Illustrator and designer Aaron Lowell Denton’s artwork has captured the attention of some famous musicians including Devendra Banhart, John Maus, Stereolab, Tame Impala, The War on Drugs, Coin, Anemone, Makaya McCracken, and Manu Dia—all of which have commissioned him to create album covers.
His work has retro vibes with bright colors and abstract patterns. To achieve this nostalgic look, Denton uses gradients and surrealism to create his images.
He told It’s Nice That, “I like the challenge of representing an idea or sound with concrete imagery.”
Perhaps his most well-known work is his record cover for Texas Sun, a collaboration between the band Khruangbin and Leon Bridges, which was shown in Times Square for it’s release. The design helped him scale down his idea, with a more simple outcome, “It’s a simpler design then I’d typically do but it fits the vibe of that music well. It was a nice reminder that sometimes less really is more.”
His poster for a Stereolab show also differs from the rest of his work, but he’s super happy with the two-color artwork which features the band’s name in different shapes. His inspiration came from books on logo and typeface from different decades.
“I like to take on projects that feel slightly out of my wheelhouse. It’s fun to feel lost at the beginning of a commission and then find your way through.”
Check out more of his work below.
