2. The fictional album and album art I created was for the British lounge producer duo, Zero 7. The
fictional album I created is entitled “Give & Take”. For the cover art I chose a picture of 2
escalators that I retrieved from Flickr Creative Commons. The picture is black and white, and
there are no people. This picture is supposed to make the purchaser stop and think a little bit – but
really what it represents is that we all encounter choices, pathways, or forks in our roads of life
that can take us one way or the other – up or down. The overall theme of the song titles and album
as a whole is travelling or movement through life, and all of the emotion that comes along with
being on that journey. The reverse side of the album features a picture of two people standing in
an open brick square, where both of their shadows are cast into one. This relates to the cover in
the fact that it is representing again the duality of life. That there are choices, paths, gives, and
takes, that we all encounter. The font I chose in Montserrat – a simple, elegant, and minimal font.
The choices of image and font that I picked for this album are appropriate for this artist’s brand
because all of their content is very thought-provoking, emotional, and cerebral in nature. Many of
their albums and songs have hints or themes of travelling. Also, being that their music fits into the
genre of chill/lounge music, I believe that having these very still, simple, black and white images
also evokes that feeling of calmness that emulates from their music. The simple, elegant, and
minimal Montserrat font also perfectly matches the vibe of these pictures, message and feeling of
the album.
Zero 7’s target market and biggest listeners are females ages 25-34. The United States is currently
the country with the highest number of listeners, with Canada and the UK being close to a tie for
second (Next Big Sound, 2018). As you can see from the attached demographic map from Next
Big Sound below, most of these listeners live in and around major U.S. cities such as New York,
Boston, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, and L.A. This is another reason why I chose the images I did
for the “Give and Take” album (Next Big Sound, 2018). I believe they have a very urban feel,
which is something that only those who live in the midst of big city life will truly be able to
understand. Living in a big city comes with a lot of stress and pressure – a lot of this demographic
have very fast-paced jobs, and are encountering big turning points in their lives. Because of this,
they are seeking a listening experience that can help calm their racing minds, and also to help them
understand that they are not alone in feeling the pressure that they do. Although Zero 7’s music
3. might not be classified as strictly ‘jazz”, much of their target audience’s psychographics,
behavorial traits and benefits sought, are very similar to the jazz fan demographic’s. The Give &
Take album is meant to be relaxing to the soul, yet also very contemplative and inspiring. This is
the exact benefit that young, working female professionals living in and around major U.S. cities
are seeking (Mandel, 2011).
References
4. Analytics and Insights for the Music Industry | Next Big Sound.
(n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.nextbigsound.com/profile/3688
Jazz audience surveyed, segmented. (2011, August 21). Retrieved
from
http://www.artsjournal.com/jazzbeyondjazz/2011/08/jazz-
audience-surveyed-segmented.html
To Infinity and Beyond. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/raptortheangel/16021252156/in
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