We have had the pleasure to interview John Heiden and Jeri Heiden, art designers of many Madonna albums and maxisingles.

John's most famous work with Madonna is the cover logo art for THE IMMACULATE COLLECTION. And Jeri's most famous work with Madonna is the sleve for TRUE BLUE album.

Jeri's first works were signed with her single name, Jeri McManus. Later Jeri McManus Heiden and finally Jeri Heiden.
Here are some Jeri's designs for Madonna: LIKE A VIRGIN, TRUE BLUE, YOU CAN DANCE, LIKE A PRAYER and THE IMMACULATE COLLECTION albums. Also some maxisingles as: MATERIAL GIRL, DRESS YOU UP, LA ISLA BONITA, WHO'S THAT GIRL, LIKE A PRAYER, EXPRESS YOURSELF, CHERISH, KEEP IT TOGETHER, VOGUE, JUSTIFY MY LOVE...

Here is the conversation we enjoyed with these two artists.

MadonnaMe. Hi John and Jeri, thanx for this interview and welcome to MadonnaMe. When did you start working together and when did you create your company, SMOG?
John. I founded SMOG in 1995.
Jeri. I joined SMOG in 1999 after A&M RECORDS was sold to UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP and I left my position there.

MadonnaMe. Which was your first collaboration with Madonna?
John. My first contact with Madonna was in 1983 when I worked with Martin Burgoyne to create the cover art for her debut LP.
Jeri. It was on LIKE A VIRGIN. I met Madonna for the first time in a SoHo bar, we talked about the photo shoot that was coming up with Steven Meisel for the album cover. Her stylist was there and she described the roughed-up "wedding dress" idea.
John. We worked on THE IMMACULATE COLLECTION together.

MadonnaMe. Which artwork do you consider to be the most important (with Madonna)?
Jeri. I think TRUE BLUE really stands the test of time.

MadonnaMe. Madonna’s self-titled first album was originally going to be tittled LUCKY STAR. A cover was even created for it. Can you tell us anything about Madonna’s LUCKY STAR cover art proof? The process, the reason for it to be ruled out, who designed it…
John. Back in 1983 when Madonna signed to Sire, she hired her good friend Martin Burgoyne to create the cover art for her debut LP. You probably recognize his work from the 12" Maxi single sleeve for BURNING UP, b/w PHYSICAL ATTRACTION. Unfortunately, Madonna rejected his sleeve art in favor of a shot from the recently completed photo session with Gary Heery.
The Burgoyne LUCKY STAR proof is not only historically important, but It gives us an early glimpse into Madonna's control over her career and image…and her undeniable fashion instincts. She's classic Madonna on Burgoyne's sleeve art. But even at the time, his art seemed a bit retro in it's simple hand tinted, Warholish, NYC Lower East Side punk/art influence. While the black & white Heery photos that eventually were used on the sleeve set the tone for her imagining to date…strong, sophisticated, cutting edge and sexually charged.
At the time, I was working as a production artist/junior designer in the WARNER BROS. RECORDS, Art Dept. I was assigned the task of helping Martin create the package sleeve mechanical.

MadonnaMe. Were created any of those art proofs?
John. Yes, only 25 to 50 proofs were created for each new release. They were printed at COLOR SERVICE in Monterey Park, CA, on a 1-color HEIDELBERG press, in 4 passes. The cover paper was the exact same wieght, finish and stock that would be used on the final mass printing. But mayority of the LUCKY STAR proofs were used, destroyed and long gone. WARNER’s retained procession of the film and destroyed it all.

MadonnaMe. LIKE A VIRGIN LP was designed with two covers. Was it imposed by Warner? Why this decision?
Jeri. At the time we were concerned that the LIKE A VIRGIN cover image might be considered too risqué for certain retailers. So we designed the jacket with 2 covers, in case a retailer preferred to rack the more sedate image as the front. Of course we also hoped that the excitement around the new album would be so great that stores would “end-cap” the album and use both covers filling the aisle in a checkerboard style!

