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Production editor David Elliott on 2009's best album covers

Where else could you find an image of a lonely man taking tentative steps into a colourful world of hexagonal psychedelia, a controversial painting by artist Jenny Saville that sparked a supermarket censorship row and an artwork depicting a pop chanteuse whose respiratory system is visible under a flimsy, see-through blouse?

The winners of the Best Art Vinyl 2009 competition, in which an online poll determined the 50 best album covers of last year, certainly all showcase the diversity, creativity and innovation that exists in the design of a packaging format that remains under constant threat from internet downloads. But it was this cover in particular, placed at number 11, for the album Merriweather Post Pavillion by American folk-rock group Animal Collective that caught my eye.

Designed by Japanese psychology professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka, the attention-grabbing optical illusion is somewhat apt for a band known for its experimental output, but don’t pore over that wriggling foliage for too long – it could leave you feeling a tad queasy. In the words of Kitaoka’s website, should you feel dizzy, you had better leave this page immediately.