DOTW-Roger Dean

February 11th, 2017

Roger Dean was born in Ashford, Kent on August 31, 1944. He spent his life moving around a lot because his father was in the British Army. He graduated from the Royal College of Arts, and has been living in East Sussex since 1972. Dean is responsible for many of the Yes album covers, in addition to Asia’s covers. I felt he was the perfect designer to look at because of the interesting style. It’s futuristic, colorful and full of energy while still causing a sense of calmness. Yes, a progressive rock band of the 60’s, shared music full of poetic lyrics instead of straight forward ones; this was the ‘progressive’ part of the band. These poetic elements are clearly seen in the album art. Strange hybrid creatures, unusual landscapes and environments, intense color; these are all very strong elements in Dean’s work. The band logo is the same psychedelic, expressive style.  His first album was for the Gun in 1968. It showed the same types of elements as seen in his Yes album designs. It had intense colors, strange creatures but instead of creating a sense of calmness as with the Yes albums, it had a feeling of chaos.

Dean was skilled in working with many different mediums. He uses watercolor, sketching painting, silk screening and even has done some architecture. You can read more about his innovative, ecofriendly designs here. Here are a few examples of the albums he created in addition to some of his paintings and other works. Note the common elements that Dean became famous for and see how he used them in each design. Here is The Online Roger Dean Gallery for more information about his work, life and where you can even buy items like books, t-shirts, mugs, posters and more!

Entry Filed under: Designer Of The Week