MadonnaMe. One of the most beautiful Madonna covers is the one for TRUE BLUE (Jeri´s design). Originally, Herb Ritts' photograph was black and white, who had the idea for coloring it with those blue tones?
Jeri. I worked on this project with then WB Creative Director Jeff Ayeroff. It was a result of my design experimentation. I showed Madonna many variations on the cover image --- B&W, blue duotones and hand-tinted color. We all loved that image, but felt that it should tie-in a little better with the album title, hence the blue tones. The final art was actually a color photo-stat shot from the original hand-tinted photo. The color stat washed-out the highlights and Madonna fell in love with how "creamy" her skin looked.

MadonnaMe. In your designs there is a clear hegemony of Madonna's face over other graphic ítems (which is much more evident in the TRUE BLUE era) Was it a personal decision or was it imposed by Wamer Bros.? How would you qualify Madonna´s face from a perceptive point of view, refering as an image point of view..?
Jeri. Madonna was, and still is an extremely photogenic artist, who is in full command of her image. Her image has always been a huge selling-point and one of her advantages over so many other artists, so I think it was an obvious choice to exploit this strength.

MadonnaMe. At the time the emails didn't exist , how were you given the materials and how many previous meetings there were befote taking a final decisión?
Jeri. When working on these album projects I always met with Madonna in person or over the phone. We would sit down together --- whether at her house, in a recording studio or at Warner Bros. or management offices --- and discuss the artwork together.

MadonnaMe. Did you work with one only musical/graphic “mood” concept that you had to respect for all the designs in a concret album or did you work each single with a different criteria?
Jeri. While I always tried to maintain a cohesive look throughout an album campaign, the single artwork was driven again by Madonna’s image. Often we would have a still photographer present at video shoots, so we could tie-in the single artwork to the video. Madonna was getting so much video airtime that again it made sense to capitalize on this advantage.

MadonnaMe. Have you worked in the merchandising for her tours?
Jeri. No.

MadonnaMe. LIKE A PRAYER album is impregnated of religious subjects: cover, lyrics, title, dedication... What do you think of this concept as a pack, as one idea? Was the cover of this release the first one thought or it was difficult to find it? Are there any alternate covers?
Jeri. LIKE A PRAYER was a difficult cover to get approval on. Madonna was going through a rough patch with then husband Sean Penn, and that distress seemed to spill over a little onto the creative process. Madonna’s hair was dark brown in the photo session, and I remember the some at the label were not too keen on that – thinking she wasn’t very recognizable

MadonnaMe. Are there any alternate covers?
Jeri. I showed dozens of cover comps for this project that ranged from religious iconography (complete with gold-leafing) to the bejewelled hands that ended up on the cover. I believe Christopher’s artwork was used on a maxi-single.

MadonnaMe. One of John's best artdesigns is the one for THE IMMACULATE COLLECTION. Why wasn´t a Madonna picture included on the cover, was it your decision?
John. It’s normal to go through many rounds of designs and modifications before arriving at an approved design. This includes different titles, etc. THE IMMACULATE COLLECTION was normal in that WB considered a few different titles and lots of different designs before making a presentation to Madonna.
Jeri. We wanted to create an iconic package that would represent the first 10 years of Madonna’s carreer, not favoring one particular look or album. The inspiration for the cover was 30’s and 40’s era cosmetic, candy and lingerie/hosiery packaging – all very feminine. John designed the logo to reference the Jean Paul Gaultier corsets that Madonna was wearing during her tour.

MadonnaMe. Were there any other album titles thought?
Jeri. The album was originally title ULTRA MADONNA and that logo was explored in depth. The title was changed because there was an artist charting at the time named Ultra Naté, and the label did not want any confusion or comparison to arise.

