Editing Automatic for the People (section)

==Packaging==
The album name refers to the motto of [[Athens, Georgia]]-based eatery [[Weaver D's Delicious Fine Foods]].<ref>Thompson, Jim. "[http://onlineathens.com/stories/041807/living_20070418027.shtml Weaver D's deemed 'American Classic' by James Beard Foundation]". OnlineAthens. April 18, 2007. Retrieved on March 17, 2009.</ref> The photograph on the front cover is not related to the restaurant; rather, it shows a star ornament (a so-called "[[Sputnik 1|Sputnik]] star" that was common in the 1960s<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sputnik Signs {{!}} RoadsideArchitecture.com |url=https://www.roadarch.com/sca/roto2.html |access-date=2024-04-13 |website=www.roadarch.com}}</ref>) that was part of the sign for the Sinbad Motel on [[Biscayne Boulevard]] in Miami,<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/r-e-m-s-automatic-for-the-people-10-things-you-didnt-know-126545/ |title=R.E.M.'s ''Automatic for the People'': 10 Things You Didn't Know |last=Runtagh |first=Jordan |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=October 5, 2017 |access-date=January 18, 2020}}</ref> near Criteria Studios, where the bulk of the album was recorded. The motel is still there, but the star is not since it was damaged during [[Hurricane Andrew]]. The slanted support where it was once attached is still present.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.feelnumb.com/2009/09/04/story-behind-the-rem-automatic-for-the-people-star-cover/ |title=R.E.M. Automatic For The People "Star" Album Cover Location |publisher=feelnumb.comcom |date=2009-09-04 |access-date=2016-09-21 |archive-date=2020-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124092517/http://www.feelnumb.com/2009/09/04/story-behind-the-rem-automatic-for-the-people-star-cover/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> "The album was going to be called ''Star'' at one point, hence the object on the cover that Michael had photographed and really dug," [[Scott Litt]] told ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''. "It helps to have some kind of focus in the studio, so the photo was stuck up."<ref name="auto"/> The star photograph is placed over an [[Embossing (paper)|emboss]]ed image, which is also included inside the album's booklet distorted on a white background.

The interior jacket shows a two–three story circular platform that was the sign for the old Bon Aire Motel on the former Motel Row on [[Miami Beach, Florida|Miami Beach]]. The Bon Aire and other motel row establishments have mostly been demolished for new high-rise condominiums.

The back cover features a photograph of an old building with the track listing written over at the same angle from which the building is viewed. Other photographs, taken by [[Anton Corbijn]], feature the band members on a beach.

The compact disc release was originally issued in a jewel case with a translucent yellow CD tray, traded out with a then-standard opaque black tray on later pressings; the cassette shell was also issued with the same color. The yellow was made to match the color of the CD. The band would later use a similar method for their 1994 album ''Monster'', which was released with a metallic orange CD tray on early copies (though this matched the album cover).