The Cure Wish album cover CD

This album was created in April of 1992 in the United Kingdom by artist Andy Vella, who helped design many other albums by The Cure such as “Galore” and “Faith.” This genre of music is considered alternative rock, and this specific album gained the most popularity from The Cure. The design on this album reflects the alternative and edgy style of the music from the choices of the illustrations and the typography chosen. The contrasting colors of dark blue and bright orange show a warm and beachy feeling, which also contrasts with the scratchy illustrations of eyes and hands drawn in black that indicate a more creepy vibe.  Along with Andy Vella, a member of The Cure named Porl Thomspon was also involved in the album's design. This helped add more personal and authentic details to this album and better represent the music into visual arts. The use of handwritten type was also new for this time, which helped influence other designers to use more organic typography and expressive design choices. The album strayed from the norms of design work in the early ‘90s, which was more commercial and clean aesthetics within album cover art. Wish’s approach of being more exploratory and out of the box influenced other designers to follow this style as well. The art of the album “Wish” also demonstrates the overlap of musical arts and visual arts, showing how these elements collaborate and can convey such a strong message through imagery. Album designs are important in both the design world and the music world because it’s a way to represent these themes and sounds through type, color, and imagery. This album specifically is a good example for this, since the style of the work portrays this melancholy and grungy vibe that is represented in the music as well. This design contributed greatly to the grunge and alternative style that surrounded the early ‘90s, influencing this genre of music’s culture as well as the diversity of type and creative executions within the design world.

“Features: Reissue of the Week: Reissue of the Week: The Cure’s Wish.” The Quietus. Accessed May 1, 2024. https://thequietus.com/articles/32171-the-cure-wish-30th-anniversary-review.

Chen, Min. “‘We Didn’t Look Homogenized’: The Cure’s Go-to Cover Artist on the Creative Spark behind the Band’s Most Enduring Album Sleeves.” Artnet News, September 25, 2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/the-cure-andy-vella-album-art-2338346.

Hunter, James. “Wish.” Rolling Stone, June 25, 2018. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/wish-113089/.

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