This is my analysis of album covers within my genre to gain knowledge of how to create my digipack and poster. I also looked into the synergy and how the album represented all aspects of an artist.
2. Analysis of Digipaks and Album Posters
I have chosen to analyse digipacks from the ‘Alternative Rock’ genre. This is so that I can follow the conventions of existing
music of the same genre I am creating a music video for. I have chosen all of these bands as there are clear similarities
that can easily show me the modern conventions of an alternative rock band. I have also used the posters that are
advertising the tours as all of the bands released a tour of their new album and so have incorporated the album into the
posters in some way. One of the bands I am analysing is the band whose song I will be using for my final music video piece,
it was therefore beneficial to look into the way that the band represents itself, this gave me a clear indication into how I
should represent the music for them. The bands that I used are Catfish and the Bottlemen, The 1975 and Bring me the
Horizon. I also analysed a female artist within the same genre so that I could show the comparisons between bands and
single female artists, for this I used Lana Del Rey.
3. The 1975-
“The 1975”
Imagery- On the cover of the album, it features the ‘iconic’ band logo. This is a very simple
album cover that shows that the band did not need to feature themselves for fans to know
about them. Their main aim with the band is to make their name known, this could be a
way of doing that. The rectangle and the logo are now synonymous with the band. The
contradiction of a neon sign being made to look dull could represent their music, it is
sometimes recognised that their melodies upbeat yet the lyrics hold a deeper more sadistic
meaning. The lack of image of the band could be seen as mysterious and a way of having
the music without the need of a major persona. The back of the album has the same
rectangle and then simply the song list and then the record company label and barcode.
Again, this is a very simple back cover that doesn’t give much away about the band itself.
This is the same as the CD itself as it is plain black again just has the logo. The image
behind where the CD is held is of the frontman for the band Matt Healy, again completing
the rectangle that the band is known for. However, this is still not showing his face and
therefore not giving the band an identifiable entity.
Font- The serif font used is called ‘Sur’. It is a sophisticated font that the 1975 use for merchandise and all things related to the band. As the
name consists of mainly numbers, using a less complex font is not an issue as it is easily readable and recognisable. The font used on the
back of the album is a regular sans serif font that clearly shows all of the song titles.
Colours- The colours used are black and white. In one of the band’s music videos, they joke that it ‘looks too pop’ as it is in colour. This shows
that they may not have used colour due to how they wanted to represent their music at the time. The lead singer shown is also in all black,
using black paint. The matte black CD with just the glossy logo also conveys that they themselves believe that their ‘sound’ is not pop music
and therefore should not be portrayed in this way.
4. The 1975 Synergy
This poster shows how the album cover influenced the tour
and the tour promotion. The same synonymous rectangle
has been used with the same ‘The 1975’ style of writing, this
time, the dates of their tour have been added inside of the
rectangle, this could suggest that the tour is important to
them and thus their fans are also a part of them. This is the
same as the old website that they used. This again was
heavily black and white and has their ‘logo’. As they were not
a well-known brand the website featured as a blog where
pictures and news was shared about the band. The image of
the band live also shows how they use the rectangle on tour.
5. The 1975-
“I Like it When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So
Unaware Of It”
Imagery- This, like the first album, features the simple layout of a cover page showing just
the logo and the rectangle. However this time it is not in grayscale, it has remained neon.
Again, the band’s new image still features the same thing, just renovated and ‘happier’
perhaps showing the way that their music has also evolved. On the back of this album,
there shows just the album title, there is no song list which again shows the enigmatic side
of the band. The whole publicity stunt for the album was the mysterious neon signs in
various places around the world. Apart from the change in colour, the themes and imagery
are the same as the last. This time, the image behind the where the CD is held is another
neon sign that simply just has the brand name written on it.
Font- Again, this font is the same as the last and provides the same meanings, the fact that
they have used the same rectangle and logo on the cover shows that they have a distinct
brand logo, theme and image.
