CRAP - Week Three

There are no rules to art.
But actually, there are, if you want it to be appealing. And in design, that's the point: making something that grabs attention and looks good. The obnoxiously named CRAP system is a universal tool for visual artists and designers that, whether intentional or not, is usually employed in good displays.
Here's some album art wherein the designers used CRAP principles:

Contrast
The Strokes - Is This It
This album art for the European release of the record shows the basics of contrast: black over white. The black glove pops out in the image, from both the pure white background and the white-tinted female form. The stark contrast of black on white is much more appealing, eye-catching and attractive than, say, a brown glove on a flesh coloured behind would be.

Repetition
The Used - Lies for the Liars
The repetition shown on this cover is the hair/tentacle effect used in the text and the image. The artist created a theme of... whatever those protrusions are supposed to be in the image and applied it to the text of the piece, creating an effective consistency to the album cover, as a whole.

Alignment
Michael Jackson - Bad
The designer's choice of aligning the text to the right side of the album, running sideways, allows for a good placement for a photograph of the artist. Although a simple cover, the placement of Jackson's name, the album title "Bad" and the artist makes for a great looking cover. The placement of the album's title is especially effective; "Bad" is almost an "anti-alignment," seemingly just pasted anywhere. It just happened to be the perfect spot.

Proximity
Weezer - Weezer (2008)
Known as the "Red Album," Weezer's 2008 release has the band on the bottom with simple text of the name on the top. The four members are close together, neatly lined up across the bottom. They are given equal positioning and distance, giving a visual sense of unity and neatness.

The CRAP principles are great for judging work. However, I feel as a part of the design process, the artist should not be worried, asking him or herself if there is enough repetition used. CRAP shouldn't hinder the process, but be used as a tool for review. With that, the best of both are employed: the artistic process is untainted, and the designed principles can be applied to punch up the first draft for maximum appeal. And a really good artist will likely use the principles instinctively.