Van Halen’s 1984 album cover broke from heavy metal’s usual over-the-top designs, offering a memorable image of a baby angel holding cigarettes that was edgy yet subtle. Unfortunately, this originality didn’t carry through to the inner and back covers, which fell into predictable Orwellian clichés. The futuristic band photo, blocky “1984” font, and black-and-white shot resembling a mass of CCTV cameras were all intended to suggest constant surveillance but ended up feeling unoriginal. Though not as unique as the main cover, the entire design effectively captured the tension of the era, making 1984 visually and thematically powerful