Best of Disc Art

CD and DVD sales remain healthy, despite the unstoppable iPod, and high-definition disc technologies promise new formats that mix video, rich interactive content, and music. All that is exciting news for design and packaging, with a drive upmarket in terms of packaged discs, special editions, and limited-edition items that truly differentiate physical goods from downloads and online services. At the same time, vinyl remains a popular market.

The bigger canvas of 12 inch sleeves, coloured vinyl, gatefold sleeves, and so on, remain very attractive to designers who can make stunning use of images, typography, colours, textures, and materials.Through detailed captions and mini interviews, "Best of Disc Art" shows how designers exploit the two- and three-dimensional qualities of disc packaging to create unique, collectible items. It explores not only the traditional elements of design - image, illustration, typography, and packaging - but also innovative materials. In this work, case studies look at how artwork is selected, created, and applied to packages; at how designers make the most of the standard dimensions for disc packages; and, at the use of special formats, unusual materials, slipcases, and so on.