Style of cover art

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While we're on the subject of album covers, here's a question I've always had, maybe for the graphic design experts on here: that style of cover art for LPs in the late 70s and very early 80s, with the neon/metallic kind of look...does it actually have a name?

Some examples of what I mean:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002WY4.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Joe (Joe), Sunday, 15 December 2002 02:21 (twenty-two years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002541.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Joe (Joe), Sunday, 15 December 2002 02:25 (twenty-two years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002BMT.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Joe (Joe), Sunday, 15 December 2002 02:31 (twenty-two years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000025C0.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Joe (Joe), Sunday, 15 December 2002 02:33 (twenty-two years ago)

White trash futurism.

― Bobby D Gray (bedhead), Sunday, 15 December 2002 03:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Not so much Van Gogh as Van Siding.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 15 December 2002 03:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Those first two are sort of art nouveau, aren't they?

― nabisco (nabisco), Sunday, 15 December 2002 08:02 (twenty-two years ago)

The word "elephantine" (in the Manny Farber sense) should be in there somewhere.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Sunday, 15 December 2002 08:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, you know, they're all airbrushed (definitely the first two, at least.)

― OCP (OCP), Sunday, 15 December 2002 09:55 (twenty-two years ago)

'airbrush' and 'fantasy' are synonomous with each other. you will notice also that a lot of this style art is based on 40s & 50s american art deco futurism (especially the first image, and think also Aerosmith's recent album with the VERY dated cover style!) - its a hybrid of these two styles most of the time

― stevem (blueski), Sunday, 15 December 2002 14:46 (twenty-two years ago)

If that spaceship didn't say "Boston" that might be a really cool album cover.

― Adam A. (Keiko), Sunday, 15 December 2002 16:51 (twenty-two years ago)

(Steve, I am eager to confirm that I have any idea what I'm talking about: "based on art deco futurism" = "art nouveau," right?)

― nabisco (nabisco), Sunday, 15 December 2002 17:59 (twenty-two years ago)

http://viceland.com/issues/v9n9/htdocs/behind.php

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Sunday, 15 December 2002 18:11 (twenty-two years ago)

nabisco - as i understand it art nouveau is more ornate and floral in its decorative approach, bordering on gothic at times (as can art deco, hence my confusion) but it seems more organic and traditional rather than futuristic...tho a lot of the sleeves above seem to combine elements of all these styles

― stevem (blueski), Sunday, 15 December 2002 18:16 (twenty-two years ago)

the entire history of 20th century decorative styles is contained in the Boston logo

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Sunday, 15 December 2002 18:40 (twenty-two years ago)

No wonder it was so shit.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 15 December 2002 18:47 (twenty-two years ago)

I've decided what the spaceship really ought to say is "Punk As Fuck"

― Adam A. (Keiko), Sunday, 15 December 2002 18:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Not so much Van Gogh as Van Siding.

Ned, this is the most brilliant line on ILM I've ever read.

― donut bitch (donut), Sunday, 15 December 2002 19:34 (twenty-two years ago)

*bows*

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 15 December 2002 21:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm a graphic designer, but I don't have an answer for you. Except to say that I don't care for albums with that style cover at all.

*Except "Out of the Blue"!!

― Sean (Sean), Sunday, 15 December 2002 21:46 (twenty-two years ago)

i'm a designer too and i'd hazard a guess that if i had to pick one movement to label all that art work it would be modernism, in the tragic medium of airbrush.

― dyson (dyson), Sunday, 15 December 2002 23:07 (twenty-two years ago)

nabisco, for "deco" think Chrysler building, swingin New York, the board-game Monopoly, hard steel geometry, classic chrome diner architecture, and the old "Avant Garde" font for Macintosh; for "nouveau" think "Led Zeppelin font", Gustav Klimt, and Charles Rennie Mackintosh

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Sunday, 15 December 2002 23:46 (twenty-two years ago)

"Not so much Van Gogh as Van Siding."

BAHAhahahahahahahahahahaha. That was brilliant!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 16 December 2002 00:42 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't know if this counts, but...

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000025WV.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Joe (Joe), Monday, 16 December 2002 01:10 (twenty-two years ago)

and also...

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000009H0U.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Joe (Joe), Monday, 16 December 2002 01:12 (twenty-two years ago)

As far as I know art noveau pre-dated art-deco by 20-30 years, so I'm not sure that futurist art-deco could be art noveau.

― wr, Monday, 16 December 2002 09:40 (twenty-two years ago)

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