Barbara Wojirsch (born 1940) is a German graphic designer known primarily for developing the visual style for album covers released by ECM Records.
[1] A realization that there are many good painters in the world led her to take up advertising for a short time, but she was disillusioned with the idea of telling people “things that aren’t true.”[2] In 1970, Wojirsch and her husband Burkhardt began designing covers for ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music), Manfred Eicher’s newly formed jazz recording label headquartered in Munich.
[2] By the time Wojirsch retired in the mid 1990s, she had designed more than 200 covers for ECM recording artists including Chick Corea, David Holland, Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny and Steve Reich.
[4][5] Wojirsch’s distinct aesthetic approach rooted in minimalism and modernism [6][7] complemented the clear, pristine sounds that are Eicher’s signature.
[2][6][3] Her distinct handwriting serves as the central graphic for a variety of albums including 80/81 by Pat Metheny Group and Tribute by Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette.