Chester Valentino was a pseudonym for OMD's then-manager Paul Collister.
The initial sleeve design featured a die-cut grid that revealed the inner sleeve.The
album title was simply a sticker on the sleeve front.
Ben Kelly had originally suggested the idea of using perforated sheet steel as a design idea to Peter Saville. Kelly had already used the same material as part of the design for Mr Howie - a boutique based in Covent Garden, London.
Peter Saville once commented that "Talking Heads' Fear Of Music cover
is the first definitive high-tech sleeve. The OMD sleeve is the UK version of
the same thing. It is a perforated sheet metal pattern cut out of cardboard. It
is the moment at which fashion comes in to play on design. Very clever that cover".
The original sleeve design featured a blue outer sleeve combined with an orange inner with a 12 x 12 die-cut grid. When Peter Saville realised that the printers could change the colour combinations
every 10,000 copies at no extra cost he opted for a black/pink variation. When DinDisc realised that OMD fans were buying the second version they asked for a third design. The complete sleeve variations
were as follows:
- 12 x 12 die-cut grid. Blue outer and orange inner sleeve.
- 12 x 12 die-cut grid. Black outer and pink inner sleeve.
- 10 x 10 die-cut grid. Grey outer and orange inner sleeve.
- 10 x 10 die-cut grid. Blue outer and orange inner sleeve.
Saville also rectified an earlier mistake by reducing the 12 x 12 grid scheme to 10 x 10 to prevent the inner sleeve from falling out.
The design of the inner sleeve was also subtly altered for some
releases. The first design featured the credits in a black 'L' shape
on both the front and back of the inner sleeve. Some releases rotated
the 'L' shape 90 degrees anti-clockwise but shrank the type for
the credits so they appeared on one side only.
After the die-cut sleeves were exhausted they were replaced with a plain sleeve
that used the design featured on the cassette release.
The inner sleeve also provided an address for an information service. People
who wrote in received a letter plus free badges and stickers.
The run-out grooves on the record read "Easy on the white noise"
on side one while side two reads "The words are on the ceiling".
The run-outs also have another cryptic message: "A porky prime cut",
but this actually refers to the person who pressed the record.
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