Johnny SuedeSuede AI founder. Author. Musician. Jason Colapietro.

Cover art

The thumbnail is the cover. Design for the small size first.

Give the image one clear job

Decide what the cover should communicate before choosing effects or type. Write a short brief containing the release title, artist name, mood, visual subject and one thing the image must avoid. The subject could be a portrait, an object, a place or a typographic idea. Choose one focal point and build the layout around it. A cover does not have to explain the entire song; it needs to be recognizable and appropriate to the release.

Design for the thumbnail and the full image

View the draft at a small size beside other covers, then inspect the full export. At thumbnail size, check the silhouette, contrast and focal point. At full size, look for rough masks, compression, awkward edges and unintended details. If the title is part of the design, make a deliberate decision about its readability. A text-free cover can work too; do not add tiny wording merely because the full canvas has room.

Create a family without making copies

For related singles, keep one or two elements stable, such as the type placement or framing, and vary the image or accent. Make a contact sheet of the proposed releases so you can judge them together. Each should remain distinguishable when shown alone. Keep album and single names in the project files, and avoid overwriting an approved cover with a revision for another track.

Prepare the actual deliverables

Check the destination's current artwork requirements before exporting; distributor and platform rules can differ. Keep the high-quality source, the final square delivery file, and separately composed promotional crops. Review the exact file you will submit, including its dimensions and appearance after export. A banner should be recomposed for its shape rather than stretched from the square cover. Name approved files clearly enough that someone helping with the upload can identify them.

Keep credits and permissions with the design

Record who made the photograph, illustration, lettering and other contributed elements, and keep the relevant permission or license with the release folder. If an AI tool was used, preserve the tool and editing notes needed to explain the process. A provenance record can identify the specific exported file; permissions and agreements answer separate questions about its use. The linked Suede brand reference is an example of documenting visual rules so collaborators can reproduce a system consistently.

Three covers, one system

The three ownership books share one system. Stake Your Claim uses direct, declarative typography: the title is the design. Proof as Infrastructure uses the arc motif as structure, layers stacked. The Human Authenticity Layer puts the mark itself at scale.

Registering the artwork

Register the final export at delivery resolution, the version you will stand behind. Every crop for another ratio is a different file with a different fingerprint, so register the artwork that ships with the master and connect any other version that matters with a derivative link.

What Apple Music rejects

Apple's Music Style Guide, version 2.4, sets the artwork rules for Apple Music. The cover should be the album's original art, not a generic template, and must not mislead, for example by picturing an artist who does not perform on the album. It must not be low quality, pixelated, misaligned or rotated. Leave off website addresses, logos and QR codes, mentions of audio formats such as Dolby Atmos or lossless, prices and sales lines, and references to CDs, vinyl or retailers.

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