Nicki's Underwhelming Single Art
ENTRY 15: a boring trend in some of the biggest artist's covers
back after about a month off! didn’t take a conscious break, just sorta fell out of inspo and regimen with writing, but hopefully we kick back into some more weekly posts :)
Nicki Minaj has sold over 100 million records worldwide. she’s not only one of the biggest rappers in the world, but one of the biggest artists period. these are her latest single covers.
the first one (left), some fine photography with her and lil baby at a table in some room…no concept, no real mood, no bite, no graphic intervention, no type, no nothing. the second one (centre), “Bussin”, is again, a fine photo, with this horribly massive and generic “BUSSIN” type with their names above it. feels like there was no consideration or care taken, just some type slapped on top of a picture of nicki. the last one (right), the one with the most potential (which we’ll get into), is again just a picture of nicki existing in some luxurious room/bathroom/shower looking area. no type, no texture, nothing of any real interest or character. her hair and outfit are pretty iconic, but could've been used so much more effectively as visual tools.
this shit’s soooo demoralising as a designer working in the music industry, and especially one who’s looking to work with artists of this calibre. no hate to the photographer of any of these, again, the photos are fine, but they just feel like instagram photos, no?? something nicki might post LEADING UP to the drop, not the actual covers themselves. i feel like big artists don’t put too much effort into single covers maybe??? maybe cuz they think they just sorta come and go, nobody’s hanging onto the cover art of nicki minaj’s second single off her album like they do her album cover i guess? still!!! so sad and infuriating lol.
it’s upsetting because of what could have been.
look at these insaneeee covers by @xandrwrld on instagram.
how good are just these two!! the direction here fits nicki’s barbie vibe sooo incredibly well, i actually can’t believe how good these are and would be for her. the song is whatever, not really my thing (i like nicki), but it definitely is a fun song that deserves a fun cover!!! wouldn’t you agree??
the custom type on both is so well done, and fits right into the airbrushed style, it adds so much character and extra personality.
dunno man, i see shit like this all the time and it upsets me, wondering how others feel, and if they maybe just don’t care about single covers like they do album covers. to me, singles should lead up to the album and should fit into the visual universe you’re concocting for each project!
I totally agree with you! I believe it's often a budget decision rather than a creative decision. Press photos, album photography that didn't make the cut, they would all look better within an overarching creative direction but not everybody seems to think about it. Or better, wants to spend money on it 🤷♂️
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