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abacab

Record Sleeve
1981 (issued)
Artist/Maker
Charisma Records Ltd. (record label)
Genesis (band (ensemble))
Smith, Bill (designer)
Place of origin
Great Britain (issued)

Cardboard cover sleeve for the long-playing vinyl record 'abacab' by Genesis. Cover artwork depicts a collage of paper shapes (red, yellow, black, white and grey), embossed. The reverse features the track listing and a small Charisma Records logo.

Object details

Categories
Labels & Packaging
Music
Object type
Record Sleeve
Titleabacab (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Colour lithograph with embossing
Cardboard
Lithography
Embossing
Brief description
Cardboard cover sleeve for the long-playing vinyl record 'abacab' by Genesis. Cover artwork depicting a collage of paper shapes (red, yellow, black, white and grey). Colour lithograph with embossing. Design by Bill Smith. Issued by Charisma Records Ltd., 1981.
Physical description
Cardboard cover sleeve for the long-playing vinyl record 'abacab' by Genesis. Cover artwork depicts a collage of paper shapes (red, yellow, black, white and grey), embossed. The reverse features the track listing and a small Charisma Records logo.
Dimensions
  • Height: 31.5cm
  • Width: 31.5cm
Production typeMass produced
Gallery label
(2019)
These sketches trace the design journey from drawing to finished product, exposing the designer's thinking process on the page. Designers develop a visual concept which then meets the practical considerations of the layout, text, and how the sleeve looks in the crowded shelves of a record store. The Genesis sleeve faithfully reproduces the hand-made quality of the original design. Verhoeven's drawing created a story from small details.
Credit line
Given by Bill Smith
Historical context
Bill Smith has designed records sleeves since 1977. Genesis sketched the design for 'Abacab' after browsing through Smith's 'ideas' sketchbook. Smith worked-up different colour versions of the original Pantone collage. Four different colourways were eventually printed, each with 5 special Pantone Colours on special board with embossing. There were 200,000 - 300,000 in the limited edition. Smith appears to have used the Pantone sample swatched themselves for his collage.
Subject depicted
Collages
Associated objects
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.1729-1992

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Record createdMarch 18, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O201666/abacab-record-sleeve-genesis/
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