Have you ever seen a picture or something kooky in the wild and said out loud, “Oh, that could be an album cover!”
Choosing an image to visually represent your music and grab people’s attention is no easy task. These 10 Christian music albums have excelled with colorful designs that combine their message with illustration, icons, and typography.
These covers do more than just look pretty on a screen or CD case (remember those?). They tell a story, set a tone, and take you somewhere unexpected.
Here are 10 album covers that don’t just deliver musically, they preach visually. So let’s hop into the list.
The King is Still the King | Chris Tomlin
The upcoming release features album art that continues a legacy of amazing designs from Chris Tomlin that have prepared us for worship visually before we even hit the play button.
The focal point of this illustration is exactly where it should be, in the center, on Jesus. A beautiful logo combines the crown of thorns with the crown of the King of Kings. Inscribed on the inside is the scripture reference Revelation 19:1-16. The verses describe the scene we will experience in heaven when we will sing songs of victory as evil is defeated and God’s children prepare for the wedding feast of the Lamb.
“Praise the Lord!
For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
Let us be glad and rejoice,
and let us give honor to him. | Revelation 19:6-7
The Message Behind the Art
The surreal landscape behind the logo fills the cover with vibrant color and texture, illustrating majestic mountains, crashing waves, lush greenery, supernatural sky, and what appears to be a holy city. It gives us feelings of a perfect creation and heavenly future.
We’re still waiting on the full track list for this album, but the first single, “How Good It Is,” celebrates our ability to sing praise. It reminds us that even those mountains, waves, and rocks cry out in praise to our God. We sing praise for what God has done in redemption at the cross, and we sing praise for what He will do as He continues to reign as King in our eternal future.
Old Church Basement | Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music
These guys stayed true to the album title. We’re right back in the wood-paneled Sunday School classroom, complete with a felt board Bible story and some watered-down Kool-Aid! The Old Church Basement album cover has a simple elegance that brings back feelings of nostalgia.
Who knew a 1980 something overhead projector could feel worshipful? The illumination of the bulb draws us in and seems to be directing our eyes and our minds toward heaven. The title track echoes the same message, calling us back to a time that was simpler and a place many people remember as the beginnings of their faith.
“I don’t see anything wrong with the lights or stagesI even love it when the crowd gets loud singing out God’s praisesBut every now and then it can get a little complicatedSo I remember when I was in that old church basement, singingHallelujah is all I needWhen I think of Your goodness and Your love for meOh, the joy of my salvationIs coming back to meIt’s just an old hallelujah with a new melody” | “Old Church Basement”The Message Behind the Art
Whether we’re at a technology-filled concert experience, a simple country church building, or driving to work, we can worship. Worship is where we find the treasures of God, and sometimes that’s in overhead projectors and old church basements.
Canvas | Colton Dixon
How many artists are on this album cover? Did you answer one? I’m going to argue there are at least 3.
- There’s Colton.
- There’s the work of the painter who turned Colton into art for this cover.
- There’s the artist that Colton is here to tell you about. Colton was taking this scripture seriously when he imagined the concept for this cover design.
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. | Ephesians 2:10
In his title song, “Canvas”, Colton writes
You turn a melody into a symphony
The painter and I will be Your canvas
You make a masterpiece out of the mess of me
You’re the Creator and I will be Your canvas
Colton’s stance is humble, looking down, hands crossed in a posture of prayer and availability. A yellow field of brush strokes fills the background, and then the red line carves across the cover, interrupting the scene, invading the artist standing in front of it.
The Message Behind the Art
God is the ultimate artist, and we are His canvas. When we allow ourselves to be used by Him, he interrupts our plans and brings us right into the center of the creative project He is working on.
The paint doesn’t always land where we thought it would, and the artwork may not look like what we had envisioned. But God’s plan is always perfect. He is busy creating a masterpiece that displays his glory, and He lets us come along for the adventure.
Citizen of Heaven | Tauren Wells
The first time I scrolled past this cover, I had to go back and take a second look! Then I had to show it to my co-workers.
