Inside the box

Judging an Album by Its Cover

Los Angeles-based artist Pilar Zeta is a lifelong student of neo-classical sculpture, time travel, gods, and the planets. Her current installation for The Box at The Standard, Hollywood, 'Portal to 4D Knowledge', uses sacred geometry and ancient knowledge to create a space that is a gateway to higher understanding and intuition.

Pilar is also a prolific album cover designer, as the co-founder (with Jimmy Edgar), of an experiential record label called Ultramajic. Her designs are as distinctive as the music they represent and she's a master of her craft, so we asked her to pick some of her favorite album covers of all time. Here's what she came back with:

Sylvester - Do You Wanna Funk (1982)

"I love this artwork so much. The combination of funk, airbrush, and Egypt with fashion elements bring this whole aesthetic to the next level. Very inspiring. Plus the airbrushed technique is amazing."


Wire - 154 (1979)

"I am obsessed with how simple and powerful this artwork looks. It's one of my biggest inspirations when I do minimal design. Strong colors, clean lines. Perfection."


Oneohtrix Point Never - R Plus 7 (2013)

"I love the basic 3D vibe. It says a lot with so little. Also the colors are very intriguing. Fits great with the music. This artwork is based on a Swiss short film called Le Ravissement De Frank N. Stein from 1981. Very strong graphic content."


Pink Floyd - Dark Side of The Moon (1973)

"What happens if you mix a rainbow with a moon and a triangle? Of course, the most iconic album artwork of all ages. Not much I can say here, just excellence in every angle."


Howard Johnson - The Vision (1985)

"I am not a big fan of photographs in album covers but I love Howard Johnson, and this cover is just magic. The colors are great, the composition impeccable. The statue, him smiling, makes it really feel-good-vibes. I wish more artists would smile on their covers."


Jimmy Edgar - This Ones for the Children (2011)

"I love this cover because it is the first design collaboration I did with Jimmy Edgar, and there's a special story behind how it all came together. It's a tribute to Omni Magazine, the issue the year Jimmy was born and all the keywords we put together to make this design, it's a pure manifestation of its own."


Pilar Zeta's installation for The Box at The Standard, Hollywood, Portal to 4D Knowledge, will be on display through mid-February. A public reception celebrating the installation will be held at the hotel on Thursday, January 22nd at 7pm.

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