Formats might come and go, but artwork remains a constant.

A strong image is still an important part of most album releases – whether they’re released on deluxe colored vinyl or a name your price download through Bandcamp. This year we’ve seen the expected (Björk’s Vulnicura was always going to look amazing), the unexpected (Shitro’s Nasty Dealer) and the just plain weird (Miley, obviously). These are our favourites.

Also read:

The 25 best reissues of 2015
The 10 best record labels of 2015
The 20 best free mixes of 2015
Trance was the sound of 2015, but don’t call it a revival

Arca
Mutant
Art: Jesse Kanda
(Mute)

Battles
La Di Da Di
Art: Dave Konopka
(Warp)

Björk
Vulnicura
Art: Mathias Augustyniak & Michael Amzalag
(One Little Indian)

Bricc Baby Shitro
Nasty Dealer
Art: Benjamin Marra
(Self-released)

Death’s Dynamic Shroud.wmv
I’ll Try Living Like This
Art: James Webster with Keith Rankin
(Dream Catalogue)

D.R.A.M.
Gahdamn!
Art: Kyro Wolf
(Atlantic / Wave)

Eartheater
RIP Chrysalis
Art: Eartheater
(Hausu Mountain)

Erykah Badu
But You Caint Use My Phone
(Control Freaq)

Various Artists
Visceral Minds
Art: Cyberlight
(Fractal Fantasy)

Good Willsmith
Snake Person Generation
Art: Max Allison
(Hausu Mountain)

Grimes
Art Angels
Art: Grimes
(4AD)

J.G. Biberkopf
Ecologies
Art: Joe Hamilton
(Knives)

Jenny Hval
Apocalypse, girl
Art: Lisbeth Vogler
(Sacred Bones)

Jlin
Dark Energy
Art: Fabian Harb
(Planet Mu)

Joanna Newsom
Divers
Art: Kim Keever
(Drag City)

Kendrick Lamar
To Pimp A Butterfly
Art: Vlad Sepetov
(Top Dawg Entertainment)

Lotic
Heterocetera
Art: Kyselina
(Tri Angle)

Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz
(Self-released)

Milkmakerz
The Anthemz
Art: Lukas ‘LeChuck’ Schaller
(Astral Black)

Nicole Dollanganger
Natural Born Losers
(Eerie Organization)

Not Waving
Get Serious
Art: Guy Featherstone
(Diagonal)

Nozinja
Nozinja Lodge
Art: Oval-X Eternal
(Warp)

Palmbomen II
Palmbomen II
Art: Joshua Gurrie
(RVNG)

Regis
Mainbait
Art: Val Denham
(Blackest Ever Black)

Slug Christ
The Crucifixion of Rapper Extraordinaire Slug Christ
Art: Ian Ried
(Awful Records)

Smackos
The Age of Cotton Candy
Art: Will Bankhead
(Berceuse Heroique)

Sunn O)))
Kannon
Art: Angela LaFont Bollinger
(Southern Lord)

Tame Impala
Currents
Art: Robert Beatty
(Interscope)

Trevor Jackson
Science Fiction Dancehall Classics
Art: Trevor Jackson
(On-U Sound)