A Study About Album Cover Designing Of Stanley Donwood

This thesis belongs to the scope of art design. Album cover designing is a marginal cross-fields discipline which appeared as a result of the development of graphic design in the western society in the 20th century. It came into being to cater to the market demand for record promotion and stronger visual differentiation degree. Album cover designing have gone through great artistic change with the innovation of pop music since the sixties. It is of consanguinity to pop culture and can be much more easily obtained than the exhibits in the museum. Stanley Donwood is the pen name of English artist and writer Dan Rickwood. Donwood is best known for his work with the English alternative band Radiohead, having created all of their album and poster art since 1994, often in collaboration with Radiohead singer Thom Yorke. He also creates artwork for Yorke’s solo albums and Yorke’s band Atoms for Peace. After graduating from the University of Exeter;Donwood worked as a freelance artist in Plymouth, England. Aside from his work for Radiohead, Donwood also maintains his own website, Slowly Downward, where short stories and various other writings are published.Stanley Donwood was an eminent graphic design artist who can be considered as a representative in this field for his avant-garde spirit and topic-indicating function. His cooperation with Radiohead was a famous event in the history of pop culture. This thesis delves into the details of his creation and thought development process and tries to look into the facts about where he belongs to in the records history or even in the art history. For breath, it gives consideration to both his cooperation with his contemporary designers and bands and the development of alternative records. For depth, it probes into the aesthetic pursuit of his creation, his philosophical reflection and political attitude. Thus it moves towards a larger perspective and goes deeper gradually, and finally the merits and accomplishments of a responsible graphic designer are represented. This can be a valuable inspiration for the graphic design market in our country.