Creative Director reacts to ALL Taylor Swift album art
Вставка
- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- Is Taylor Swift the ULTIMATE creative director?! Lets decode Taylor Swift's Album Art. Explore Taylor Swift's album covers' evolution and their impact on her meteoric rise. Discover the perfect blend of visual narrative and musical genius that crafted her iconic brand, resonating with fans worldwide and fueling her unparalleled journey to superstardom.
--
00:40 - Taylor Swift (Debut)
02:13 - Fearless
03:05 - Speak Now
03:57 - Red
05:11 - 1989 (Unbox and Reaction)
07:55 - Reputation
09:23 - Lover
11:10 - Folklore (watch me butcher this lol.... 😩)
12:23 - Evermore
14:09 - Final Thoughts / Recap 🤍
--
ABOUT ME: Hey, guys! I'm Evan. I'm a music industry executive, a filmmaker and a creative director working between both the music and film industries. My insight of both industries has really helped my clients in developing unique and impactful creative content in both realms of the entertainment world and I'm sharing some of that knowledge on this UA-cam channel. If you're interested in following along, please consider subscribing! ONWARD!! Follow me on instagram! / evankaufmann
--
#creativedirector #musicmarketing #taylorswift #swifties #swiftiesforever #ts1 #ts2 #ts3 #ts4 #ts5 #ts6 #ts7 #1989taylorsversion
I'd kinda love to see you do a comparison of the Taylor's Versions vs the Stolen Versions for Fearless, Red, Speak Now and 1989 to see which you prefer and maybe talk about how the art direction has changed over the decade since they were originally released. I do think it's interesting how she doesn't put her name or the album names on the TV covers (except for 1989 because it's her handwriting) - feels like such a power move to me to say "You know who I am, you know what this is, I don't need to tell you" 😂
Yes!! I’m planning a deep dive into TV art too. There’s so much there to explore!! Thank you so much for watching and commenting.
YES PLEASEEEE
Reputation is by far her best.
If u cover the left side, it shows the dark part which is how media potrayed her and if u cover the right side, it shows light side, her real self. The ripped sweater is like the damage that media did to her and the choker is also pressure she felt, also on the shoulder where the sweater is ripped, it has 5 lines of a string throught the hole and it probably is a callback to her 5 albums before this one.
folklore is strong second tho.
Wow this is fantastic. That’s great insight!! Thanks for sharing this and watching 🫶🏼🫶🏼
You're so spot on with your thoughts on the Evermore cover. It reminded me of the beginning of the Prologue she wrote for the album!:
"To put it plainly, we just couldn't stop writing songs. To try and put it more poetically, *it feels like we were standing on the edge of the folklorian woods and had a choice: to turn and go back or to travel further into the forest of this music.* We chose to wander deeper in and my collaborators and I are proud to announce that my 9th studio album and folklore's sister record is here. It's called evermore." 👀
Interesting! I wasn’t aware of that Prologue. Definitely makes sense though. Thanks for commenting and watching!
I love reputation cover so much. As a comeback with the snake imagery starting of this album, the news paper saying "taylor swift" a thousand times, the ripped outfit with the chains. Also just as the album sonically (going dark/angry to lovey dovey from strat to finish) the inside and other fotos of the album was a lot more colorful
The front cover of Folklore actually matches the back cover of Evermore, and the front cover of Evermore matches the back cover of Folklore. If you flip over the CDs or vinyls, you can see how incredibly similar the images are, which is right in line with the whole “sister” albums concept.
Brilliant! I wasn’t aware of that but I’m not surprised one bit. Thanks for watching and commenting!
In folklore, she is inside this forest that we like to call "the folklorian woods". Just like the cover, the songs on the record dive deep into the process and continuation of certain things like relationships, friendships, etc. However, for evermore, she found her way out of the woods, and just like the cover, the songs describe the endings of certain things like relationships, friendships, etc. Folklore is the story, evermore is its ending.
Reputation is my favorite album cover by her.
Reputation is my fave. Like Taylor said, there's no explanation, just reputation. It was that time where people painted her as the "manipulative bitch" and she went with how people want her to be. The cover imo really captured that vibe.
RED references autumn a lot in the songs and I think the cover and photoshoot really capture that fall essence. You may also be surprised to know that reputation's cover is one of the fan favorites. I used to think it was the coolest thing ever too when it came out but now 1989 is my favorite. When lover's cover was released, I thought it was some fan made bait as well haha. I just wasn't able to make sense of why they chose this out of all the ones in the photoshoot which is one of my favorite photoshoots, so it was cool to hear your insight on it. Also, I love your honesty and authenticity!
