2. RIHANNA –
LOUD
Loud is the fifth studio
album by Barbadian
singer Rihanna. It was
released on November
12th 2010 by Def Jam
Recordings and SRP
Records.
Rihanna is a pop and R&B
artist.
3. FRONT COVER
A close up shot of the artist is used to catch the
audience’s attention. It also follows Andrew
Goodwin’s theory as close ups create a
relationship between the viewer and artist.
The theme given to the front cover I believe
contrasts with the name of the album. The theme
portrays love, passion, romance and weakness
reflecting the emotional songs within the album.
However, Rihanna is such a bold female artist
who has such a big influence within the music
industry that the fact the album is called ‘LOUD’
isn’t surprising and reflects her personality, the
striking red colour shown on her lips and in her
hair could relate with the title. These bold colours
make Rihanna’s features more visible.
4. TYPOGRAPHY
The typography used within the digipak and on the front cover is
very minimal. The only writing seen is the artists name ‘Rihanna’
and the album name ‘LOUD’. ‘Rihanna’ is placed at the top and
‘LOUD’ at the bottom, above and below the protagonists face. The
text is subtle and the font is long, thin and white. This means that
no attention is taken away from the image of Rihanna.
The white font connotes pureness and adds both a feminine and
romantic theme which runs through the digipak.
Within the digipak itself there is no text, I believe this is because
the images display enough power and emotion through body
language and facial expressions.
5. FRONT COVER MAIN
IMAGE
In the main image, we see Rihanna looking
calm and relaxed looking down. Instantly,
we are drawn to her bold red lips and hair.
The bold red colour shows typical pop
culture which is the music genre she uses.
Her face expression seems passionate
which might portray that she is passionate
about the album and her music.
6. CLOSE UP
A close up shot of the artist is used to catch the audience’s attention. It also follows
Goodwin’s theory as close ups create a relationship between the viewer and artist. The
viewer also looks for features that attract them. The contrast between her tanned skin
tone and red lips and hair create an eye-catching effect.
Rihanna is shown looking down, not making direst address with the audience suggesting
shyness and innocence. Her lips are slightly open, but also the key signifier of the image
as using the rule of thirds we are attracted to them, because they are bold and central.
The purity of the image is challenged by the visible tattoo shown on her neck which
emphasises her as an R&B artist, relating the image to the genre of her music. It
juxtaposes the stereotypical conventions of an R&B artists CD which Rihanna has done in
the past as women associated with R&B are usually portrayed as ‘sexy’, with minimal
clothing showing themselves as an object of desire. Even though Rihanna is associated
with R&B, she goes against these conventions to create a purer image that reflects her
innocent side rather than the usual sexual objectifying of the female artist.
7. STAR IMAGE
Rihanna’s star image on this
album is focused on her bold
red lips and bold red hair.
Rihanna’s hair colour change
may represent a change to her
music and also influence fans
and the audience to also
change or also dye their hair
red.
8. DIGIPAK
The digipak appears to convey a visual
narrative, the inside album artwork
suggests a fairy-tale inspired setting
showing that the CD may be a story
about love, also as the rose on the CD
is an iconic symbol of love and
romance.
Some of the tracks and lyrics on the
album are not as ‘innocent’ as
portrayed through the visuals on the
digipak. Although the majority of the
songs do relate to love.
Roses are used within the digipak,
featuring on the inside artwork as well
as the CD image. The symbolism of
the rose connotes love and innocence
as well as relating to the love theme of
9. …DIGIPAK
On the inside of the digipak, Rihanna is
shown lying on a bed of red roses. This
conveys a storybook fairy-tale vibe as she
appears in a dreamlike state. The princess
inspired dress shows Rihanna as innocent.
This contrasts with the CDs R&B genre as it
displays more of an indie genre.
The image of Rihanna lying down could be
a contrast to the innocent feel of the
digipak. It could be displaying sex appeal,
however she is not flaunting her body in a
provocative way which could mean she
doesn’t appear threatening to her female
audience whilst still appearing attractive to
her male audience.
10. COLOURS
There is a strong use of red
within the digipak which is
a strong and emotional
colour connoting love and
possibly danger. This could
be relating to the emotional
songs featured on the CD.
The artist is also shown in a
white dress, connoting
innocence which relates
which follows the fairy-tale
theme. The vibrant colours
relate well to the title of the
album, ‘Loud’ because the
boldness of the red is
striking and eye-catching
to the audience. There is
also a hazy filter and the
colour balance has been
altered to become pinker
which also enhances the
reds.
11. THE CD
The CD’s contain a graphic image of
a light pink rose, this displays the
theme of the digipak, a soft
feminine feel. The colour of this
rose is contrasting against the dark
red of the roses that Rihanna is
lying on and this symbolizes variety
within Rihanna’s character and
music. It also contrasts Rihanna’s
red hair and red lips.
Perhaps the red roses relate to her
more sexual music and more
provocative side and the light pink
flowers relate more to her love
ballads and innocence. These roses
signify a balance of the themes
within the album.
12. THE BACK OF THE
ALBUM
The back of the album ties the whole
album together using softer colours
with a faded look.
Although Rihanna's eyes are open on
this picture she once again isn’t
making eye contact with the audience
showing innocence, vulnerability or a
hidden secret all of which intrigue the
audience.
The white dress connotes innocence
however this contrast with the artists
bright red messy hair. The pure white
sheets in the background contrast
again with Rihanna’s hair, as well as
the bright reds of the whole album.
This image contrast in every way to the
front cover. It is a medium/long shot
and the pale tones are a huge contrast.