Colour- This colouring is the opposite to the first 1975 album. Before the release of this album, the band deleted all forms of social media that
they had, took down their website and didn’t explain to fans what this was for. All of these things, the website and social media pages were
black and white. When they came back, everything was in colour- to symbolise the new album and new sound. The CD itself is plain white
and has the same matte and glossy finishes as the previous one. The neon signs being in pink links to all of their stage designs, websites and
advertisements. This synergy is explained more later in the presentation. The use of mainly white and pink as opposed to white and black
shows that the band are at a happier place and shows their personal development.
The band explained that this album is a type of ‘answer’ to the first album, this is why the same image is used and the same formats and
designs. The settings of the neon signs also holds significance to the band, allowing the fans of the band to understand them on a personal
level without having the direct gaze that other artists use on the covers of albums.
6. I like it when you sleep for you are so
beautiful yet so unaware of it Synergy
This re-invention of the band shows that they have taken this
to all extremes and all platforms that they represent
themselves on. The bottom left poster shows the tour poster,
featuring the album again, like previous tour posters
analysed. This time, however, the dates have been shown
underneath, perhaps to show the album and make that the
clear focus of the poster. The website’s main page shows the
latest youtube music video that they released and shows the
new image as they have changed the layout and the main
colour is now pink, linking to the album and the neon signs
used. The picture of the band performing live shows how
they now use the rectangles on tour.
7. Catfish and the Bottlemen-
“The Ride”
Imagery- This again, like the first album analysed shows the brand name and ‘logo’. This
crocodile image has become synonymous with the brand as it was printed in various
places around the UK and elsewhere. The image was posted in various places without
any information about what it was, this raised brand awareness. This same picture is
used on the CD itself without the need for the brand name.
This album has a plain background with the song titles and record label with the barcode,
again a simple yet effective cover and back. These song titles are also printed on the label
side of the cd case. This format follows the same format as their previous album ‘the balcony’
showing that the band is simply following on from the album without renovating it entirely.
Font- The font used is a simply sans-serif font called underground demi. There are many
forms of this font and it is very different to the original title logo that the band had, it is a lot
more sophisticated and relevant to the band’s image as a whole. This font is replicated and
used for all of the song titles, again affirming that this is ‘their’ font that represents them.
Colour- There isn’t a lot of colour with the album, it is strictly black and white. This again could be to show that the band is of a particular
genre and they want to emphasise this. It could also be that this is simply how the band wishes to portray themselves. The dark colour could
be a representation of the theme of music and the overall feeling. This follows and identifies the clear conventions of the genre.
This album like the others does not feature the band themselves and doesn’t explain much as ‘the ride’ and a crocodile do not correlate and
these both do not link to the song titles or lyrics. This could mean that the audience doesn’t connect with the band as much as a close-up shot
of an artist may connect with the band. However, the mystery may also make the ‘alternative rock’ band fans more enticed as bands in the
genre usually implement an element of mystery to promote the album before anything is really said about it or it has been announced by the
band or record label themselves.
8. The Ride Synergy
This poster is an advert for the tour that was announced
just after the album, this shows clearly that it is
surrounding the album as they have used the same ‘logo’
(the crocodile). On the poster, there is more of an
emphasis on the band name as opposed to on the album
where the image was the main focus. The black and white
allows all things to be interlinked easily. This is shown on
the website also, where everything is black and white, the
website's main page has links to the old and new album-
this again shows that the band have a distinct theme and
layout that they stick too. The image shows the crocodile
is used as a backdrop for the band when they perform live
on tour.
9. Bring me the Horizon-
“That’s The Spirit”
Imagery- This album, like the others is plain and even more simple. The cover shows just
the name of the album instead of the band name. This could connote that the band does
not need to have their name on the cover for fans to know who they are, which could come
across as conceited. The title of the album is presented to be the most important factor of
the whole album. The title is in grey and therefore blends in even more with the
background.
