“4AD”

1 cover story in our archive

Behind the Covers' archive includes 1 album cover documented under the "4AD" design theme, all from the 1990s. The cover sits within the alternative, rock tradition and features work by Pixies. Each entry below includes the cover artwork, the designers and photographers behind it, and a short story about the visual choices that defined the release.

Trompe le Monde by Pixies — album cover art

Trompe le Monde by Pixies (1991)

For Pixies' final album before their original breakup, Vaughan Oliver and Simon Larbalestier built a false planetary surface from salt and real bull's eyes. The result is one of the strangest sleeves in the band's 4AD catalog: tactile, bodily and deliberately deceptive.

Label: 4AD
Designer: Vaughan Oliver
Photographer: Simon Larbalestier
Genre: Alternative, Rock
Decade: 1990s

Read the full story →

Related design themes

photography
1990s