It may be simple in style, but it grabs your attention and draws you into its story. The fluffy cloud takes our focus from Tauren and places it on the destination, heaven. The subtle shadow of the cloud on the ground, combined with the relaxed downward point of his shoes, gives us the idea that he is ascending toward his citizenship in Heaven.
It feels like Tauren is on a journey, knowing that this world is not his home. He’s waiting on the day Christ returns! The artwork is confident, creative, and smooth like the uplifting songs on this album. The bright color and fun message of this cover reflect the upbeat pop style of the music on its tracks. In the title track, “Citizen of Heaven”, Tauren sings,
The world’s screaming so loudWhen I’m locked to the middle of my doubtWhen I’m lost in the rythm of the crowdI hear Heaven calling meDon’t want to be another victimFalling prey to the systemWhen You’ve called me into the kingdom (hey!)I know I am a citizen of HeavenMy identity forever is Yours
The Message Behind the Art
Being a child of God defines who we are and changes the way that we live every day. We can overcome the voices of this world because we know who we are and what our future holds. Like Tauren’s pose on this cover, we can have confident freedom as we serve Jesus and wait for His return.
The Things That Got Us Here | Sidewalk Prophets
Like a skillfully woven story, the illustration details the personal journey that led the band Sidewalk Prophets to their 4th studio album release. Exploring the hand-drawn patterns, swashes, and swirls on this cover leads you to unexpected and hidden icons that describe “The Things That Got Us Here”.
“This album is a collection of stories, a collection of genuine reflections of what’s gotten us to this point in our lives. You think of all those things that fell apart in life, all the days you had doubts and fears, and the many miles you traveled to get where you think you’re supposed to be going; and you realize that all of that stuff—the good, the bad and the ugly—has brought you to where you are today.” | Dave Frey (Sidewalk Prophets frontman)
The Message Behind the Art
Their message of encouragement and joy, with a playful element of surprise, propels this band across the country to share their story in concert. This band is full of heart (the central design element of this illustration) and proclaims they’ve spent more days on the road than anywhere else. (I’m sure many of the early days were spent in the van intertwined in the swirls of the cover.)
Psalm 150 is inscribed on the banner in the center, proclaiming a loud HALLELUJAH! to the faithfulness of God in their journey. You can’t help but “Smile” and be filled with joy after an experience with this album. 😉
Jesus Music | CAIN
One look at this cover and you know you are in for a joy-filled, devil-defeating, Jesus-praising, glory to God, color-coordinated adventure of worship.
This sibling band is known for their infinite kaleidoscope of costume changes, and this album perfectly captures that sentiment. The collage cut-out style cover combines bright color, photography, nature and illustration in the same unexpected way, the album combines pop, retro, and country with sentiment, nostalgia, and heart.
The contagious joy radiating in this cover art is an overflow from the hopeful spirit of the music that brings people to Jesus and makes them want to be a part of it. Even other Christian artists were quick to join in when CAIN invited them to be a part of the music video for the title track, “Jesus Music”. Legends of CCM like Mac Powell, Chris Tomlin, Bart Millard, Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, Casting Crowns, and more all jumped in to declare the 10,000 reasons you should sing along.
Power | We Are Messengers
The cover of “Power” all started when a kid in Bolivia, named Juan, came to lead singer Darren Mulligan with a T-shirt idea. The image portrayed Jesus in the garden before his crucifixion. Knowing what he was about to experience on the cross, Jesus looks up to heaven and receives power by submitting to the will of the Father. An image, Darren says, “perfectly portrays the core theme of the album.” Hear him tell the story himself ⬇️
The cover is full of high contrast elements in bold black and white. The simple design style uses subtle variety in the width of the lines and the texture of the artwork. The art feels powerful and communicates the sense of awe and humility found in the music.
The Message Behind the Art
The lyrics from this album remind us that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us. When we fix our eyes on Jesus, we can persevere through anything that comes our way in life. With the power of Jesus, there’s nothing that can knock us down.
Church Clothes Vol. 2 | Lecrae
This iconic cover mixes angles and curves to create a beautiful grid of high contrast colors that gives you plenty to explore.
