When Kanye West dropped The Life of Pablo in 2016, the internet basically had a collective meltdown. Not just because the music was a chaotic, gospel-infused masterpiece, but because that orange-peach square staring back at us from Tidal looked like it was made in five minutes by a toddler with a copy of Microsoft Word. It was messy. It was crowded. Honestly, it was kind of an eyesore at first glance.
But years later, the life of pablo album cover is arguably one of the most influential pieces of art in the digital age. It signaled a shift from "finished products" to "living art." If you look closely, that cluster of overlapping Helvetica text and those two tiny, disconnected photos tell a story of a man caught between two worlds.
Who actually designed the cover?
Most people assume Kanye just threw this together on his laptop while flying to Madison Square Garden. Not quite. The cover was actually designed by Peter De Potter, a Belgian artist known for his long-time collaboration with fashion designer Raf Simons.
De Potter isn't your typical "music industry" graphic designer. He’s an artist who specialized in a sort of "Tumblr-esque" collage aesthetic long before it was cool. He uses a lot of found imagery, screengrabs, and raw, unpolished text. When Kanye tapped him, he wasn't looking for a polished portrait like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. He wanted something that felt like a protest poster or a frantic notebook entry.
The "Wholesome vs. Hoesome" Duality
The most famous part of the life of pablo album cover is the contrast between the two images. It’s a literal visual of the album's internal conflict.
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In the bottom left corner, you see a grainy, vintage wedding photo. That’s actually a picture from the wedding of Kanye’s parents, Ray and Donda West. It represents the "sacred"—family, tradition, roots, and the memory of his late mother.
Then, you have the other photo.
It’s a shot of a model’s backside. Specifically, it’s British model Sheniz Halil. Fun fact: Kim Kardashian allegedly helped pick the photo because she thought Halil had the "best" look for the vibe they were going for. This represents the "profane"—the fame, the lust, the superficiality of the Los Angeles lifestyle Kanye was grappling with.
The phrase "WHICH ONE" is plastered all over the orange background. Kanye is literally asking the listener (and himself): which life am I living? Am I the family man or the superstar? The saint or the sinner?
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Why that specific shade of orange?
People have spent way too much time trying to figure out the hex code for that orange. It’s not quite safety orange, and it’s not quite peach. It’s a jarring, high-contrast color that was meant to pop on a smartphone screen. In an era where we started consuming everything through a 5-inch glass rectangle, that color was a genius marketing move. You couldn't miss it.
It wasn't just one cover
Kanye being Kanye, he didn't just stop at one version. Because he kept "fixing" the album—adding tracks like "Saint Pablo" and tweaking the mix on "Wolves"—the cover evolved too.
- The First Version: Featured just the family photo and the messy text.
- The Second Version: Added the model (Sheniz Halil) and more layers of the "WHICH ONE" text.
- The "Final" Version: The one we see on streaming now, which is a more balanced collage of both worlds.
This was the birth of the "Living Album." Before TLOP, an album cover was a static thing. Once it was printed, it was done. Kanye treated the life of pablo album cover like a software update.
The Helvetica Influence
The font used is Helvetica Bold. It’s the most "nothing" font in the world—it’s used for subway signs, tax forms, and corporate logos. By using such a utilitarian font and just copy-pasting it over and over, De Potter created a sense of urgency. It looks like a flyer you’d see taped to a telephone pole for a missing dog or a basement punk show.
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This DIY aesthetic triggered a massive wave in graphic design. Suddenly, every "cool" brand on Instagram was using unaligned text and raw, unfiltered photos. It made "ugly" the new "authentic."
What this means for you today
If you’re a creator, the life of pablo album cover is a lesson in not overthinking the "polish." Sometimes, the raw, unfinished version of an idea communicates more than a $50,000 photoshoot ever could.
Key takeaways from the Pablo era:
- Authenticity over perfection: The "messiness" of the cover made it feel human.
- Duality sells: Contrast creates tension, and tension creates interest.
- Adaptability: Don't be afraid to change your "final" product if the art demands it.
If you want to really understand the impact, go back and look at album covers from 2014-2015, then look at what came after 2016. The shift toward "anti-design" is everywhere.
Next steps for your own projects:
Take a look at your current brand or creative project. Are you hiding behind "perfect" filters? Try stripping it back. Use a basic font, leave the edges rough, and see if the message hits harder when it’s not hidden under a layer of professional gloss. If you're looking for the specific color values to use in a design tool, the closest match to the "Pablo Orange" is typically HEX #F38060.