Architecture & Morality: The Album Behind Our Designs

Architecture & Morality is the album most people know us for. Here is why it matters to us, and where it shows up in the merch.

When did Architecture & Morality come out?

November 1981. It was our third studio album, after Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Organisation, both from 1980. It became our most commercially successful album.

What does it sound like?

Mellotron strings and choirs. We built the album around them, alongside the synthesisers, and it gave the record a bigger, almost church-like sound.

Which singles are on it?

"Souvenir", "Joan of Arc" and "Maid of Orleans". "Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)" went on to be the biggest-selling single of 1982 in Germany.

Have we played it live?

Yes, in full. We played the whole album on tour in 2007. In 2016 we played it again at the Royal Albert Hall, alongside Dazzle Ships, and in 2021 we took it on a 40th-anniversary tour of the UK.

Where is it in the shop?

On the discography design. Its cover sits in the grid of our album covers, next to Dazzle Ships, Junk Culture, Crush, The Pacific Age, Sugar Tax and the later records, under a plain OMD wordmark. The bold blocks of red, yellow, blue and black in our geometric design come from the same clean, graphic world as our record sleeves.

How to wear it?

Keep it simple. A big, colourful design does the talking on its own, so it sits best with plain jeans or black trousers and a jacket left open.

Find the discography design and the rest of the collection in the shop.