And finally, any round-up of the year’s best record sleeves would be incomplete without a mention of Leif Podhajsky. This year he took on the creative direction for Kelis’ latest release, Food, ditching his usual kaleidoscopic vernacular for a bold typographic treatment. There’s still a nod to his love of all things patterned on the vinyl itself, but the sleeve is a much more sober affair than we’re used to. Overlaying the album name on the artist’s face might not seem like that bold a move, but the result is one of the most striking we’ve seen in record stores recently, and demonstrates a real confidence to move away from Leif’s usual tried-and-tested style.

www.itsnicethat.com/articles/leif-podhajsky-kelis