3 cover stories in our archive
Behind the Covers' archive includes 3 album covers documented under the "futuristic" design theme, spanning the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s. These covers sit within the electronic, pop, hip-hop tradition and feature work by Daft Punk, OutKast. 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.
Daft Punk's golden pyramid helmet explodes into crystalline fragments across a cosmic landscape, created by music video director Warren Fu using cutting-edge 3D rendering that took months to perfect. The shimmering cover perfectly captured the duo's shift from digital punk to analog disco.
OutKast's Stankonia cover photographs Big Boi and Andre 3000 in front of a huge black-and-white American flag with inverted stars. Michael Lavine shot the image and Mike Rush handled art direction and design. Andre 3000 later explained that the flag idea came to him on an airplane: stripping away its familiar color let OutKast themselves become the color in the image.
The iconic silver robot head that launched Daft Punk's visual identity was actually created by unknown designers credited only as "Alex and Martin." This minimalist chrome dome became the template for electronic music's most recognizable brand.