The album shows a shift towards a darker yet more Dance-oriented direction. “I grew up listening to Dance music and I’ve always wanted to make a Dance record,” Young says. “European dance music has so much influence over pop right now, so it made sense to me.”
In 2011–12, Owl City held an open art contest in which the winner would be selected to grace the cover of Midsummer Station, Owl City’s latest album. Artists and designers from across the globe submitted their best work. The winner was Lithuanian graphic artist Gediminas Pranckevicius, who submitted a digital painting called Time, created in 2009.
The typeface Quicksand is used in the artist and title text. Primarily uppercase letters are used in the artist’s name, but the darker album title below uses only lowercase glyphs. On the secondary image, both uppercase and lowercase letters are used. In general, the text stands out without overtaking the imaginative landscape.