ANALYSIS OF EXISTING FRONT COVERS
ANALYSIS OF EXISTING FRONT COVERS
Main image of the artist taking up the entire page – ensures people recognise who she is and that this is her album
Simple image and design
Simple colour scheme – black and
white
Artist and album name –
bold font, capital letters,
stands out
Artist name bigger than album
name to draw focus to her
Main image of the artist taking up the entire page
The image itself promotes her as quite innocent, demure, naturally beautiful, which suits the sound of the album
GABRIELLE APLIN ACOUTSTIC EP
ONE DIRECTION FOUR
Two main images of the band so it’s clear who the album is by; this also follows conventions of their previous three albums, creating a cohesive style
Artist and album name – bold font,
capital letters, stands out
Artist name bigger than album name to draw focus to the band. Also written in the font that has become associated with the band’s name, creating a logo and helping to make it even more recognisable.
Fairly simple image and design
Cohesive colour scheme made up
through the mise-en-scene: costumes,
background, fonts etc.
Image promotes them as united, fun, young etc.
Costumes allow them each to be individual
whilst still following an overall style
TAYLOR SWIFT 1989
Main image of the artist, but she’s recognisable enough that her whole face doesn’t need to be displayed for people to buy the album
Artist is famous enough to not
even put her full name on the album, using
initials insteadAlbum name – short, simple, memorable and related directly to the artist as it’s her birth year
Polaroid style and handwritten font gives it a much more personal
feel, interaction with fans
Colours are quite muted to add to the vintage look
of the polaroid
Use of iconography associated with the artists: red lipstick
Quite simple/casual costuming to portray her as down to earth and ordinary
BEN HOWARD EVERY KINGDOM
Conventional use of artist and album name
in large, bold print
One main image, not of the artist,
but still an image linked to his sound
and style
Nice colour scheme of soft
blues/greens and the cream colour
of the text
The lack of an image of the artist is counteracted by his name being printed so large – it’s the first thing you see
Typical of this genre to have an image that looks good visually/is a bit ‘arty’ instead of an image of the artist
VAMPIRE WEEKEND CONTRA
One main image, not of the band but of a chosen model
Album and artist name printed in large, bold font so that it’s easy to read and recognise
Costuming is fairly casual, makes her look young and current which reflects the band’s image and relates to their target audience
Lighting and colours altered to add a retro feel to the image, feels quite 70s
Border around the image adds to the
retro feel as it looks like an old
photograph
Conventional of this band not to
have an image of themselves, as
their other albums also feature
random images
LORDE PURE HEROINE
No image at all – of the artist or otherwise which is fairly unconventional
Simple black and grey colour scheme to make the words stand out as much as possible
Album and artist name printed in large, bold font so that it’s easy to read and recognise
Minimalist design is actually very effective in simply representing the artist and her sound
Could be seen as ineffective
for some as the album
cover tells you very little
about what the songs
sound like or who Lorde is, but I still think
it’s effective
CHILDISH GAMBINO BECAUSE THE INTERNET
One main image of the artist, very clear who the album is by
Image takes up the entire cover to promote him as the most important thing
Unconventionally, no artist or album name so it’s unclear what the album actually is, or who the artist is if you’ve never heard of him
Mise-en-scene is colourful and vibrant, reflecting the artist’s image
Costuming makes him look young,
current, fashionable
Lighting emphasises his face and makes it the central thing your
eyes are drawn to
ARCTIC MONKEYS AM
No image of the artist, instead just a simple art design
Simple colour scheme – black and
white
Artist name is at the top to identify who the album is by; this is done
through the use of the band’s logo
Album name is incorporated subtly
into the design of the cover art
The image relates to music as a whole as it resembles sound waves, so implies they are a band focused on the songs and not necessarily their image
Created iconography as one of the music videos for the songs on this album uses similar images
KANYE WEST MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY
This artist conventionally uses art on his album covers; a cohesive style is created
No album or artist name, the album is being promoted solely on the image here, possibly because he’s famous enough to get away with itBold colours to grab
and hold your attention
No image of the artist, instead just
a simple art design
The art gives it quite an upmarket/high
class feel which contrasts what
people usually link this genre to but suits the artist’s
expensive ideology
Parental advisory caution printed to warn of explicit content – this is conventional of this genre and clearly outlines the target audience as older
ALT-J THIS IS ALL YOURS
No image of the artist, instead just
a simple art design
Bright, vibrant colours and an abstract style makes it look young,
happy, fun etc.
No album or artist name, the album is being promoted solely on the image here, possibly because of the Indie genre which typically breaks conventions
The art looks quite childish and carefree which suits the sound of this album compared to the
band’s others
Although it’s unusual in terms of conventions, it’s still a striking and eye-catching image
The lack of text may actually encourage people to buy it more, as they’re intrigued
YOUTH LAGOON THE YEAR OF HIBERNATION
No image of the artist, instead just
a simple art design
Cohesive colour scheme with the pinks
and purples
The image has a dreamy quality to it which reflects the low-fi sound of the artist
No album name, perhaps because of the length of it or because it might distract from the image
The artist’s full name is not printed, instead initials are placed centrally to imply they are the main focus
Fairly unusual image which suits the niche genre and audience:
this is clearly not a mainstream artist
CONCLUSIONCONCLUSION• There is huge diversity in album covers, ranging from
simple images of the artist to abstract art covers with no text at all. Whilst some conventions are followed, they are just as often being broken and so I can hopefully experiment a lot with my own design whilst still retaining a professional look.
• Particularly within the Indie genre, which is the genre I’m working in, conventions tend to be broken rather than followed.
• As a general rule: the design is simple and eye-catching whether it’s an image or not, the colour scheme is cohesive and links to the band’s image, and if the artist and album name is printed the font tends to be bold and easy to read.