Thank you so much for this comment! I really appreciate it and appreciate you taking the time to watch and chime in! Yeah, I've had a few people say how much they really like the Reputation cover art, nothing but respect to them! It's cool to hear fans give me little insights on things I may have missed or disagreements here and there. I really enjoy the conversations and love getting to hear different view points.
Thanks again for being apart of the convo!
For me reputation is by far my favorite album cover. It's just iconic!!
Hey! Fellow art/creative director junior, 1989 I love the retro 80's polaroid and half face, because Taylor wanted to people watch it and said "Is this really a happy album?" Reputation: It's so cool because you can see her name written in Ink like the news and media that covers half of her face because that's her reputation and disappear to reveal her true self, t-shirt ripped and patch up, like someone rising up after being damaged, and that is exactly what the album is, start with this ON YOUR FACE Pissed off Taylor, but at the end is shows her real self and vulnerable. Folklore: It is very introspective, dreamy and a bit sad to be honest she's placing between the woods on this foggy forest, thinking, dreaming. Evermore: This is so cool, because it reflects two important things one having a closure in terms of the music/stories and her saying goodbye to this sound at least for now in her life, she's outside of the woods looking back at the forest, not inside of it like in folklore. Lover is really beautiful and capture the overall theme of the album love. The colors are beautiful and dreamy. thanks for the video! it was really nice.
I wish the lover cover was the picture on the inside where she holds the folor infront of her face. Its such a beautiful picture
wow, reputation is actually my favorite cover! up until the new 1989 (tv) cover, it was my favourite, you can know what the album is about and how it sounds only by looking at the picture, it's so good and iconic
I hear ya! I'm definitely the odd man out when it comes to that cover! Thanks for watching and chiming in :)
I wish youd delved morw into reputation. THE BACK COVER IS INSANE. AND the booklets that went with it are sooo good
I love the reputation cover I think it it’s amazing and perfectly displays how she feels btw 1989 tv is my all time favorite album cover!!!
I think rep is more layered than you think since the newspaper text is only covering HALF her face. Rep is misunderstood as a revenge album, but only half of the tracks are “payback” songs where she puts on a mask and plays the villain the media made her out to be. The other half of her face is the authentic, vulnerable side of her that seeps through the album in tracks like “Delicate” and “New Year’s Day”. I think the cover subtly represents Reputation and its themes!
As a 1989 stan, I just love to see any 1989 appreciation.
It is a very iconic album cover, and just looking at it makes me wanna listen to the album.
You should check out some of her deluxe album covers, you'll find at least one atrocity there 😂.
Rep is DEFINITELY my favorite, though I love that she is smiling in 1986 TV.
Yeah no, I LOVE the reputation cover. It's very iconic & at the time ppl lost their minds.. so i think she did great.
Edit: she has always been great at taking what ppl say and owning it, it got it's peak here.
I'm in love with the back cover of reputation
Theirs something that’s so special about Taylor Swift! You will never meet another one like me. She is right, unquestionably!
I finished watching the whole video and the only thing I can think of is how you said linear instead of liner at the beginning 😂😂. Still loved the video though 😊
BTW rep is my fav too
lol glad it wasn't the butchering of Folklore that stuck with you! thanks for watching and chiming in :)
i loooove the rep cover. i think it’s just what she needed to do. she’s smart😂and she knew by making it painfully obvious it would get people talking. she needed people to believe in this flip in character, not question it.
I know you focused on the front covers but the back cover of reputation is soooo good
As a REP stan I always loved the cover but I prefer other ones above it (like 1989 or Red or now 1989TV and SNTV)... but the idea behind it I freaking love it, I really have my hopes up for the REP TV cover ❤️
Rep cover is iconic and captures the perfect narrative of the album. It goes very well with what she was going through at that time and also the line she said on rep prologue.
"There will be no explanation, there will be just reputation. Because I AM DRAMATIC!"
And imo I like the 1989 tv cover better than original 2014 one. The original looks kinda reserved. (With half face) Whereas new cover shows the 'freedom' that this album represents.
The thing about the Reputation album cover and Reputation in general is the fact that its this huge bate and switch. I think the cover helps to convey the whole idea of Rep, this album cycle where Taylor is doing her best to intentionally appear "edgy" and spiteful when the content of the album (barring the ones where she is putting on the snake persona) shows how in reality she's falling in love, finding solace, and doing her best to heal after the hurtful events of 2016. The cover as well as the singles released prior to the albums drop are very polarizing, which I think is what Taylor was going for. Sorry for the long comment lol but yeah thats probably why myself and so many other Swifties live for this album cover.
