Dezeen Magazine

Cover for new Beck album Colors is designed to be customised

British graphic designers Jimmy Turrell and Steve Stacey have created a customisable record sleeve for Beck's new album Colors, which buyers can assemble into whatever pattern they choose.

Keen to reflect the album's title visually, the London-based graphic designers devised a sleeve that is made up of layers of different coloured transparencies.

These layers, which were created using die cutting, can be assembled in different formations – allowing listeners to create their own bespoke cover. The two vinyl LPs inside are also boldly coloured in contrasting red and blue hues.

"The album is a collection of experimental pop tracks," Turrell told Dezeen. "It's music that makes you want to dance, is joyous and has been created specifically to be played out live."

"In a visual sense we wanted to run with that. So we went for punchy, geometric shapes and primary colours jammed together in a fun, almost childlike manner, but hopefully with a certain edge."

The customisable sleeve is reserved for the "deluxe" version of the record. The designers created a second cover for the standard edition, which features a black and white image of Beck covered in yellow and purple shapes.

Turrell had previously worked with Beck on a lyric video for the single Wow, which has had more than six million plays on YouTube.

Lyric videos – which are built around the lyrics of a track – have become an increasingly popular format of music video over the last few years, and Turrell has also made one to accompany the Colors single Dear Life.

Employing a similar aesthetic to the album's cover art, it sees colourful overlays combined with scenic shots of built-up cities and natural landscapes.

"I worked very closely with Beck on every aspect of the artwork from its initial conception until completion," he said. "Beck really knows his stuff when it comes to graphic design as a whole so he was never short on bringing ideas to the table."

Colors is Beck's first album since 2014's Morning Phase, which was awarded best album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. The musician, born Bek David Campbell, is known for his eclectic style, and rose to fame with his breakthrough single Loser in 1994.

Turrell studied at London's Central Saint Martins university, and has gone on to work alongside companies including Universal Music, Nike, Colette, Lexus, Pentagram, Levi's and MTV.

He describes his work as a combination of "handmade collage, drawing, screen-printing and painting alongside digital techniques", and takes inspiration from old record labels, musicians and his home in London.

Musicians frequently collaborate with the same graphic designers to create album artworks and videos.

The late David Bowie had a longstanding relationship with Jonathan Barnbrook, which saw him create five covers for the musician, including the artwork for his final album Blackstar – released just before his death.