2 cover stories in our archive
Behind the Covers' archive includes 2 album covers documented under the "debut album" design theme, spanning the 1960s, 1990s. These covers sit within the hip-hop, rock, pop tradition and feature work by Jay-Z, The Beatles. 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.
Jonathan Mannion and art director Adrien Vargas built Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt cover around a timeless New York mob-boss image: black and white, white suit, wide-brimmed hat, cigar and controlled anonymity. The album had originally been called Heir to the Throne before Jay-Z changed the title and let listeners decide whether he deserved the crown.
Angus McBean photographed the Beatles looking down from an EMI House stairwell for their 1963 debut. The quick, unpretentious portrait became a visual marker of the band's extraordinary rise.