Stuart Murdoch's Visual World: Belle & Sebastian's Album Art Evolution Over 30 Years

Stuart Murdoch, Belle & Sebastian's creative director, crafted the band's visual identity from their 1996 debut. The iconic blue-washed cover of 'Tigermilk' emerged after Murdoch abandoned appearing on it himself, instead photographing Joanne Kenney with a tiger toy in a bath. Working with designer Andrew Divine in pre-digital Glasgow, they used early Photoshop and drew inspiration from Blue Note jazz sleeves. For 1998's 'The Boy with the Arab Strap', the emerald green cover captured Chris Geddes being accidentally impaled with a sword during a video shoot in Ayrshire. Murdoch pursued specific visuals intensely, even traveling to Iceland to photograph twin musicians Gyða and Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir for 2000's 'Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant'. His original political title for that album was rejected. The 2005 compilation 'Push Barman to Open Old Wounds' featured black-and-white artwork inspired by graffiti in the Glasgow School of Art toilets. By 2006's 'The Life Pursuit', Murdoch shifted to a stylized filmic aesthetic, leading a team including Marisa Privitera on a Highlands photoshoot. He transitioned to medium-format Hasselblad cameras by 2010's 'Write About Love'. In 2018, 'How To Solve Our Human Problems' involved photographing 50 fans in a London studio. Murdoch cites 2013's 'The Third Eye Centre' as a definitive artefact, capturing the vibe of a lost Glasgow cultural institution. The band is currently on a 30th-anniversary tour.