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Downtime is a rare commodity in any creative agency, and Article Ten is no exception. However, whenever we manage to carve out a little space between projects, we love to indulge in activities that fuel our creativity.
To keep the creative juices flowing and take a refreshing break from client work, our design team enjoys diving into small, fun challenges that sharpen our skills and spark new ideas
Recently, we decided to revisit an old favourite: The Album Cover Game, something I first encountered back in my uni days (which feels like a thousand years ago!).
This playful exercise involves creating fictional album covers using a completely randomised process, and it’s a fantastic way to flex our creative muscles. Here’s how it works:
How to Play ‘The Album Cover Game’
Start by visiting a random Wikipedia article. The title of this article becomes the name of your fictional band. (You can simply click [here] or go to Wikipedia and select “Random Article” from the left-hand navigation menu.)
Next, head over to the [Random Quotations] page. Click the “New Random Quotations” button at the bottom of the page. The title of your album will be the last 2–5 words of the final quote in the list.
To complete the look, visit a set of [random Flickr photos]. The third photo on the page is your album cover image—no matter what it is!
Now that you have your band name, album title, and artwork, it’s time to put them all together. Using design software like Photoshop, Illustrator, or even MS Paint, combine the elements to create a cohesive album cover. Typography, layout, and any additional artistic flair are entirely up to you!
Once finished, everyone presents their creations. The results are always wildly different, often hilarious, and occasionally so good that you wish the album were real!
The results from our recent Album Cover Game session were nothing short of brilliant. It was fascinating to see how each designer approached the challenge, transforming random elements into cohesive and visually striking covers. The activity gave us a chance to break away from the usual routine, experiment with new ideas, and, most importantly, have a laugh together.
In a creative environment, exercises like these are invaluable. Not only do they encourage us to think outside the box, but they also remind us that creativity often flourishes when you give it room to breathe—and what better way to do that than through a little random fun?
At Article Ten, we believe that these moments of play are just as important as the work itself. After all, creativity thrives when it’s nurtured, and sometimes, the best ideas come from the most unexpected places.
Get in touch to learn how we can create something brilliant together.
