Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

Created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewitt, Gorillaz is a virtual band represented by fictional characters. The band is often praised for its employment of unique sounds, storytelling, and visuals. While the band's 2001 self-titled debut album was decently successful, largely thanks to the single Clint Eastwood, their second album, Demon Days (2005), found broader appeal. It would go on to sell millions of copies, win a Grammy and cement the band as one of the most iconic acts of the 2000s. Following the massive success of Demon Days, The Gorillaz's third album was eagerly anticipated and given a large budget to further expand on the band's presentation. Released in 2010, Plastic Beach promotes messages about environmentalism, overconsumption, materialism, and the dire future of the planet. 

The storyline of this album prominently features the titular plastic beach, a small island formed from trash piling up in the ocean. The album cover's artwork is notable as it showcases a highly detailed model of this island photographed in a pool of water. The elaborate nature of the cover's art is reflective of the larger budget allotted to the project and creates a stunning effect. To make such a detailed model, Jamie Hewitt, working with his production agency Zombie Flesh Eaters, presented a creative brief with illustrations to Asylum Ltd, a special effects and model company. Asylum created a 4-meter-high model of the island and accessories like boats, planes, a pirate galleon, and a submarine. The model and its accessories were then photographed in a custom 5,0000-liter water tank. Alongside the model's photo, the cover also features stylized text, likely drawn by Hewitt. Multiple variations of the cover were released featuring different times of the day. Additional images of the island's model and its accessories were used in supplementary material.