To Take The Black Out Of The Storm Clouds

Between 1997-2001 Radiohead's "OK Computer" was literally the soundtrack to my life. Every story I wrote and every image I created was influenced by this classic. The artwork for "OK Computer," by Stanley Donwood, was also my initial foray into graphic design, and perhaps the single biggest reason why I enrolled in art school when contemplating a post-graduate degree. Of course nothing remains sacred forever, and for the past several years I've ventured far beyond the band's influence, to the point where it's been ages since I dusted it off for a listen. (Even when I saw Radiohead two summers ago in Berkeley the luster was gone.) However, re-discovering the graphic elements of this seminal album a few hours ago was quite thrilling, particularly seeing it all in one place: the front and back cover, the inside sleeves, singles, various outtakes, and the DVD packaging for "Meeting People is Easy." The use of old transportation safety manuals and aggregate marketing charts from the 1950's - 1970's, the lo-fi type treatments that seem right out of David Carson's "The End of Print," the sociological critique that was the foundation of Chuck Palahniuk's brilliant novel "Choke" all are right there for the taking. From a design perspective, there's nothing better than when concept is matched by execution. During a period when the CD is being phased out as a medium, when brand collateral refers to official myspace pages, I would argue that this packaging treatment - which parallels or perhaps even exceeds the alienation of the 11 bittersweet songs - is the pinnacle of album cover art, something we may never see again.