Overview
This project was an album cover redesign for Tyler, The Creator’s Don’t Tap the Glass. The goal was to reinterpret the album’s title and personality through a bold visual concept that felt energetic, playful, and visually memorable.
The final design includes both a front and back album cover. I used a comic-inspired illustration style, oversized typography, and shattered glass details to create a cover that feels loud, confident, and connected to the phrase “Don’t Tap the Glass.”
Project Details
Role: Designer / Illustrator
Category: Album Cover Design, Illustration, Typography
Tools: Adobe Illustrator
Deliverable: Front-and-back album cover redesign
Focus: Vector illustration, typography, layout, visual storytelling, brand personality
Challenge
The challenge was to redesign an album cover in a way that felt original while still matching the personality of the artist. Tyler, The Creator’s work often feels bold, experimental, playful, and unexpected, so the design needed to have a strong attitude instead of feeling safe or generic.
Another challenge was turning the title Don’t Tap the Glass into a visual concept. I wanted the design to feel literal enough to connect to the title, but stylized enough to work as an album cover. The cover needed to catch attention quickly while still feeling clean and professionally finished.
Process
I started by thinking about the phrase “Don’t Tap the Glass” and how it could become a visual moment. The idea of a character punching through or breaking glass became the main concept because it created action, movement, and energy.
I built the artwork in Adobe Illustrator using vector shapes, pen tool work, and layered forms. The character, clothing, jewelry, hand pose, typography, and cracked glass details were all developed as part of the full composition. I focused on making the central figure feel like the main point of impact, with the typography and glass effects supporting that motion.
For the back cover, I created a cleaner layout that includes the track list, barcode, small production details, and supporting design elements. This helped make the project feel like a complete album package instead of only a front cover.
Reflection
This project helped me strengthen my illustration and layout skills in Adobe Illustrator. I learned how important it is to make every visual element support the main concept, especially in album cover design where the image needs to communicate personality almost instantly.
I also learned how to balance expressive design with structure. The front cover could be loud and energetic, but the back cover still needed to be readable and organized. This project pushed me to think about how a design works as a complete package, not just as one individual image.