Alex Steinweiss (March 24, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York) is a graphic designer.
In 1939, he was the first art director for Columbia Records, where he invented the concept of album covers and cover art; previously, recorded music was sold in plain, undecorated packaging.
Steinweiss was active in record cover design from its inception in 1939 until 1973, when he semi-retired to devote himself to painting. By his own admission, he has designed roughly...
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Alex Steinweiss (March 24, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York) is a graphic designer.
In 1939, he was the first art director for Columbia Records, where he invented the concept of album covers and cover art; previously, recorded music was sold in plain, undecorated packaging.
Steinweiss was active in record cover design from its inception in 1939 until 1973, when he semi-retired to devote himself to painting. By his own admission, he has designed roughly 2500 covers.
Steinweiss' career can be divided into roughly five periods. From 1939 to perhaps 1945, he designed all the covers for Columbia. During this period, he developed the entire graphic "language" of album design.
The second period is from 1945 to roughly 1950, during which he was no longer the sole designer for Columbia. He also began designing for other companies. This period is sometimes described as the "First Golden Age" of the album cover.
Steinweiss' signature font, the "Steinweiss scrawl," first appeared in roughly 1947....
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