Reid Miles

Before American designer Reid Miles, vinyl LPs came packaged in a brown paper envelope. Reid is credited as one of the artists who created modern “designed” album covers. Over the course of a 12-year stint with Blue Note records, he created some of the most compelling and beautiful covers for jazz artists. Utilizing shapes, colors and great typography, Reid’s designs are memorable and timeless. He had a contentious creative partnership with Blue Note co-owner Francis Wolff, who provided the incredible photography featured on many of the covers.

Throughout the 1950s and 60s, Reid Miles designed almost 500 album covers, often in just one or two colors. He received just $50 per cover on a fixed commission with Blue Note Records.