The latest #1 album ‘Education, Education, Education & War’ from Leeds band Kaiser Chiefs has raised more than a few eyebrows, not for its musical content but in relation to the cover artwork.
“Inspired” by the Sturmey-Archer logo, it’s claimed the design pays homage to Britain’s heritage but general manager Alan Clarke of the firm, founded in 1902, which manufactures internal gear hubs disagrees, dubbing the band ‘Kaiser Thiefs’.
The subject of creative inspiration / homage versus blatant rip-off is a prickly one at the best of times. It’s often said that there’s no such thing as an original idea and that every idea worth having has been had thousands of times already. Designers are frequently accused, unfairly in most cases, of simply reimagining what has gone before.
However, most casual observers might think that describing the cover artwork of Kaiser Chiefs’ latest offering as a “homage” might just be stretching it a bit…
Ironically, a few years prior to the album’s release, the assets and trademarks of Sturmey-Archer were sold to Sun Race of Taiwan and production subsequently moved there.
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