Great insight! Reputation definitely seems to be a fan favorite. I enjoy hearing why y’all love it so much! Thanks for watching and commenting!
i like the rep cover, its creative
Rep is my fav by far tbh 😊
Actually reputation and lover are kinda sisters ! Although it doesn’t show on the covers
I personally don’t like the stolen version’s cover of 1989 but I think it’s pretty iconic for swifties
I love the reputation album cover: one of her best in my opinion
I never was a big fan of her artwork, by far, the best ones are RED, 1989, reputation, folklore and evermore. RED is my favorite one because of the aesthetic: its color scheme, the pose, and the fact that it goes along with every song of the album, no matter on what direction the song may go: popish, rockish or countryish; it's a cover that compliments all of them very well, while portraying the overarching themes of overthinking, sadness, longing and nostalgia; besides, the packaging design is breathtaking, I looove the back cover, and the CD design; the artwork on them and the booklet, seem to me like they finally came to a balance, between giving each song an unique and personal vibe, and having them all be cohesive with each other even though they aren't, sonically; 1989 is simply iconic, and rep really serves its purpose. I don't like the lover cover that much because of the lack of quality, when you see it on vinyl, you can see the granulated pixels of both the album title and the photo of her, it's only meant to be seen as a thumbnail, degrading the album. folklore and evermore are amazing, but I don't like the CD design HAHA. I believe all of her album covers are going to be better in "Taylor's version", except from red.
Great insight! Thanks for this. Appreciate you watching and commenting.
which Red are you talking about?
I prefer the back cover of the Lover album. It evokes being in love, romantic, passionate and hopeful better than the front cover.
Great analysis! Her approach was molded by learning from others- whether that meant changing to keep fans interest. Or trying to avoid pitfalls like other artists. Maybe a factor was the genre she started in- some country have more conservative and/or Christian demographics- but bro-country addressed drinking, fighting or cheating themes- things she couldn't sing about. On the other hand she was drawn on to other styles of music. Some criticize her for being too pop, not country enough.
Lol- sorry so lengthy. Adding on...
Also some of her fanbase were younger that her. In '11 60 minutes interview- she "explained just how seriously she takes her status as a role model to millions of teenage girls: “It would be really easy to say ‘I'm 21 now. I do what I want. You raise your kids.’ But…every singer out there with songs on the radio is raising the next generation.”" That's a lot of pressure, plus her image & personally was more reserved that other artists. (Coincidentally- at 13 she shared Britney Spears manager until just before signing to an indie label). Hard to compare- plus- she was very cost conscious- which probably directed some of her design choices.
Debut felt like a typical country album template- name, title, nature backdrop & polished pic on the side. It made me think of American Idol (2005) winner Carrie Underwood debut cover & Miley Cyrus's Disney Hannah Montana debut album (coincidentally the same drop day as TS). I wonder if label directed this. The professional photographer (Andrew Orth) who took the debut album photos had been hired to take her photos from age 4-16. Also his mother (their neighbor) used to babysit her- not sure if that would be a factor in the results. The water for the album was photoshopped- more greenish brown than aqua.
Fearless album (some were from pre-debut, but maybe recorded around 18) was where she began to co-producing her albums. Maybe more control over the project- she had always been persuasive & by then maybe other artists were being focused on. She also started headlining with this album ('09)- she was hands on with the stage design, music videos, tour music direction, art & costume design- to reflect the theme of the album's music.
For Speak Now album, some say it was a picture with a paint filter applied. Deluxe version had dress in red. Also this was her solo (no co-writers) album (worked on while touring- so collaborating would have been limited anyway) and partially done to respond to critics. She even promoted perfume (with charms).
The next two albums seem to go further back on her inspirations ('50-70's Joni Mitchell's Blue - some though cover was reminiscent of it; & '80's pop music-synth & starker/streamlined styles). In the past her younger style was more feminine, flowing, dramatic. I wonder if Red & 1989 became more private, mysterious & secretive because her image in the public had become more exposed. Especially with her higher profile friends, exes & adversaries (who had big fanbases)- (Jonas, Lautner, Mayer, Gyllenhaal, Kennedy (infamous family), Styles, West.). Maybe establishing a more mature, business-like & serious approach. She fought for 1989 to be strictly pop and took on the Executive producer role - also beach theme maybe calls back to her childhood summers in NJ. I really like this cover- plus the music videos & tour doc. Int'l version had her full name written out on album.
