The anatomy of a CD
Do-It-Yourself CD Cover Design
by Eryn Holbrook
As a band or solo artist, your CD cover is one of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal. If the cover looks unprofessional, or doesn't appear to match your style of music, you could lose a potential sale. In this article, graphic designer Eryn Holbrook explains how you can put together a great-looking CD cover from scratch.
About the author: Eryn Holbrook is an award-winning print and web designer. She designs CD covers, websites, and promotional items for independent recording artists throughout Canada.
The anatomy of a CD
Before we get into the specifics of CD design, it's important to know a few basic terms.
The cover/insert
The cover is what you see on the front of the CD and is part of the sleeve insert or booklet. The insert contains everything from track listings to lyrics and photos of the band. This is the piece that you can easily pull out of the jewel case.
The traycard
The traycard is the piece of paper that sits under the CD tray. It can't be removed without some effort. The traycard can be one- or two-sided and is folded at the sides to form the spine. Most CD manufacturers will give you the option of choosing a clear (transparent) tray or a black (opaque) tray. If you choose a clear tray, you'll need to design a two-sided traycard. When you take the CD out of the tray, you'll see whatever is on the reverse. If you use a black or opaque tray, you only need to worry about printing on the outside of the traycard.
The CD face
This is the graphic that is printed on the CD itself. Some manufacturers can only print single-colour line-art on the CD face while others can print full-colour images. Check with your CD manufacturer before creating a graphic for the CD face.