Stop Overthinking Your Release Artwork

I’m seeing a lot of artists tying themselves in knots over release artwork.

Spending weeks mood boarding, tweaking tiny details, second-guessing colours, fonts, photos… all for something that, in the world of streaming and playlists, is often seen very small and very briefly. And yes, I say this as someone who absolutely remembers mood boarding their way through release artwork in the past too!

Now, I’m not saying artwork doesn’t matter. It absolutely does. Your release artwork is part of your brand, it visually represents you as an artist, and it should align with the rest of your assets. But the amount of time and energy some artists are pouring into it right now is often out of proportion with the return it actually gives.

And that’s where things can start to feel overwhelming.

Another trend I’m seeing more and more is the heavy use of AI generated artwork for releases. And if you’ve been here a while, you’ll know I’m not anti AI at all. I use it myself, regularly. But when it comes to artwork, overuse can do more harm than good.

Your audience connects with you because you feel human, relatable and real. If your visuals suddenly feel overly polished, overly stylised or completely disconnected from everything else you put out, it can dilute that connection rather than strengthen it.

So let’s take a step back.

Release artwork doesn’t need to be ground breaking or overly complex. It just needs to make sense.

Paid subscribers keep reading for actionable advice to help your release artwork and if you aren’t a paid subscriber yet and want to read on, use the button to upgrade for only £5.99 a month now!