a splurge of colour comes of some relief!

Cover design credited to Denise Wagnerova 1980.

[ShineyMcShineShine]

I made some adjustments on this cover art to make it please my own eyes even more. In my opinion it is better everything obeys the same sepia colour scheme. I also feel the texts aren't balanced in and also take a bit too much horizontal space making the tower visually less prominent. I'm interested to hear if other here agree with my adjustments.

In monochrome it's less interesting but I agree that there was no reason for the initials to be red. In black it's now harder to see the circluar foundation of the design. But I just discovered these works were composed in the 20th century, so I'm not sure why the designer chose this illustration. I had assumed Ben Johnston was some obscure baroque composer. I probably would have chosen different art but assuming I was stuck with this, I would have used a more modern typeface in an attempt to indicate the nature of the music.

[JBS]

Johnston's music made use of just intonation and his compositional technique seems to have relied on the mathematical properties of notes and intervals rather heavily.
Which make the covers rather fitting.
The Wikipedia bio has plenty of details.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Johnston_(composer)