Award-winning singer and songwriter Taylor Swift doesn’t just release iconic hits; her artistic flair stretches to her album cover art too. Unsurprisingly, cover art plays a part in the marketing of an album, often inspiring fans to post a selfie with the album or even recreate the shot. Of course the track list is what makes an album truly special, but the cover itself can make it especially memorable. As such, we’ve compiled this list of all 15 Taylor Swift album covers, ranked worst to best.
15. Taylor Swift, 2006
We can almost forgive this album cover with the reasoning that this was Swift’s first album, but that doesn’t excuse the awkwardness oozing from the artwork.
At this point in her early career, she was being marketed as a country singer, so what’s with the beach-vibes and tropical coloring to the background? Also there are butterflies for some reason? This album cover feels like the designer went a little crazy on Photoshop and didn’t know when to stop retouching.
14. The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection, 2007
Another victim to the overly re-touched photoshoot is this classic Taylor Swift holiday album released in 2007.
The stark whiteness of her eyes and the impossibly smooth forehead that even a teenage Taylor wouldn’t have been able to achieve is all a bit too much. All of that combined with the styling of the make up actually makes Taylor look much older than she is.
The Christmas decoration embellishments look like an afterthought as well, creating what is an all-round dated and cringeworthy bit of cover art.
13. Fearless, 2008
The design for Fearless isn’t a terrible cover, but it is clichéd and a bit boring.
It mirrors a lot of other female pop stars of the early-to-mid 2000s — think Britney Spears, Carrie Underwood, or Shania Twain — with its basic ‘nude’ color scheme and Taylor’s hair tousled by a wind machine. Fearless is, again, a victim to an overzealous photo editor who seems determined to make Taylor look like she is softer and smoother than humanly possible.
The main reason it is so low on the list, however, is that it doesn’t really tell you anything about the music; which is a shame, because Fearless is an award-winning album worthy of a much better cover.
12. Speak Now, 2010
Speak Now has a great splash of color and a really girly vibe for its album artwork.
We see that classic red lipstick Taylor loves so much, and a flirty side-eye to camera which gives you an idea of what the music inside may hold. This feels like one of the last album covers to show Taylor as a country-pop star girl before she moves on to a slightly more mature look and sound.
It is an attractive cover, but some may overlook it if they are hoping for something a bit more angsty.
11. Fearless (Taylor’s Version), 2021
Comparing this cover to Taylor’s first ‘Fearless’ release, you can see how it should have been done before.
The ideas behind the previous album cover can really be seen here. It’s dreamy, with a touch of vintage thanks to the sepia tone. She doesn’t look too airbrushed, and there is some lovely detail in the creasing of her blouse and the wildness of her hair.
We can see that Taylor still took inspiration from the 2008 version, but changed it up to make it a fraction more interesting.
10. Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), 2023
If the first version of Speak Now was the lovestruck young girl, this would be the wiser older sister.
The side-eye has been replaced with a more challenging and almost disappointed glance over her shoulder. The signature purple of the first version is still there, but isn’t treated like the main subject. Instead, it plays more of a supporting role for Miss Swift.
The pose, along with the soft browns of the backdrop, give a kind of 1970s professional portrait vibe, but it’s done in a way that isn’t ageing for the young star.
9. Lover, 2019
Lover’s album cover features a main shot that has a more dreamy but candid feel than previous albums shown here.
Taylor’s hair sweeps across the side of her face, and her eyes are downcast. Perhaps she is looking at her cats, or at all her music awards. Whatever she is staring at below her, the pastels and summer sunset hues give us happy, romantic, and relaxed vibes.
In fact, the cover is a perfect match for the songs hidden inside, perfectly encapsulating what an album cover should strive to do.
8. Red (Taylor’s Version), 2021
Taylor’s version of her Red album gives us a cover with full-on Fall feels.
Taylor wears a camel-colored coat and rust-red hat, all in soft velvet textures. She wears that iconic red lipstick, but with orange undertones perfect for this shoot. The autumnal aesthetic mirrors her first version of Red, but with more maturity.
