CROSS MEDIA CASE STUDY 
Beyoncé
Background 
• Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter was born on 4th September 1981 
• She is an American singer 
• Born and raised in Houston, Texas 
• Beyoncé performed in many singing and dancing competitions as a child 
• She rose to fame in the late 1990s as lead singer of the R&B girl group – Destiny’s 
Child- which became one of the best selling girl groups of all time 
• Beyoncé released her debut album, Dangerously in Love(2003) 
• As a solo artist she has sold over 15 million albums in the US and 118 million 
records worldwide and 60 million with Destiny’s Child 
• Has released 5 studio albums,2 extended plays,4 live albums and 2 compilation 
albums,48 singles and 6 promotional singles 
• One of the best selling music artists of all time 
• She has won 17 Grammy awards
Website HOMEPAGE 
The typography is used for her 
new album 
The main homepage of website shows personal 
pictures that Beyonce has uploaded 
Fans can see when she 
is touring near them 
and how to buy tickets 
to see her perform 
This link allow fans to buy and listen to 
music of hers, this helps promote her 
new music and keeps her noticed 
Anything related to 
her that anyone 
wants to know can 
be search on her 
website 
Her new perfume that she brings out 
can be shown and advertised on here 
Her merchandise can be 
brought on her, this benefits 
fans who cant access her 
tours worldwide or who 
don't have enough money to 
see her live to purchase it. 
This means all fans can have 
similar experiences
Website Evaluation 
On the website , they are pictures of Beyonce and her family this creates a personal and calm feel for the 
fans. However the colour scheme of black and white is unusual for a Pop artist where as it is usual full of 
bright and bold colour however I believe this to create less focus on her name and more of who she is by 
sharing the photos of herself and others to show who she really is. This is also supported by that in the press 
she is a very private person and she is allowing the public and fans to dwell in to her privacy. 
In addition the graphology of the website is simple and tidy which gives a 
fresh and current look to the website keeping it up to date.Also the use 
of the other links you can access on the website give further 
opportunities for fans to interact and know details about Beyonce. 
Furthermore the website supports her latest album that was released 
late last year called, ‘Beyonce’ and the typography for the album is 
exactly the same for the header of the website and the links.
Social media pages 
These are 3 social media websites that Beyonce 
officially uses to stay in connection with her fans and 
the public. The same icon picture for her twitter and 
facebook is her latest album but also keeps the 
branding linked for her. 
Also this allows her target audience young females and 
teenagers who constantly uses social media websites to 
see what she is doing and so Beyonce can connect with 
her fans which is vital to her popularity and fame.
Album Artwork This is her most recent album called, ‘Beyonce’ is was released on 
13th December 2013, the tackles themes such as feminism, explicit 
deceptions of sex, the joys of motherhood and post-maternity 
relationship problems. Also included alongside the normal main 
album was a ‘exclusive visual album’ it illustrates the musical 
concepts she conceived during the production. The album songs 
also include short non-linear films that accompany them. 
In this new album compared to her other old albums that 
have been just as successful all of them have included her 
on the front cover, which in the Pop genre is a code and 
convention. However this one it is just her name which is 
the title of the album on the front cover., her fans base is 
so strong and just by her name people know who she is.
Album Promotion Beyonce released her new album with 14 songs and 17 
Album promotion 
videos with no promotion at all and this her fifth solo album. 
She said in an interview about the silent release of her album 
:"I didn’t want to release my music the way I’ve done it, I am 
bored with that. I feel like I am able to speak directly to my 
fans. There’s so much that gets between the music, the artist 
and the fans. I felt like I didn’t want anybody to give the 
message when my record is coming out. I just want this to 
come out when it’s ready and from me to my fans”. 
