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Album Artwork...again?

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Will:
This is kind of related to a thread already started, but I just decided it'd be easier to start a new one...

How important is the artwork that comes with a cd to you guys?  Have you ever either A: bought a cd that you ended up not liking the music, but kept because you liked the artwork or B: refused to buy a cd because the artwork was crappy?  Do you think that the cover/booklet/etc. add to the overall artistry of a cd, or are they just special bonuses?  If you think that artwork is important as well, what are some examples of stellar design you can think of?

One of my personal favorites would be the album "Jane Doe" by Converge...of course they're my favorite band, but I also love how the artwork that goes along with the cd itself perfectly complements the music...it gives the whole package more of a "this is a chohesive work of art" feel, rather than just "here's 12 songs we threw together and burned on a cd."

Thoughts?

Thrillho:
Quite frankly, the artwork has absolutely nothing-to-fucking-do with whether or not I buy a CD. I'm buying music, not visual art.

Of course, I will look at how a CD looks and comment of it, yada yada, but it doesn't effect whether or not I buy the CD. That'd be ridiculous.

How the CD is presented is a different thing. I didn't buy the Arcade Fire's album for a long time because it only came in a crappy cardboard case, but eventually gave in. That kind of casing does piss me off though. Both Takk... by Sigur Ros and Modern Times by Bob Dylan come in stupid presentation cases that don't fit on my shelf properly.

Der Golem:
Bad artwork doesn't bother me, it wouldn't deter me from buying a CD I know I want, but really good artwork might catch my eye and increase the cances of me buying the CD. Once I own an album however, the artwork itself makes little if any difference, at most I smile when I pick it up. (As is the case with most Ipecac releases)

space_oddity:

--- Quote from: DynamiteKid ---I didn't buy the Arcade Fire's album for a long time because it only came in a crappy cardboard case, but eventually gave in. That kind of casing does piss me off though.
--- End quote ---


This happened to me too, and I agree that CD casing is one area where homogeny is the best route.
I have to admit the artwork does have an effect on me, though it's mostly subconscious and only changes the amount of time it takes me to buy an album, not whether or not I actually will purchase it at all.
Really, great artwork enhances the experience more than bad artwork detracts from it. In the Court of the Crimson King, Odelay, and of course Dark Side of the Moon are already stupendous musical works, and the brilliance of their covers/liner notes only helps.
Where my ire rises is when I encounter disastrous lyrical arrangement in the liner notes (i.e. Siamese Dream), but that's still a small concern.

Some truly great covers, in my opinion, are those of Unknown Pleasures, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, Low, Spiderland, Daydream Nation, and F#A#Infinity.

*Sights*:

--- Quote ---Quite frankly, the artwork has absolutely nothing-to-fucking-do with whether or not I buy a CD. I'm buying music, not visual art.
--- End quote ---


Yes, but haven't you ever bought a cd just because of the artwork? There's a chance it sucks, but what if it was great? Discovering a good band just randomly like that would make it greater.

Personally, although i do think the artwork is important to enhance the musical experience, or to convey what "was the album about", i've never done what i said above. Mainly because i hate wasting my money.

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