4 cover stories in our archive
Behind the Covers' archive includes 4 album covers documented under the "polaroid" design theme, spanning the 2000s, 2010s. These covers sit within the pop, alternative, indie, folk, hip-hop tradition and feature work by Taylor Swift, Neko Case, Tyler, The Creator, Kendrick Lamar. 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.
A Polaroid-style portrait crops Swift's face below her eyes, creating mystery about the album's emotional content. The photography duo Lowfield shot over 400 Polaroid photographs for the project.
Neko Case shot this haunting self-portrait in her own bathroom, creating one of indie rock's most striking covers with just natural light and a vintage Polaroid camera. The intimate DIY approach perfectly captured the album's themes of vulnerability and transformation.
Tyler, The Creator designed his own cover for Flower Boy, creating a vibrant polaroid-style collage that perfectly captured his artistic evolution from dark provocateur to colorful creative.
Shot in a single afternoon in Compton, this deceptively simple Polaroid-style cover became one of hip-hop's most powerful statements on Black masculinity and vulnerability. The raw intimacy of Kendrick's expression contrasts sharply with typical rap album imagery.