•After the release of the album, advertising and promotions 
kicked off from: ITunes, merchandise, videos being released 
and more 
•She did a tour with her old album again but with exclusive 
songs from the album also, ‘The Mrs Carter Show World Tour 
2014’ this created a buzz for the new album 
•Also she went on a joint tour, 'On the Run Tour’ with her 
husband and rapper Jay-Z. This created interest in her from 
fans of Jay-z also because she was also going to be 
performing as a solo artists at the tour
Music video Music Video 
In the first minute of the video beginning the title of the song, 
‘Drunk in Love’ appears in the same typography with a black 
background and white text this makes the connection already 
between the song and that it is included on that album, so 
when the viewer is watching this they know the song is from 
that album. The simple uses of black and white as the style for 
the video adds a sexy feel to the video and the mise en scene of 
the video also amplifies this, Beyonce is dressed in a black bikini 
with see through mesh covering her. In addition this can be 
related to voyeurism as she is being portrayed as something to 
look at in a sexual way, so men will also watch the video but 
girls will look up to her for her beauty. 
Also the visual album artwork that Beyonce did for the album, 
one of the photos is taken from this video and again the viewer 
can make a connection. Furthermore the dancing include in the 
video from Beyonce is a genre characteristic of Pop and this 
goes with the up beat tempo of the music. Moreover the lyrics, 
'ride it with my surfboard, surfboard, surfboard ’ connect to the 
visual of the video when she is on the beach on her hand and 
knees dancing in the water.
The relationship between lyrics and visuals in this video 
can be seen with Jay-Z holding a wine glass in his hand 
which shows he is drinking and refers to the title of the 
song ‘drunk in love’ because he is Beyonce’s husband 
and have had a long term loving relationship. Also in the 
poster for their joint, ‘On the Run Tour’ it is taken in 
black and white yet again making another tie together 
for the album and song. 
In addition when Beyonce and Jay –Z are both in the 
video the lyrics when this are shown are, ‘ I want your 
body right here, daddy I want you, right now’ 
referencing them to Jay-Z both it also relates to the 
song, ‘drunk in love’ that when she is drunk that what 
she wants. It again illustrates voyeurism as the way she 
is dressed also in a small black see through outfit.
cCoonncclluussiioonn 
Throughout the advertising and promotion for Beyonce this 
year it ties together through her name. The typography from 
her website of her name in simple white text on a white 
background is her branding at the moment and this I seen all 
across, from her website to her music videos. This is done 
because she is a worldwide pop star and is a household 
everyone knows who is she because her career has lead her to 
be around for so long. 
However her target audience of teenagers and young females is still the 
focus point because the content of her music videos and the use of 
social media websites. The also recent support of her husband Jay-Z is 
noticeable in her media presence since the birth of her child and maybe 
to even grow a bigger fan base with new type of music she is 
releasing/producing.

Beyonce - Cross media case study 2014

  • 1.
    CROSS MEDIA CASESTUDY Beyoncé
  • 2.
    Background • BeyoncéGiselle Knowles-Carter was born on 4th September 1981 • She is an American singer • Born and raised in Houston, Texas • Beyoncé performed in many singing and dancing competitions as a child • She rose to fame in the late 1990s as lead singer of the R&B girl group – Destiny’s Child- which became one of the best selling girl groups of all time • Beyoncé released her debut album, Dangerously in Love(2003) • As a solo artist she has sold over 15 million albums in the US and 118 million records worldwide and 60 million with Destiny’s Child • Has released 5 studio albums,2 extended plays,4 live albums and 2 compilation albums,48 singles and 6 promotional singles • One of the best selling music artists of all time • She has won 17 Grammy awards
  • 3.
    Website HOMEPAGE Thetypography is used for her new album The main homepage of website shows personal pictures that Beyonce has uploaded Fans can see when she is touring near them and how to buy tickets to see her perform This link allow fans to buy and listen to music of hers, this helps promote her new music and keeps her noticed Anything related to her that anyone wants to know can be search on her website Her new perfume that she brings out can be shown and advertised on here Her merchandise can be brought on her, this benefits fans who cant access her tours worldwide or who don't have enough money to see her live to purchase it. This means all fans can have similar experiences
  • 4.
    Website Evaluation Onthe website , they are pictures of Beyonce and her family this creates a personal and calm feel for the fans. However the colour scheme of black and white is unusual for a Pop artist where as it is usual full of bright and bold colour however I believe this to create less focus on her name and more of who she is by sharing the photos of herself and others to show who she really is. This is also supported by that in the press she is a very private person and she is allowing the public and fans to dwell in to her privacy. In addition the graphology of the website is simple and tidy which gives a fresh and current look to the website keeping it up to date.Also the use of the other links you can access on the website give further opportunities for fans to interact and know details about Beyonce. Furthermore the website supports her latest album that was released late last year called, ‘Beyonce’ and the typography for the album is exactly the same for the header of the website and the links.
