2 cover stories in our archive
Behind the Covers' archive includes 2 album covers documented under the "airbrush" design theme, spanning the 1970s, 1980s. These covers sit within the rock, metal, pop tradition and feature work by Meat Loaf, Duran Duran. 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.
Fantasy comic artist Richard Corben painted this hellish motorcycle scene after record executives rejected dozens of concepts. The underground comics legend created one of rock's most theatrical covers for an album that sat unreleased for two years.
Patrick Nagel's striking illustration of model Marielle Gomar became one of the 1980s most recognizable album covers, featuring bold geometric shapes and vivid colors that perfectly captured MTV's new aesthetic. The artwork was created as an illustration, not a photograph, using Nagel's signature airbrush technique.