Description

Daft Punk spent their career hidden inside robot helmets, and on Random Access Memories the helmets are the whole cover. The silver helmet of Thomas Bangalter and the gold helmet of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo are joined down the middle into a single face, set against black. It is the first and only Daft Punk studio album cover that does not use the duo's own logo, and the title sits in small script in the top left corner, a treatment that recalls Michael Jackson's Thriller.

The image was the work of Cédric Hervet, the duo's longtime creative director, who helped with art direction and cover art on nearly all of their major releases. The split helmet first appeared on Daft Punk's website and became the recurring symbol of the campaign, shown on billboards and in teasers months before anyone heard the music. Even the vinyl labels carried the classic yellow and red Columbia design of the 1970s and 1980s, fitting a record made with session players and studio techniques from that era.

The retro elegance matched the music, which swapped samples for live musicians such as Nile Rodgers and Giorgio Moroder. Released on 17 May 2013, the album was led by "Get Lucky" and went on to win the Grammy for Album of the Year. Its cover, two halves of one machine, became the last great image of a duo that announced its split in 2021.

Credit

Creative direction and cover art by Cédric Hervet