Designer Andy Vella has been crafting album covers for over four decades, and his work has reached millions of households worldwide.

“It’s strange because every time I create a new album cover or logo for The Cure, someone eventually sends me a picture of a tattoo they’ve had done of it,” he shares.

“I’ve come across images of Robert Smith’s silhouette from ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ adorning people’s backs, thighs, and arms.”

When he encountered comedian Greg Davies, the latter exclaimed, “Did you design ‘Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me’?” and then knelt to bow before Vella. “I was so taken aback, and he just said, ‘Oh my God, that was on my wall while I grew up.'”

For his latest project, Vella has lent his celebrated design expertise to the charity War Child as part of its fundraising initiative to assist children affected by conflict.

Throughout his impressive design career, Vella has collaborated with a variety of musicians and authors, including Jeff Buckley and Margaret Atwood. Nevertheless, it is his partnership with the iconic goth band The Cure, often alongside lead singer Robert Smith, that he is most renowned for.

Vella’s journey began soon after The Cure was formed in Crawley in the 1970s.

While still enrolled in art school, Vella was contacted by guitarist Porl Thompson, who sought him out to photograph another band project he was involved with.

“He mentioned, ‘You’ve gained a reputation at school for your photography skills’… and coincidentally, he showed my work to Robert, and before I knew it, I was a mere 18 years old and was commissioned to design an album cover for The Cure,” he recounts.

That album was Faith, their gritty third release. Later on, Vella returned to craft the covers for some of the band’s most memorable works, such as 1989’s Disintegration, 1985’s The Head on the Door, and the chart-topping Songs of a Lost World from last year.

When developing a new design, Vella seeks “elements that resonate with the band’s essence, allowing you to riff off that inspiration.”

“Robert’s lyrics are incredibly motivating… often, just reading a single line can spark the beginning of something exceptional.”

It was this inspiration, along with the expansive and brooding nature of Songs of a Lost World, that helped Vella and Smith conceptualize the artwork, featuring a stone head statuette reclined on its side.

“The Cure’s sound remains as impactful and grand as it was in the 80s… thus, the album needed something substantial and poignant to embody that,” Vella observes.

However, he acknowledges that the final appearance of an album cover can result from unexpected occurrences, like when he was designing the cover for 1987’s Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me.

While the band was touring Brazil, Vella flew to Rio de Janeiro to seek approval for his new design—despite still being in the works.

With the idea of heavily painted lips and handwritten lettering on a separate transparent sheet, he found himself improvising with the layout in a taxi heading to the airport. “As we went over a speed bump, the acetate unexpectedly landed perfectly in the center of the sleeve,” he recalls.

“I’d always advise against placing text in the middle, especially at the top, but creatively I decided to stick it down with Sellotape, convinced ‘it’s worth a shot’,” he elaborates.

“When I presented it to Robert upon arrival in Rio, he exclaimed: ‘I love this, it’s fantastic! The typography placement is inspired!’”

“You can approach things in a very artistic manner, but sometimes it’s refreshing to let chance take control,” Vella laughs.

For his most recent project, Vella has designed a cover for the Secret 7″ initiative by War Child.

This initiative brings together 700 creative minds—including designer Sir Paul Smith, sculptor Antony Gormley, and Radiohead’s graphical collaborator Stanley Donwood—to produce unique, untitled album covers for songs by a selection of seven different artists, such as Sophie Ellis-Bextor, The Cure, Gregory Porter, and Scissor Sisters.

The collection of 700 records will be showcased at NOW Gallery in Greenwich Peninsula until early June, after which they will be auctioned, with all proceeds going to charity.

Buyers won’t learn which song they purchased or the designer behind the cover until after the auction concludes.

This isn’t Vella’s first involvement with Secret 7″; he has previously designed covers for renowned acts like The Rolling Stones, St. Vincent, and The Chemical Brothers.

Nevertheless, the pressure still looms large. “It can be overwhelming! One year, I found myself next to Peter Blake,” he admits.

“It’s a truly wonderful endeavor, and there’s a desire to create something remarkable to raise significant funds for War Child.”

Launched in response to the Bosnian genocide, War Child originally produced The Help Album in 1995, featuring artists such as Oasis, Radiohead, Suede, and Portishead. Today, War Child operates in over a dozen countries, assisting children in war-torn regions.

Vella describes his creative process as one that involves “painstakingly crafting about 20 versions that all fall flat” before reaching a “remarkable Eureka moment.”

That moment led him to a cover he views as “deep” and “highly significant”—although he’s not at liberty to disclose which song it represents.

He expresses pride in his participation: “It’s an impactful and meaningful cause, working to support children in conflict zones. It really illustrates how music and art can foster unity.”

The Secret 7″ exhibit can be seen at NOW Gallery, Greenwich Peninsula until June 1, after which the 700 album covers will enter a global online auction on the project’s website to benefit War Child.