Designing Playlist Artwork

From a photo and imagery perspective we strive to collaborate with creatives around the world to bring high-quality, diverse, and localized imagery to the Spotify platform. Our mission is to promote familiarity and representation in hopes that it is relatable and enhances the customer interaction and users experience.

Spotify is visual, and artwork is the entry point that connects users to content they love. Whether you’re into Turkish hip-hop, or a parent playing Baby Shark on repeat 3 days in a row, we want to provide the best experience possible. In addition to playlist branding, we collaborate with cross-functional product teams to elevate user experiences across our products to help make Spotify more engaging, accessible and relevant.

Stay true to the culture you’re dealing with, the artwork should feel authentic and respectful to the genre and its fans. Make sure that the artwork works both on- and off-platform, it needs to be clear both in small or large formats and feel consistent throughout the user journey whether you first see it on- or off-platform. Finally, be wary of trends, let them inform you of what people are into and what the landscape looks like, but seek your inspiration in historical contexts.