The song titles on the back though are clear and can be easily read, this is the same as the record label
and the barcode, which is irregularly placed at the top of the back cover. The CD did not come in a plastic
case but instead a card one, this is to show the band’s environmental awareness.
Font- The simple and clear sans-serif font shows the sophistication of the band and unlike previous albums
that they have had with very colourful and busy album covers. This was a way of the band reinventing
itself.
Colours- As previously stated, the cover is plain matte black and white. This is a large contrast to the
inside of the album, where there is bright bold colours mixed colours. This is on the lyric book, CD itself
and inside of the card CD case.
The colour could also represent the mood set by the title. The frontman of the band described the album as ‘a way of celebrating depression,
and a way of making light of it.’ This therefore could be a visual representation of how people feel. On the outside it’s simple and unnoticeable
and on the inside there's too much going on and it’s overwhelming.
The promotion for the CD consisted of the umbrella symbol shown in the bottom picture. The umbrella was printed in various places around
the world much like the crocodile, again with no real explanation as to what it was or meant. Only after the bands themselves revealed the
umbrella was it made evident that this symbolised a new album.
10. That’s the Spirit Synergy
Bring me the horizon have used the album to influence
the tour dates and the website, showing effective synergy.
The poster features the umbrella that was used to
advertise the album, the image of the band live also
shows that this is used on stage. The enigmatic tour
announcement is shown in the heading on the poster,
causing excitement amongst fans. The website features
the title of the album and the artwork used on the inside
rather than displaying the band name as a main focus.
The poster also features the album title and the name of
the band is again not as evident. This is due to the use of
the umbrella and its link to the band after the promotion
for the album.
11. Lana Del Rey-
“HONEYMOON”
I have decided to analyse a female of the same genre so that I can show the differences
between male bands and single female artists even though they are considered to have
the same genre.
Imagery- The cover features a medium shot of the artist that only shows her from her arms
and up. She is looking away from the camera and looks as though she is ‘gazing’ or
daydreaming. Lana Del Rey would be easily recognisable to the audience and even if they were not, they would not
be able to miss the ‘Lana Del Rey’ written in the same way it always has been. The image itself has been made to
look as though it is set in the 60s or 70s, this is where Lana takes her music and fashion influences from, so it is
synonymous with her persona and relates to previous albums she has had. The back of the album has the same
setting and again the artist isn't making eye contact with the camera and thus, the audience. Lana Del Rey also
uses american history influences in her music and this americanism is shown on the CD itself as it shows the USA
flag. The flag, however, is not flying. This could symbolise the hot weather and therefore the luxurious lifestyle that
she leads or evoke deeper sadder meanings despite the bright colours. Although this goes against the common
conventions of the genre, this shows that the music still isn't intense, just like the other digipacks analysed.
Font- The font used for ‘Lana Del Rey’ is a font named steelfish. This font is used for Lana Del Rey on all formats and is synonymous with her
and her ‘brand’. The font used for ‘honeymoon’ is called joanna solotype. This has heavy 1920s influences, which again affirms Lana Del
Rey’s style.
Colours- The colours used are different to those in the previous slides, this shows bright and bold colours that contrast the albums of the
same genre. The cover image shows a shaddowed corner, putting more emphasis on Lana Del Rey as she is in the sunlight. The main colour
themes are red, white and blue. Again, showing her americanism and devotion to her country.
Costume/Hair/Makeup- As Lana Del Rey is far away, her makeup is hard to analyse, however, you can still tell that there is minimal makeup
used to affirm her ‘typical wholesome american woman’ image. Her hair, accessories and modest clothing gives the same effect.
12. HONEYMOON Synergy
The lana del rey poster advertises her album as she did
not release a tour with the album. The poster features the
same image as on the album and the only extra
information other than the name and the album title is the
date of the release for the album. The website also
features the ‘Lana Del Rey’ title in the same font and
colour and the main adverts are for the album and newest
video release for lana del rey, this is important as she is
known for her visual representation of her music, often by
creating short films.