The curved hanger and angled hem of the “Lecrae” shirt begin the pattern that the other icons repeat, building a design that feels effortlessly organized and energetic. Lecrae’s purpose-driven album art illustrates a lot about his identity while challenging the concept of our identity in Christ. The Atlanta Braves cap is a shout-out to his Georgia hometown. 116 shows up twice and is the name of the Hip-Hop group from Reach Records that Lecrae is a member of, along with Tedashii and Andy Mineo. The numbers come from Romans 1:16.
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.
The 11six logo that appears on the jeans label is also tattooed on Lecrae’s arm. The message of the verse is loudly proclaimed throughout the album lyrics. Lecrae doesn’t deny the difficult things of his past or the culture that surrounds him. He uses them to illustrate the life he came and wants to make sure people know that He believes Jesus is the way to new life.
Let’s just say I saw the lightLet’s just say I heard the truthLet’s just say I ain’t the same no moreI’m out here looking newLet’s just say I left the gameTake my jersey, I retiredLet’s just say I’m at the game Put me in I’m on fireBoy!My whole life changed
Message Behind the Art
Lecrae’s Church Clothes album series strives to overcome the belief that you need to act or look a certain way to be welcome in a church building. Church clothes challenge us in its album art and music to know who God made us to be and to accept each other for what’s on the inside instead of judging a person by their appearance.
A Hundred Highways | Zach Williams
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This cover feels like it’s lived its own life, and it’s got stories to tell! Those boots have done a lot of walking, and Zach’s gaze into the distance makes us think he’s reflecting on the places he’s been and the roads he’s traveled.
Sometimes life speeds by like a smooth highway. Sometimes it moves slowly like a dirt road and can be tough to navigate. The image and the music on this album testify that no matter where you’ve been and what you’ve been through, there’s hope in Jesus.
The title of the album came from a lyric in the song “Lookin’ for You”, where Zach tells us that
Down a hundred highways of empty pursuit
And a thousand foolish things I went through
Didn’t know it back then, but now I do
I was lookin’ for You
Message Behind the Art
Zach found what He was looking for in Jesus and now spends days out on the road bringing revival with his fusion of southern rock and country soul. Like the style of this album cover, people connect to his music because it feels real. He has an authentic style that doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not.
He also wants you to know that what Jesus has done for you is real, too.
“I’ve been down a hundred highways and lived a lot of life in a short amount of time, and the one thing that I’ve known over all of these years is that it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what you’ve done, or what you’re going through. There’s only love in the heart of God.”
Zach Williams stopped by our studios and shared a God moment about how this album got it’s name along with more stories about the idea behind the art for his albums.
Burn the Ships | for KING + COUNTRY
If I had to use one word to describe this album cover, it would have to be “Epic”. (Which perfectly describes the vibe of these brothers anyway.)
The photo, taken in Ireland, feels like it’s straight out of a cinematic masterpiece. The large open white space at the top and bottom emphasizes the cinematic feel by creating an image that is formatted in widescreen and encourages you to focus on the beautiful colors and textures of the landscape.
Even subtle placement of the band name and title makes sure the EPIC image takes center stage. The composition beautifully balances the photo of Joel and Luke with the natural wonders behind them, and the attention to detail in their wardrobe finishes off the scene perfectly. This beautiful album art showcases the band’s commitment to excellence in everything they do.
The album art is not the only thing that can be described as EPIC when we’re talking about the album Burn the Ships.
- EPIC FACT #1 The music video for Burn the Ships includes an EPIC explosion scene illustrating the concept of the song. The video was also filmed on the ship Lady Washington which was featured as The Interceptor in the film Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
- EPIC FACT #2 The album has 10 tracks orchestrated to tell stories of hope and 5 of those tracks reached #1 in radio.
View this post on Instagram - EPIC FACT #3 Burn the Ships took home the Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album in 2020 and reached #1 on Billboard’s Christian albums chart.
So the next time someone says, “Don’t judge an album by its cover,” you can kindly disagree.
These covers prove that sometimes the art on the outside gives you a hint at the truth and beauty waiting inside. Which albums did we forget? Comment below.
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Jennifer loves to spend time hanging out and playing games with friends. She can often be found with her husband and two boys exploring new places, eating out and watching movies.
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