Stories behind the cover art

The frame that ran, and who made it.

The Cover Journal is a visual culture publication exploring the people, ideas, and creative work shaping the cover arts you see before listening to the music.

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Anike Flexx on Building Worlds Through Creativity

A Chat with Anike Flexx

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Tife Jimoh on creativity, purpose, and staying true.

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Recent studies

All covers (2)

Headie One

MMM

Album · 2026

Taves

Taves - Popstar SIDE A

Album · 2026

From the journal

All writing

Essays28 September 2026

Why Cover Art Still Carries Weight

Cover arts have been a legitimate creative medium in their own right since the LP era. For decades, they have done more than simply package music. They have…

Ibrahim Nurudeen4 min read

Conversation8 September 2026

Anike Flexx on Building Worlds Through Creativity

A Chat with Anike Flexx

Ibrahim Nurudeen7 min read

Essays18 August 2026

The problem isn't that AI makes bad cover art.

Cover art is filed under the musician’s name almost everywhere. The people who made it get a line of small type, if they get anything at all.

Ibrahim Nurudeen2 min read