This is the cover of a Byrds album that I found in the same book I found the image below. I was drawn to it for obvious reasons. The metalic faces with their eerie, placid expressions look dead, and somewhat ghostly/shocking. The placement of the faces is also kind of interesting. Instead of putting them in rows of two, side by side, they're placed in a diamond shape which gives the image diagonal movement and makes it stand out more. It was hard for me to miss this one.

This is the cover of a Santana record I found in a music cover book. I think it's one of the best covers, conceptually and visually, that I've ever seen. The Yin Yang concept is intriguing, the contrast is high and draws you in, and the photograph (placement, sharpness, etc.) is really beautiful. I could look at this piece for a long time -perhaps even as I listened to the record inside.

This is an insert from a CD one of my friends was reviewing for opening bands.com. I don't know how anyone could miss a giant eye staring at them like this. It does draw you in, and although this photograph I took may not show the detail well, a small image of the band is reflected in the iris. Even though I found this example to be a little unsettling, and I thought the computer add in of the band in the iris may have been a bit cliche, the insert did catch my attention, and caused me to look for the band name; Gary B and the Notions.

This is a poster for musical group, Franz Ferdinand, that I found on the back of a garage door. There is so much movement and contrast in this poster that it would be hard to miss with the eyes. Mine were no exception. The dramatic dance-like poses of the band members suggest that the music of this band is energetic and something to dance to; very attractive traits for pop music, and therefore a good promotion tactic. The off-kilter, diagonal positioning of the band title also suggests a fun, energy filled sound. Finally, the high contrast of the divided black and white and the shot of yellow color also do a lot to attract attention. Altogether, I would say that this is a successful example of graphic art.

This is the cover of a compiled book of poetry and other writings by Jim Morrison. I found it on a coffee table at a friend's house.
Obviously, the cover of any book has a specific goal to attract
the eye, and give a preview or hint of the books content. I thought this cover did a good job of those things. Because of the bright colors, and large, almost hand-written print, my eyes were immediately drawn to the cover and invited to skim the letters. The book does a good job hinting at the content by using three aligned, 60-70's, drug era type photos against the high contrast of black to represent the 60-70's druged out writings of Jim Morrison inside. The stylized title font, which looks hand written, also gives a clue that the writings inside may be hand written or come from original hand written sheets.