MadonnaMe. THE IMMACULATE COLLECTION is the best selling album all over Madonna´s career, and it is still in various sales charts in some countries. What do think about your work getting to so many people? (More than 24 millions albums sold)
Jeri. It’s nice to know that our artwork has been seen by so many people, but it’s really a testament to Madonna’s enduring appeal.

MadonnaMe. Yes, but many people recognizes the logo and knows the person who designed it.
John. Yes, it’s cool to think that millions of people associate a design with a famous song or LP. As much as I enjoy what I do and think, it’s relevant, ultimately it’s about the music. This leads me to think about what I enjoy most about my work…which is collaborating with artists to create a visual to compliment or capture something that you can only hear and feel. I rarely think about the impact of graphics that I have created since I am always focused on our current projects.

MadonnaMe. Did you also create the package for THE ROYAL BOX?
Jeri. Yes, we both worked on the THE ROYAL BOX, as an extension of THE IMMACULATE COLLECTION.

MadonnaMe. Alter this design, you haven´t worked with Madonna again, why was this relationship finished?
Jeri. Madonna moved on to explore work with other designers at this point. For EROTICA and Bedtime STORIES she would work with Fabien Baron (noted for his redesign of BAZAAR Magazine in the early 90’s).
John. It’s not like she had a falling out on any level. Madonna just decided to try other designers. You have to understand that these are professional relationships. We weren’t going out and hanging with Madonna. Jeri would speak to her on the phone and meet with her occasionally, but that was the extent of her contact.

MadonnaMe. Was there any later contact?
John. Not a month goes by where we don’t hear from an artist that we worked with years (decades) ago. Perhaps one of these days we’ll hear from Madonna again.

MadonnaMe. What do you think about Madonna's last album, CONFESSIONS ON A DANCE FLOOR and what do you think about her collaboration with Gianni Bianco?
Jeri. I think CONFESSIONS ON A DANCE FLOOR is great looking. Both design and photography.

MadonnaMe. Which is your favourite Madonna's song?
John. I still like the John “Jellybean” Benitez collaborations and remixes and some of her work with William Orbit on RAY OF LIGHT.
Jeri. BURNING UP, INTO THE GROOVE.

MadonnaMe. Madonna is now immersed with her new world tour. Have you attended in any of her shows?
Jeri. We’ve seen her in concert several times. Most memorably during the THE VIRGIN TOUR and BLOND AMBITION TOUR.
John. We haven’t seen her live in years. I get claustrophobic in the large arena shows. But from what I read she still pushes herself creatively and puts on a great show.

MadonnaMe. What do you do nowadays?
Jeri. We are still working in the music industry doing both major-label and independent projects. We just finished new projects for Jewel, Pink, k.d. lang, and Donald Fagen. Our studio is comprised of 5 designers, all very talented and diverse, so we get to do a lot of different projects, and are constantly challenged.

MadonnaMe. Which are the artists you are working with now that you consider closer?
Jeri. k.d. lang is always fun to work with and a good friend. Pink and Jewel are awesome too.
John. To name a few, Christina Aguilera, Tracy Chapman, Cher, Janet Jackson, Jewel, k.d. lang, Paris Hilton, Pink, The Eagles and for the Spanish speaking audience, we have designed all of Luis Miguel’s cd packages over the past 6 years.

MadonnaMe. Then you are acquainted with spanish singers... Thanks a lot for sharing with us your memories, and congratulations for your art creations.

John Heiden founded SMOG in 1995. Jeri joined SMOG in 1999.

Some of their activity is design, logos, art direction, creative direction,... Some of their clients are WARNER BROS. RECORDS, VIRGIN, EMI, EPIC, LaFACE RECORDS, SONY/BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT,...

They have worked with artists like Luis Miguel, Joe Cocker, Janet, Beck, k.d. lang, Sheryl Crow, Suzanne Vega,...

Be sure to check their fantastic website, SMOG, to discover the amazing work of these two artists.

We would like to thank our friends Fran Loud and Luis de Dios for their help in making this interview.