It’s a pleasant cover, but it doesn’t have the same iconic status as some of the top picks in this list.
7. Red, 2012
This version of Taylor Swift’s Red album gave us the first glimpse of that iconic red lipstick we all know so well.
This album cover is high on the list for its iconic status, given that Red was many fans’ first album. It is one of those album covers that epitomizes the phrase ‘simple but effective’. Just like we have seen in covers previously, Swift is lost in thought as she gazes downward, a hat casting a shadow on her face with only her lipstick on show.
Its warm tones and simple design gives it a timeless feel.
6. Evermore, 2020
This is one of the first album covers in which we don’t see Taylor’s face, with the other being Folklore which was also released in 2020.
The attractive thing about this cover for me is that it isn’t too polished; it’s cozy and relatable. Her braid hanging down her back is uneven and a bit messy, and her orange and brown check jacket is slightly too big for her.
The cover art gives the impression that the music inside is something you could happily listen to as you sit toasting marshmallows by the campfire.
5. Folklore, 2020
Folklore’s album cover art seems like a real departure for Taylor, but it works wonderfully to help the record stand out.
In a soft greyscale, the artwork evokes woodland walks in the winter and cold hands in woolen mittens. The album itself is Swift’s most indie work to date too, so this album cover really feels like a wonderful match.
It is the type of cover to perhaps attract a music lover who would not ordinarily choose to listen to a Taylor Swift album. Plus, it is a really interesting cover for Taylor swift specifically, particularly because the focus is not really on Taylor but rather on the trees around her.
4. Midnights, 2022
There is a lot to love about the Midnight cover.
The layout is a brave change from covers we normally see, and the image is more like what we would see on the back of an album. All tracks are right there on the front, and, along with the album title above, depicted in beautiful blue hues as if fading from dusk to dawn.
The shot of Taylor is in soft focus as she stares at the flickering flame in her hand, giving us an image of someone lost in their thoughts… And not all of them are good.
3. Reputation, 2017
Reputation delivers yet another iconic album cover from Taylor, and this time is brought to us in stark black and white.
If you look at this cover and think the music inside will be angsty pop with shades of rock, you wouldn’t be far off. It is still quintessentially Swift, but with a notably harder edge. The cover art has Taylor with slicked-back hair, slightly hunched (classic Taylor) and staring you down. Taylor Swift’s name is in newspaper-style fonts printed repeatedly, throwing shade at the obsessive tabloids.
I also love how her lipstick, although shown as black, is clearly her signature red, retaining her personality even without an abundance of color.
2. 1989, 2014
1989 is another icon of an album cover, full of some of her most popular songs.
The Polaroid-style shot on the front is recognizably Taylor Swift, despite the fact the top of her head is cut off. What really earned this album the number two place on our list, however, is its retro aesthetic. It is a super simple, but creative image which is rumored to have caused the 500% increase in Polaroid sales over the last ten years.
The nostalgic feel is really attractive, as is the personal touch of “T.S 1989” written by Taylor herself.
1. 1989 (Taylor’s Version), 2023
Finally, the first place slot goes to 1989: Taylor’s Version set for release October 27, 2023.
As we have seen with previous ‘Taylor’s Version’ albums, Swift has taken the former 1989 album artwork and given it a fresh new feel. The cover has similar white, blue, and lilac coloring, but this time we see Taylor’s whole smiling face and the seagulls are flying free behind her.
Taylor has clearly been looking forward to rerecording this album, and we share her joy when seeing this new cover art. It seems to represent the freedom and happiness Swift is now experiencing with her career, and that remains true no matter how many times you look at the artwork.
Taylor Swift is the queen of marketing, and this upcoming album, 1989: Taylor’s Version, is no different. If you want to be a part of the fun of this re-release, you can check out our guide on what exactly is in the 1989 Taylor Swift Vault and join in the celebration!
