Skip to content

UDA Webinar 2025 Vol. 1 of 4

Seeing New Music: Contemporary Classical Music through the Eyes of a Graphic Designer

Denise Burt

Graphic Designer
Copenhagen, Denmark

Tuesday, February 25, 2025, 12:00 pm GMT



Copenhagen-based graphic designer Denise Burt has been on a unique discovery of contemporary classical music through her work designing covers for hundreds of art music releases over the last 20 years.

In this webinar she will share some personal stories of the design process behind a selection of her album designs. “What interests me is the challenge of finding a way to represent and communicate conceptual music to audiences. It’s the ultimate design task to try to make someone understand something about a piece of music before they have heard it.”


Hardback book with screen-printed cover, 72 pages, ISBN 978-87-997969-0-8 [Available on Amazon | Cantaloupe Music (US) | Dacapo Records (DK) | Saxo (DK) | from the author (signed copies available)


Webinar Contents

Introduction

JĂŒrgen Hefele
UDA Vice President of Design Practice
Faculty of Design at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences
Germany

Presentation

Denise Burt
Graphic Designer
Copenhagen, Denmark

Discussion with all attendees

Final Remark by Mediator


Composers and artists represented in Seeing New Music include:
Per NÞrgÄrd (DK), Paul Hillier (UK), Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen (DK), Jexper Holmen (DK), Anders Koppel (DK), Julia Wolfe (USA), Vagn Holmboe (DK), David Lang (USA), Michael Gordon (USA), Helene Gjerris (DK), Ejnar Kanding (DK), Frank Bretschneider (DE), Bent SÞrensen (DK), Morten Olsen (DK), Rune Glerup (DK) and Peter V. Swendsen (USA).


About Presenter

Denise Burt is an independent graphic designer based in Copenhagen, Denmark. She has designed over 300 album covers since 2003 for a wide range of international artists both new and well-established – including many Grammy and Pulitzer Prize winning composers and ensembles. 
In 2015, she published her book, ‘Seeing New Music’, telling the stories behind the creation of 24 CD covers. The Guardian’s Tom Service wrote, “Burt’s thoughtfulness, imagination and visual variety is an insight into what can happen when label, composer and artist are working in creative synergy”, while Eye Magazine noted, “Burt’s graphics respond to the radical nature of the music within … with a visual shorthand that promises a sensual, emotional experience as well as an intellectual one”.

www.elevator-design.dk
www.seeingnewmusic.com


In keeping with the UDA mission of celebrating global awareness and providing educational and professional opportunities in communication design, UDA offers webinars, one of many activities to develop our design awareness in society and culture.