Album-cover and gig-poster artists capture the feeling of music while building a visual identity around it. I respect anyone who can pull off both.

Paul Moore, writing for It’s Nice That, talks with artist and album-cover designer Robert Beatty about old versions of Photoshop, scavenged technology, imperfect memories, and the unexpected contrasts in his work. Beatty’s approach to working with musicians gets at the translation involved:

Honestly there’s not really a huge difference in the way I approach things based on the genre of the music, it’s more what the artist is trying to accomplish or get across than the way it sounds. It’s often the way the artist communicates their ideas or aren’t able to that really informs the way I approach making album artwork. It’s definitely rare that a musician has as much understanding and articulation when talking about visual art as they do music, which is I guess why people come to me to help figure out how to convey their music in a visual medium. I don’t know if having an understanding of both music and art really changes the way I make art for music, but I approach them the same way with a very improvisatory and open mind. And sometimes it’s the contrast between the music and the art that makes something interesting.

That contrast leaves room for the image to carry the music’s mood without illustrating the sound literally. Beatty describes the response he’s after in one line:

I’m trying to make something that works on an almost primeval level.

I love that idea: style can draw you in, but the image still has to connect before you’ve decoded its references. Moore’s full interview with Beatty also covers creative friction and making videos that move with music rather than simply decorating it.