This document analyzes and summarizes three album advertisements: 1) An Ed Sheeran advertisement that uses a natural close-up photo and minimal text to draw viewers in and highlight key information. 2) A Tom Odell advertisement that continues the cohesive branding from the album cover and uses reviews and release date to advertise. 3) A James Bay advertisement that features a solemn expression and grayscale tones consistent with the album cover while effectively highlighting key details despite a busy bottom section.

1. ANALYSING ALBUM MAGAZINE ADVERTS
Meghan Moore

2. This advert is very simplistic but is very effective.
The picture of Ed Sheeran is very natural, and fits in with the
general concept of the album, with a close up picture of his
face. However, because it is a different picture, it is more
interesting and creative. The lack of direct address and the
very natural laugh that Ed seems to be doing adds to the
idea of his fans being close to him- it appears to be a
snapshot of him in his life. His face is also nicely entered.
The actual information on the advert itself is very minimalist
but is also everything that needs to be known- the artist’s
name, the name (or symbol) of his album, the fact it is a
number 1 and what singles it has on it. It is nicely centered.
The typewriter font that is being used is one consistently
used in regards to the Ed Sheeran “brand”, including the full
stop after his name, keeping the whole advert in keeping
with Ed’s original style. The contrast of the red on the dark
tones of the advert highlighting the album is Plus and the
fact it is “the No.1 album” demonstrates that this is some of
the most important information on there. The bright orange
of the album cover also allows it to stand out while not being
the entire focus of the advert, with the reviews also smaller
than the higher, more important information. The red at the
bottom also highlights the important information of how to
find him and the record label he is on.
Overall, the advert is very suitable to purpose, as the
audience is drawn in by the organic picture and the
important information is done in a good hierarchy, so that
your eyes are drawn to the artist and the album.
The album
cover for “+”-
the album
that is being
advertised

3. Once again, the advert is very simple, with the focus
seemingly on the reviews of the album.
The picture is the same as the picture on the actual
album (though slightly closer to Tom), demonstrating
cohesion between them, with Tom on the right line in
the rule of thirds, making the picture interesting the look
at. The fact that we are now closer to Tom
demonstrates the idea of the audience being drawn into
him. Although to the right, there is some idea of
symmetry, as the blank space that isn’t filled with Tom is
filled with reviews of the album as well as the idea that it
is “Out Now”. The album and artist’s name is nicely
aligned to the left, so that all the type is on one side
creating some idea of balance.
The font is also the same on the album and the advert,
though the colours have been changed, which gives the
impression of a recognisable brand. Although the
colours do not necessarily show up as well as they
could, they are still very noticeable and fit in with the
general colour theme, with the colour of the starts
matching the colour of the album name. Everything can
still be read.
Overall, the advert is fit for purpose, as it does advertise
the album somewhat effectively, with the use of the
same picture. The text can still be read and the
hierarchy, through the different sizes of the text, draws
the onlooker to the fact of what the album is called, who
it is by and the fact that it is out now.
The album
cover for
“Long Way
Down”

4. This album advertisement, as well as the album cover,
was made by Fearghal McGlinchey, a previous student.
The picture of “James Bay” (Billy Twomey) is once
again central. However, the lack of direct address and
the expression of his face causes some intrigue to an
onlooker due to the solemn look he has. This fits in with
the dark, grey looking colours, which in keeps with the
greyscale album cover.
The font is consistent across the two products, except
on the album James Bay is written differently. However,
it still fits for the most part. The font is centered, except
for the reviews and frames the picture nicely. There is a
good idea of hierarchy and the name of the album and
artist is very noticeable. However, compared to the
other two magazine advertisements, the bottom of the
poster seems very busy. However, through the size of
fonts, a hierarchy is still there with “debut album” and
“available now” being particularly prevalent.
Overall, the advertisement is fit for purpose, as there is
cohesion across the album cover and the poster. There
is a good sense of hierarchy and design, and the
important information stands out so that the advert
would sell the product effectively. However, for my
tastes, the bottom is too busy and could have so
information taken out.
The album cover
for “Chaos and
the Calm”- the
album that is
being advertised