VISIONARY

Vaughan Oliver, Iconic 4AD Album-Cover Designer, Dead at 62

The artist was behind the look of The Pixies’ “Doolittle” and “Trompe Le Monde,” and The Breeders’ “Last Splash.”

Vaughan Oliver, whose iconic album-cover designs influenced generations of graphic designers and artists, has died at the age of 62, according to the British record label 4AD. No cause of death was given. Oliver’s abstract covers graced the albums of dozens of bands including The Pixies, Cocteau Twins, Modern English, the Breeders, and His Name Is Alive. Ivo Watts-Russell, who founded 4AD in London in 1980, said the record company would not be the same without him. “And it’s no understatement to say that his style also helped to shape graphic design in the late 20th century,” he wrote.“Vaughan Oliver taught me to appreciate quality. He taught me how to look at the physical world.”