The reputation cover was not one of my favorite designs (lol- I think it was the hairstyle)- but the rest of it I thought was more compelling. Vibes: defensive, rebellious, unapproachable, guarded. But she expanded on the designs on other parts: stage, merch, packaging of music & VIP tour packages ua-cam.com/video/G6UrZXYjW-g/v-deo.html, magazine/cd bundle pack ua-cam.com/video/BgU0ytQZYlk/v-deo.htmlsi=1ikpCfPtXol1ewrE This era has been very popular with the fans on the merch & tour set design, music videos & tour doc. Although the tour did really well- the popularity in some parts struggled. Also her image from the SA lawsuit & celebrity conflict & possible overexposure had her delay release of album by a year. More adult themes in this album.
Lover cover went the opposite direction- splash of glitter, colors & pastels. Very feminine & child-like- less cynical. Not my favorite either. Introspective, vulnerable- but not as guarded. Not my favorite cover either. Felt a bit tentative- maybe testing ground with the new label & topics. More emphasis (& budget) on music videos maybe? Fashion styles felt awkward & she looked it at ease at times. Rep & Lover sales did not do as well as previous albums- became sleeper albums later on.
Folklore & Evermore: Bob Ross flashback- very nostalgic- trees- "back to the roots"? Isolation, misty- see the forest for the trees. I liked these covers, music videos, LPSS doc, simple yet classic. More flattering than some Lover era visuals. I liked your perspective viewpoint of the pictures. Maybe 1st reflects on the more distant past. Maybe the 2nd dwells more on the emotions evoked- bitter, stark & dark at times- walked away w/ some regret. Still private- you can't see her reaction- just focus on listening to what she has to say maybe. Lol- in a Kimmel interview he brought up how fans made a piechart of her swearing. (There are funny reaction videos to her more explicit lyrics).
It's cool how her art is an extension of her expression & emotions- even in the covers. Her Midnights era (album & tour art) was very viral- globally- impressive. But it was also more streamline & simple - very approachable & fun to many genres, genders & topics. Demographically -one of her most accepted art cover.
Sidenote: I know she does easter eggs & some of the extra details enhance the many layers of her clever craftiness. Not sure if I'm right or not at times- but I can see how some of her fans get hooked. For example: For her "Look What you Made Me Do" video- many felt it gave nods to problems in the past. When I watched I began to wonder about another possible context. She premiered on MTV's VMA awards night. She has always been a student of observing others careers- whether by video docs, music videos, etc. She has been sensitive to pop culture, marketing & brands (even adds it in her music & has embraced social media- MySpace helped launch her). I saw the video as an homage to honor many of the other female MTV pop music video's who preceded her. Madonna, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Christina Aquilera, Britney, Fergie, Kylie, Janet, etc.
Wow, this is fantastic! You're spot on here. Totally agree about the debut album looking like an American Idol cover, hadn't thought about that but it really does! Makes sense for that time frame and artist pitch. And YES to the Bob Ross flashback on Folklore / Evermore vibes lol! Well said!
Thanks for taking the time to be that in-depth with this. I love hearing how you guys see it and this is a perfect breakdown.
Appreicate you watching and chiming in!! 💥
@@evankaufmann Lol, she was in the American Idol audience once w/ her label head & toured w/ an AI alumni. He also later consulted & collaborated with the show later. She also watched other singing shows- even recruited a contestant for Love Story music video. Her adaptation knack & flare on the pulse on pop culture trends is a characteristic of her generation.
Painting is a hobby of hers & I'm sure she saw Bob Ross on TV & memes. She related to the curls. Lol. I remember a video that went viral about her lasik surgery aftermath. She didn't really incorporate eyeglasses in her public image - like some celebrities - it was a trend for awhile. Not sure if it made her feel subconscious & sensitive- she had mentioned height, hair & smile insecurities at times. When I think of visuals I think of vision- bad vision experiences can make you appreciate details. (Lol-As a myopic person- I could relate).
This video also touched on her use of reinvention & style to remain relevant- learned from her predecessors. She enjoys the challenge & creative opportunities. ua-cam.com/video/K3xznCimClI/v-deo.htmlsi=qNIZjUYGfHZRr7hj
How about the rerecorded album covers? You missed them.
Yes planning a separate video to deep dive those specifically!
@@evankaufmann ok
I thought you'd also do the Taylor's Versions.
Planning on doing a video covering all the TV covers! Thanks for watching!
my favourite album… forklore🍴🥰
Heyy I loved the video, can u do Britney Spears next please? 🙏🙏🙏🙏
was just thinking this !
imo rep>1989
Rep is one of my fave albums for a few reasons but I don’t like the cover either
Totally agree!
folk-lore💀💀💀
Can you review the TV covers? Please dont put stuff in the thumbnail then not do that!
Respect. Planning on doing TV cover breakdown as well. There’s some amazing storytelling going on with those 🫶🏼
there’s not even any TV covers in the thumbnail?