Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Fine and Decorative Art and Design

Abstract

This dissertation examines the album cover as an artistic medium and as an art form, primarily within the context of vinyl records, situating it within art history, media history, and cultural studies. Although album covers have been central to the experience of purchasing, listening to, and collecting vinyl, they have often been treated secondarily in scholarship and by institutions. By establishing the material, cultural, and aesthetic significance of album covers, this dissertation positions them within debates on media, authorship, and boundaries of art. Through case studies on two bands, the Moody Blues and the Rolling Stones, as well as the design studio Hipgnosis, the discussions in this dissertation aim to demonstrate that album cover art is worthy of dedicated scholarship and analyses alongside already recognised works of fine art from the twentieth century. In doing so, the analyses presented in this dissertation challenge the traditional hierarchies that privilege unique fine art over commercial applied art. The application of key theoretical frameworks, particularly semiotics and cultural sociology, illuminates the aesthetic, social, and cultural impact of visual media in general but also the seminal role album cover art played in shaping popular culture and facilitating access to art for a growing middle class.

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