Q. David Browne of The New York Times recently pointed out a distinct progression in the way album covers are designed. This is a sequential sampling of album covers used by the Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1984. What has changed?

A. As we transition from the traditional album cover (a 12×12 image) and CD cover (a 5×5 image) to a tiny app sized image on your iPod, covers are now more boldly and simply designed as they are significantly easier to identify in the smaller format. The last cover (on the far right), designed by Damien Hirst, is a perfect example of the new approach.

You may also notice that there has been a similar trend in the evolution of many logos.