The document provides an in-depth analysis of the album cover design for Taylor Swift's 1989 album. Some key points: - The front cover features a mid-shot polaroid photo of Swift wearing a blue and white jumper with seagulls. - The design is meant to look vintage and evoke Swift's childhood in the 1980s. - Symbolic elements like the seagulls and lyrics referenced on the inside covers relate to themes of freedom and confidence in Swift's new pop style. - Photographs, handwritten text, and polaroid designs throughout are intended to feel personal and engage fans.

2. In the center of the picture there is a
mid shot of Taylor Swift. Half of her
face is cut out of the frame, showing
her from the stomach to the nose.
She is wearing a blue and white
jumper with seagulls on it. Swift is
wearing red lipstick, which brings out
her lips. The colours used within the
picture are light and faded. This
makes the picture look old and
vintage.
The artist’s name is written at he the
bottom left corner, below the picture
of Swift. It looks handwritten by Swift
to engage with the fans and make it
personal. The album’s title is at the
bottom right corner of the cover. The
title is written in the same style as the
artist’s name.
The whole front cover is designed to
look as a polaroid photo. Which could
suggest that this album is really
personal to her, as the album’s title is
1989 which is her birth year. Swift
could have possibly used this front
cover as a code, saying that she is
letting her fans to know more about
her personal life, all the way back to
childhood.
The flying seagulls on her jumper could
symbolise ‘freedom’, as birds in general
are a symbol of freedom. They could
suggest that Swift has changed her style
in music, as she used to be country
artist. Most of her old songs are about
love and I think that is why she decided
to slightly change her style. As now she
is known to be a pop singer, and her
songs are more about herself. The
seagulls could illustrate that she feels
much more confident about herself and
her music, as she now writes about her
life.
The jumper that she is wearing suggests
that, Swift doesn’t just want to sell the
album by showing her body on the front
cover. It says that, the album is really
about the music and her as an talented
artist.
The fact that only half of her face is seen,
shows how recognisable Swift is. As
fans don’t need to see her whole picture
to know that it is her.

3. The track is in the top left corner of
the back cover. The numbers of the
tracks are handwritten, just like on
the front cover. However, the titles
of the songs are in capitals and the
font almost looks like it has been
typed in typewriter. This makes it
look more vintage and relates back
to the 90’s, when she was growing
up.
The back cover also is designed as
a polaroid. However, in this photo
there is only part of Swift’s face
seen. I am quite confident that it is
the same picture that is used on
the front cover. Where as, on the
front cover she was seen from the
nose below, on the back cover she
is seen from the nose above.
The picture looks vintage, just like
the one on the front cover. There
is this gold and sand colour effect
on top of the whole picture.
The titles of the tracks give that
fans a clue that Swift has shifted
to a different and new style of
music. Titles such as, ‘Clean’ ,
‘Wildest Dreams’ , ‘Shake It Off’
and ‘Blank Space’ quite literally a
‘clean’ suggest that Swift has a
‘clean’ start in her life. She has left
her past behind her, ‘Shake It Off’.
At the bottom of the back cover,
there is a bar code, executive
producers, record label ( and its
logo ), artist’s website, record
label’s website.

4. The inside left cover is also
designed as a polaroid, this
links the outside covers to
the inside and clearly
shows that the same theme
goes though the whole
design.
Record label and its
logo is vertically written
on the top right side of
the cover.
In the bottom of the cover,
there has been written ‘I
could show you incredible
things…’. These are lyrics
from Swift’s song ‘Blank
Space’. On this cover the
lyrics could also be aimed
at her fans as a metaphor
of saying, that if you listen
she could create
‘incredible’ songs.
In the picture swift is
leaning over a bench,
looking straight into the
camera (engaging with the
fans). She is in a room full
of benches, could be a
waiting room. Her facial
expression supports the
lyrics below the picture.
Suggesting that she is
ready to show us (the fans)
incredible things, if we
follow her. Her look
suggests that she is
waiting for her fans to
‘follow her’.

5. There is nothing written
on the inside right cover.
The picture that is used
for this cover comes from
the jumper that Swift is
wearing on the front
cover. The seagulls are
flying. This could also
represent the ‘freedom’,
of this album. As it is a bit
different and personal
than her previous
albums.
The colours in this
picture are light, dull
and faded, which
represents old and
vintage. These type of
colours are used on all
of the covers, this
creates the common
dominator throughout
the whole album
design.

6. The actual CD looks
exactly as the inside
right cover, as it has
got the picture with
the seagulls. The
only difference is
that it has Swift’s
initials and the
album’s title written
on. They are
handwritten, in
colour white and the
font is quite big, so
it is easier to notice
it.
Around the CD
there is also
mentioned the
executive
producers, the
record label and
the copyright. This
is written in a lot
smaller font, as it is
not that important
to the fans.

7. This is how the
album looks like,
when it is opened.
This is how the album
looks like, when it is
opened with the CD
inside it.

8. The album (CD) that I
have bought comes in an
extra packaging. It is a
card sleeve, where the
plastic CD case goes
into. The front and back
of the card sleeve looks
exactly like the front and
back covers on the CD
case. I also got photos
along with the Swift’s
album. They are polaroid
photos with her lyrics at
the bottom ( just like the
left inside cover). The
photos are there to
connect with the fans, as
they make them feel like
the photos are specially
for them. The lyrics are
also handwritten, which
makes it look like Swift
wrote all of them, even
though it is a copy.