Typophonic is a collection of typographically driven 12-inch record covers from the 1950s through the 1980s. Some of the sleeves are type-only and some use type as a key element of the design. They’re all unique and speak to what was special about this area of design that has often been the most dynamic and experimental outlet for graphic designers.
Album covers are a great window into the visual spirit of an era or subculture, and the type they use can be the most expressive part of the artwork.
Typophonic is meant as an inspiration for designers who create and push typography or just obsess about it’s form and layout. And all designers are concerned with type’s connotations and emotive power. But the site is not only for designers of course, but also for music lovers who appreciate the role the music’s package played in the presentation of a musician’s work or the representation of the music’s personality.
Shawn Hazen maintained Typophonic from 2012 to 2019. The covers are categorized according to the following unscientific list of terms:
– Big Type
– Condensed
– Dimensional
– Fancy Production
– Funky
– Geometric
– Illustrated
– Odd
– Photographic
– Psychedelic
– Script/Fancy
– Thin
– Type Only
– Understated