Students will redesign a CD cover (album, soundtrack, video game OST, movie/TV soundtrack, or series compilation). The new cover must be highly original, yet still stay true to the original work’s style, identity, values, themes, and emotional tone. Students will analyze existing visual language and reimagine it with creativity and insight.
Identify the core visual identity of a chosen musician, game, film, or series
Analyze mood, themes, imagery, typography, and symbolic elements
Reimagine a CD cover using original ideas while maintaining brand identity
Strengthen layout, composition, and design decision-making
Present and explain how the redesign honors the original work
Every musician, film, game, or series communicates identity visually through:
Color Palette – emotional atmosphere
Imagery & Symbols – motifs, icons, world-building
Typography – genre, tone, attitude
Mood & Themes – what the art makes people feel
Examples:
Taylor Swift, BTS, Stray Kids, Billie Eilish, Marvel series, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Minecraft, Star Wars, Pixar films, Studio Ghibli, Attack on Titan, Stranger Things.
Students learn to balance consistency + creativity—maintaining the recognizable spirit while inventing something new.
What album, soundtrack, or game OST stands out to you, and why?
What emotion or story does it give you?
What parts of the original cover show its identity (colors, mood, symbols, typography)?
What do you think the artist or designer wanted us to feel?
If you could change one thing about the original cover, what would you change—and what would you keep?
What message would you try to make stronger?
What style, theme, or visual ideas could you use in your redesign to make it unique but still true to the original?
How would you want someone to react when they see your new cover?
What makes an album cover successful—is it emotion, storytelling, originality, or something else?
Laptop/tablet
Canva account
Internet
Reference covers/posters/art
Sketchbook + pencil
Choose a musician or series:
What themes or emotions define the work?
Which colors are typical?
What symbols, characters, or motifs reappear?
What typography style do they use?
Search for the original cover design and study it.
What mood does the original cover create?
What does the cover consist of?
Create 3–4 layout sketches exploring:
Image placement
Title typography ideas
Symbolic or thematic imagery
Balance, spacing, color directions
Focus: originality + recognizability.
Start with a square album template (1:1): Front Cover, CD Design & Back Cover
Create a new title font treatment
Place main artwork or illustration
Add typography (artist name, album name)
Experiment with composition
Encourage:
creative textures
photo effects
custom illustrations
stylized shapes
Polish:
Font pairing
Color palette
Lighting and contrast
Alignment
Symbolic elements
Overall mood consistency
Ask: Does this feel like a new version of the same world?
Write a 3–5 sentence statement describing:
What brand identity elements were kept
What was redesigned or updated
What symbolic choices were made
What emotional tone the cover aims to create
Students present:
Their redesigned cover
Their artist statement
Group members give:
Two strengths
One suggestion
Brand Identity – visual personality of the artist or series
Motif – recurring symbol or idea
Typography – style and design of text
Composition – arrangement of visual elements
Color Palette – chosen colors that set tone
Texture – visual feel (smooth, rough, grungy, soft)
Symbolism – deeper meaning behind imagery
This is my CD cover for Rosé. I chose this font because I felt it resembles a rose and reflects her image. The black-and-white photo featuring a chair and a rose complements her musical style. I decided not to include a picture of Rosé, as I wanted the emphasis to be on her musical talent rather than her appearance. I used a lot of grey and black so the red elements would stand out more.