The album cover and poster for All Time Low's "Dirty Work" illustrate the title through imagery of a champagne bottle representing "dirty" and members' attire representing "work". The front cover depicts the band professionally dressed in front of a blue wall, while the back cover shows blown up doll legs and guitars in a pool, amplifying different meanings of "dirty work". Though the poster creates a mysterious mood, the CD cover lightens the tone by blacking out the band against a bright blue background. The album targets 17-18 year olds and fits the band's pop punk style and adventurous image.

1. All Time Low - Dirty Work
4 tray digipak analysis

2. Poster
Front cover
Back cover
CD

3. Front cover image
The image is a photograph of the band in front of a blue wall with “All Time Low” written
on it. The members are all standing still and quite neutral except the singer who is
opening a champagne bottle. The band name however looks as though it has been added
on afterwards during editing which can also be applied to the blue wall as in the poster,
the wall is red so perhaps the band was standing in front of a green screen and the editor
then changed the colour. The way the other members look quite serious and only one is
looking happy, gives the impression that maybe some of the songs are serious and some
aren’t. It also tells the audience that they are serious about their music but the singer
adds a bit of fun to their songs. The shot used here is a long shot so we can see their full
body and their outfit. We can see that they are wearing blazers and ties but have made it
look very casual by wearing jeans. It connotes that the band are professional but they can
also be fun at the same time which can be reflected through their music.

4. Mise en scene
As mentioned in the previous slide, the band are wearing professional yet casual clothes and this is the
same on the poster. The singer is wearing a contrasting shirt (white) which puts him at the front of the
image and we focus on him. The only prop used is the champagne bottle and this has been shaken. They
have used this to show that they are a laid back band and that their songs are also quite casual. On the
other hand, the bottle could also connote that the songs in the album are upbeat and for parties. The
lighting on the poster and front cover of the CD is mainly focused on the band and their faces which
means that there won’t be lots of light around the edges of the poster and front cover, making it look
darker. This acts as a frame for the image and ties the image together. Furthermore, due to the lighting,
there are shadows behind the members which emphasises their presence and makes them stand out. The
image has been taken in front of a green screen with a blue filter and a brick wall layer underneath the
filter. The brick wall makes the band seem urban and cool to the audience. The red on the poster has
been used as red is the main colour that All Time Low go for and the blue has been used to contrast the
red so that the front cover and the poster doesn’t look identical but you can still see the relation between
them. The actions that the singer is doing relates to their existing star image as being fun casual and this
can be strengthened through the fact that he is wearing converses with his blazer and has a studded belt.
It pulls us away from their smart attire and adds a casual feel to it.

5. Composition
On both the poster and the front cover, have the singer at the front and the guitarist and drummers on either
side. This allows audiences who haven’t listened to their album before also know who is the lead singer as
he becomes highlighted. The image could relate to the album title by using the champagne bottle to
represent the “dirty” in “dirty work”. This is because alcohol has negative connotations that relate to crime
could also mean “dirty work”. The “work” is shown through the half smart clothes that the band are wearing
as you would wear blazers and ties to an office based work setting. However, the use of the champagne
bottle wouldn’t be appropriate of their target audience (15-18 year old girls) as the majority of them wouldn’t
be allowed to drink at that age. On the other hand, their target audience is represented through the font of
“all time low”. This due to the fact that it has a handwritten effect on it and has drawings around it such as a
skull and lines underneath the letters to emphasise them. This is almost something that their target
audience would draw in their school books and contradicts the font of “Dirty work”. This has used a much
more mature font adds that professionalism back into the image.

6. illustrate , amplify or contradict
The image illustrates the title of the album by (as previously mentioned) using the
champagne bottle to represent “dirty” and the members’ half smart attire to
represent “Work”. Also, the way the champagne is spreading everywhere and
making the floor dirty could also relate to the “dirty” in the title.

7. Colours
The red on the poster gives a slight edge to the image as the colour connotes
danger and it suggests that perhaps the “dirty work” is linked to some form of
criminal activity. It gives a dangerous mood to the image and makes the album
appear mysterious which can be reinforced through the skull that has been drawn
on in between “all” and “time”. However, the blue is a cool colour which makes the
front cover seem less dangerous and also generates a more fun and vibrant
mood.

