2 cover stories in our archive
Behind the Covers' archive includes 2 album covers documented under the "close up" design theme, spanning the 1960s, 2020s. These covers sit within the hip-hop, folk, rock tradition and feature work by Denzel Curry, Bob Dylan. 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.
Denzel Curry's introspective masterpiece features a striking close-up of the rapper's face split between shadow and warm light, creating a powerful visual metaphor for the album's themes of mental health and personal transformation.
Fashion photographer Jerry Schatzberg captured Dylan in a rushed Manhattan session, creating one of rock's most enigmatic portraits. The blurred, intimate close-up became a template for introspective album covers across decades.