  • 5.
    Social media pages These are 3 social media websites that Beyonce officially uses to stay in connection with her fans and the public. The same icon picture for her twitter and facebook is her latest album but also keeps the branding linked for her. Also this allows her target audience young females and teenagers who constantly uses social media websites to see what she is doing and so Beyonce can connect with her fans which is vital to her popularity and fame.
  • 6.
    Album Artwork Thisis her most recent album called, ‘Beyonce’ is was released on 13th December 2013, the tackles themes such as feminism, explicit deceptions of sex, the joys of motherhood and post-maternity relationship problems. Also included alongside the normal main album was a ‘exclusive visual album’ it illustrates the musical concepts she conceived during the production. The album songs also include short non-linear films that accompany them. In this new album compared to her other old albums that have been just as successful all of them have included her on the front cover, which in the Pop genre is a code and convention. However this one it is just her name which is the title of the album on the front cover., her fans base is so strong and just by her name people know who she is.
  • 7.
    Album Promotion Beyoncereleased her new album with 14 songs and 17 Album promotion videos with no promotion at all and this her fifth solo album. She said in an interview about the silent release of her album :"I didn’t want to release my music the way I’ve done it, I am bored with that. I feel like I am able to speak directly to my fans. There’s so much that gets between the music, the artist and the fans. I felt like I didn’t want anybody to give the message when my record is coming out. I just want this to come out when it’s ready and from me to my fans”. •After the release of the album, advertising and promotions kicked off from: ITunes, merchandise, videos being released and more •She did a tour with her old album again but with exclusive songs from the album also, ‘The Mrs Carter Show World Tour 2014’ this created a buzz for the new album •Also she went on a joint tour, 'On the Run Tour’ with her husband and rapper Jay-Z. This created interest in her from fans of Jay-z also because she was also going to be performing as a solo artists at the tour
  • 8.
    Music video MusicVideo In the first minute of the video beginning the title of the song, ‘Drunk in Love’ appears in the same typography with a black background and white text this makes the connection already between the song and that it is included on that album, so when the viewer is watching this they know the song is from that album. The simple uses of black and white as the style for the video adds a sexy feel to the video and the mise en scene of the video also amplifies this, Beyonce is dressed in a black bikini with see through mesh covering her. In addition this can be related to voyeurism as she is being portrayed as something to look at in a sexual way, so men will also watch the video but girls will look up to her for her beauty. Also the visual album artwork that Beyonce did for the album, one of the photos is taken from this video and again the viewer can make a connection. Furthermore the dancing include in the video from Beyonce is a genre characteristic of Pop and this goes with the up beat tempo of the music. Moreover the lyrics, 'ride it with my surfboard, surfboard, surfboard ’ connect to the visual of the video when she is on the beach on her hand and knees dancing in the water.
  • 9.
    The relationship betweenlyrics and visuals in this video can be seen with Jay-Z holding a wine glass in his hand which shows he is drinking and refers to the title of the song ‘drunk in love’ because he is Beyonce’s husband and have had a long term loving relationship. Also in the poster for their joint, ‘On the Run Tour’ it is taken in black and white yet again making another tie together for the album and song. In addition when Beyonce and Jay –Z are both in the video the lyrics when this are shown are, ‘ I want your body right here, daddy I want you, right now’ referencing them to Jay-Z both it also relates to the song, ‘drunk in love’ that when she is drunk that what she wants. It again illustrates voyeurism as the way she is dressed also in a small black see through outfit.
  • 10.
    cCoonncclluussiioonn Throughout theadvertising and promotion for Beyonce this year it ties together through her name. The typography from her website of her name in simple white text on a white background is her branding at the moment and this I seen all across, from her website to her music videos. This is done because she is a worldwide pop star and is a household everyone knows who is she because her career has lead her to be around for so long. However her target audience of teenagers and young females is still the focus point because the content of her music videos and the use of social media websites. The also recent support of her husband Jay-Z is noticeable in her media presence since the birth of her child and maybe to even grow a bigger fan base with new type of music she is releasing/producing.