8. Relationship between image and audience
In both images we become the observers as we are watching the singer shake the
bottle and the image has been taken quite far from the camera (as shown in the
poster) which also emphasises that we are watching them. It creates a very
distant relationship between the audience and we almost feel left out of this “dirty
work” and the songs will perhaps tell us what happened. It’s as though we are
invited to see the start of this work but we are only allowed to hear the rest which
makes it feel almost like a story.

9. CD
On the CD, we can see that the same image is used of the band members but they
have been blacked out. This creates a sense of mystery for the CD and it’s not giving
away any clues to what might be in the CD. The background has been replaced with
just the band’s name in blue and a white background. This makes it more brighter
than the front cover which could connote that actually the songs may not be as
violent as the poster suggests it would be. By using the blue font, it creates continuity
from the cover to the CD which creates a link. Also, by having the members in front
of the band name and the how the font looks hand drawn, it adds a comical effect
onto the image which uplifts the mood created by the poster. It strengthens the idea
built up by the front cover of being fun and laid back.

10. Back cover
The back cover is of a blown up doll’s legs and blown up guitars in a pool with a marble/brick wall.The shot
used is a long shot so that we can see the background as well as both blown up items. It allows us to get a
better view of the surroundings so we can make out what is actually happening. The naked doll could be
used to give another explanation as to what the “dirty” means. The “dirty work” could be giving reference to
something more sexual. The “work” here could be referencing the band’s job of performing and this can be
seen through the guitars. The pool could connote that the band are at a pool party at someone’s house. The
slight darkness of the image gives the impression that perhaps this is underground somewhere perhaps in
someone’s basement. This can be used to reinforce the “dirty” as it’s hidden away and people aren’t
allowed to see this. This image would amplify the album title as it is showing an alternative view on the
meaning of “dirty work” and can be seen as quite explicit. The colours here are quite bright and this
contrasts the poster and front cover of the CD. This lightens up the mood and further strengthens the idea
that this album is fun and creative. In this image, we become included as the camera is positioned so that
we look as though we are almost in the pool with the doll. It allows the audience to feel included in the “dirty
work” that we felt left out of before. However, it could also be used to connote that we become included after
the work is done and we see the ‘leftovers’ of what happened and the songs within the album is actually the
“dirty work” which we can only hear.

11. “Dirty work”
The title has been placed at the bottom of the poster and album cover and is in a
contrasting colour (white) than the background (Black). This makes the writing
stand out more so that we notice it. However, “All Time Low” is written at the top
and it much bigger and bolder which draws all of our attention to the band name.
This would be so that when the audience are at the shops, they would easily be
able to find the CD. The name of the album then becomes secondary so that
audiences can see which album it is that they are looking at.

12. Music style
The genre of the CD is pop punk and this can be shown through
the CD cover as the members are wearing skinny ties which is
something most boys who listen to pop punk would wear. Also,
the drawn skull and the overall darkness of the image creates a
rock feel. This image is quite different to their other albums as
this one looks more professionally done and in a studio. “Don’t
panic! It’s longer now” is an album by All Time Low and has a
very comical effect as it is of the band screaming at cartoon
zombies. This makes the band seem laid back and they don’t
take themselves seriously. Dirty Work ties in with their star image
as they are known for being adventurous with their album covers
and concerts. For example, in one of their concerts “back to the
future hearts tour” one of the members took of their clothes
which shows that they are quite open with their fans.

13. Target audience
Due to the alcohol and sexual connotations of the back cover, this album is aimed towards the
older age range (17-18). Also, some of the songs included in their album such as (I feel like
dancing) include references to Ke$ha who appeals to older teenagers and the music video for
this song has products such as Rockstar energy drink which is a beverage that mostly those
over 16 would drink.
This album cover and poster wouldn’t be considered a piece of art because the image and the
style created seems almost basic as the image has been taken in front of a green screen and
the other members are just standing still. However, the back cover creates a narrative due to the
pool and the blown up dolls and the audience would wonder how the doll got there and where
the image is set and what is happening.