Analysis of Sam smiths CD and tour poster

1. ANALYSING MUSIC
PROMOTIONAL
MATERIAL
By Ava and Caitlin

2. Digipak- Sam Smith
On the front cover his body language is very closed. It also reflects
the name of the album as he is on his own and looks lonely. This
could be seen as a iconic sign because you can instantly see by
his positioning, body language and facial expression what he is
feeling is obvious that it reflects the title of the album. The
preferred reading for this is that the audience immediately get a
feel for the album and understand what it is about just from the
image. The oppositional reading could be that it isn’t very creative
and hasn't’t been thought through and could be seen as just like a
last minute resort as there isn’t much time or effort that is needed
for this.
Throughout the whole digipak the colour scheme is the same as it is all dark colours including blacks and dark greys with then white writing so
that it is seen against the blacks. These dark colours are very plain but also can be effective and show a lot of meaning. As it is a running
theme it means that the whole album can be associated with these colours and will be recognisable to the target audience. This could be
seen as an indexical sign because the colours black have negative connotations of death, misery and upset and I think that these words
represent the songs that are included in the album. The preferred reading is that these colours will instantly tell the audience what the album
is about and what it will include and the vibe of the album itself. The oppositional reading is that these colours are very plain and not much
thought has gone into the album cover making it look boring and not stand out to the audience.
The artists name is in capitals and using the same style throughout the
whole of the digipak. On each part it is the main focus meaning that it is
obvious to the audience who’s album it is. This is an iconic sign because it
is used for an obvious reason just to make it reconisable for the audience
to see who’s album it is. The preferred reading for this is that the want it to
be iconic for Sam smith and they the audience to recognise this straight
away and that it is straight to the point and nobody is confused. Also that
Sam smith just wants to focus n his songs and content rather than the style
of his album and wants to attract them from the music he makes rather
than the style of his name. The oppositional reading could be that the
audience find it boring and that there is no need for the emphasis to be on
the name of the artist as it is obvious from the image that it is Sam Smith.

3. The font style used in the digipak is the same. They have used a sans serif which is a very informal font
which will attract his target audience which is typically young audience. It is simple just like the rest of the
album cover which means it fits in with the style. This is an iconic sign because it just means what it is and
has no hidden meaning. The preferred reading for this is that they tried to attract the target audience by
making it simple and easy it read with no unnecassry fonts. The oppositional reading could be that they
find it too plain and could have been more creative with the font because the rest of the album is very plain.
The image for the front cover has used lighting and which contrasts with the colour’s in the
rest of the cover. The lighting around the image is lighter and looks like a glow around the
artist. Then this fades out so that at the edges of the album it is dark grey almost black. This
could be a indexical sign because although it could be used just to add effect to the image and
the back ground so it isn’t plain, it could also be representing the contrast in the music
because the songs are deep and thoughtful but doesn’t necessarily mean thy are depressing.
The preferred reading could be that they want the audience to see a contrast in the
background which emphases the image. The oppositional reading could be that it is still a very
plain background and the colours just blend in with the rest of the album so could have used a
different to use this effect.
The track listing for the songs on
the back cover are in the Sam
format and consistent
throughout. They are set out in a
stereotypical format making it
easy for the audience to read
and understand. This also
reflects the fact that the rest of
the album has the same simple
style.

4. Tour Poster
This is the poster that was used for Sam Smiths tour for the album ‘In the
lonely hour’. This poster uses the same style of what the digipak has used,
like the same colour’s, font style, layout, image and background. The image
in this is slightly different to the one shown on the front cover of the album
but it has the similar feel and intention. They have used shadows in this to
enhance the emotion as well and the photo this time is in black and white
where as it was in colour on the front cover. He is looking out into the
distance with a longing look which represents sadness and loneliness which
is the same representation we got from the image on the front cover. The
font style is exactly the same as it is a sans serif and all written in block
capitals. Again the artists name is the main focus of the poster just like the
album as it is in a larger font than the other words meaning it’s the first thing
you read of the poster. The back ground is just plain black. This is the same
as the back cover and the CD for the digipak as they both had a plain black
back ground. So as well the colour’s are exactly the same and are all black,
dark greys and then white for the font so that it stands out and is easy to
read against the blacks. They also use the same layout as the back cover of
the album with the tour dates being listed in the same way the songs are on
the album back cover. The preferred reading for all of these could be that
they have used all these so that this poster is recognisable for the audience
and it has a complete relation to the album creating a consistency
throughout. The oppositional reading could be that it is too similar and might
have been a better idea to change a few bit to make it more interesting and
making it look a bot different from the album rather than exactly the same.
They might feel like there is no need to have as much of a connection to the
album but should reflect the tour and the artist more.