This document discusses different conventions for album back cover designs. It analyzes back covers from various popular artists and evaluates whether the designs effectively represent the artist's genre and appeal to audiences. The document considers designs with track lists placed at angles, in fancy designs, basic designs, more complicated artistic designs, to the side of designs, and to the top or bottom of designs. It concludes that a design with the track list to the side of an image would be most effective for a new artist, allowing space for the artist's photo while clearly presenting information.

1. Conventions of a back cove

2. TRACKS PLACED ON AN ANGLE ON
BACK COVER.
(LADY GAGA – THE FAME MONSTER)
(M.I.A. – MATANGI)
WOULD I CHOOSE THIS
DESIGN?
This design is used by artists who are trying to illustrate the genre of
their music in a visual way, and don’t want the text to interfere with
the image that they are using. I think that the artist has purposefully
chosen to place the text at a 90 degree angle so that the focus is on
the mise en scene of the image. Although this is an unusual way of
placing the track list on an album, the rest of both of the designs have
a barcode, their record label(s) and an image of the artist. M.I.A. has
used an image that has been edited into a negative design which
represents the genre of music she is categorised into which is mainly
electronic dance. Lady Gaga has opted for a black and white, grunge-
like image which shows how her music in this album is going to be
quite dark and sad. They both do this so that consumers understand
what it is that they are buying.
I really like the concept of this design, and how it makes the back
cover look really interesting and appeals to the audience of the artists.
I think that this is a possibility for my product because I would still be
able to use an image of my artist, but also think that the album should
be really easy to understand for the artist I am going to create and

3. TRACKS IN A FANCY
DESIGN.
(KATY PERRY – PRISM)
(MILEY CYRUS – BANGERZ)
WOULD I CHOOSE THIS
DESIGN?
These are two of the more interesting designs I found when looking through
the CDs that I own, and think these look really fun and exciting. They also
illustrate the type of music both of these artists make; pop, due to the way the
track lists are placed and how they aren’t in a generic straight line. In the mise
en scene of the image of Katy Perry, she is seen to be staring straight into the
camera which I think is used to represent how she is a strong woman in the
music industry. The track list for her album is in a triangular shape, which
reflects the title of the album as it is called ‘Prism’ and this is also consistent
through the font she uses. Although it seems to be one image at first, the
Bangerz back cover consists of two image which are placed together like a
collage. I think this relates to the age of her fans as they are quite young and
would most probably be stereotyped as being arts and crafty. She is also seen
to be looking away from the camera which could be used in an ironic way. I
think this because it seems as though she is shy through this back cover, but
she is in the news quite often for doing things that are considered to be
‘outrageous’ by some people.
I think this design is really creative and would appeal to the genre that I
am going to aim my products at, but this is slightly too advanced for the
type of product that I want to create. My product will need to be easy to
read to make it a successful product, which I don’t think these products
are, due to the artist I am going to create being a new one.

4. TRACKS IN A BASIC
DESIGN.
(FOXES – GLORIOUS)
(NICKI MINAJ – THE PINK PRINT)
WOULD I CHOOSE THIS
DESIGN?
These back covers are two of the basic designs that I have found, which I
think still work really well even though they aren’t very interesting to look
at. The simplicity of the use of only 2 colours on Foxes’ Glorious really
reflects her style of music and really calming aspect to her voice. This was a
very good decision by Foxes I think, because it gives the consumers an
insight on what to expect from the album, although it is all about
interpretation from individuals as this isn’t how everyone will perceive this
back cover. The album for The Pink Print by rap artist Nicki Minaj is another
album that I have that is really basic in the design of the back cover, and I
think this is something that would be expected from a rap artist because I
feel that the lyrics of the songs are much more important to this genre than
the aesthetic of the album itself. One difference that I think is really obvious
is how only The Pink Print includes the album name on the back. I think this
is really strange as this is something that would be expected from more of
an unknown artist like Foxes, rather than the globally known Nicki Minaj.
I really like the concept of this design and I think that this is a possibility
for my product. The aim is for my back cover to use a picture, (of what I
am currently unsure of, although I was thinking of my artist appearing here
also) but this may prove to be too much and may be too many images of
the artist so I may use something similar to this. I may also still use a
picture for the back but have one that isn’t of the artist but is still relevant

5. TRACKS IN A MORE
COMPLICATED/ARTISTIC DESIGN.
(LADY GAGA – ARTPOP)
(KE$HA – ANIMAL)
WOULD I CHOOSE THIS
DESIGN?
Lady Gaga’s album Artpop is a very aesthetically pleasing as it is very
creative and interesting to look at. This design for the back cover is similar
to a famous optical illusion in which the middle section appears to move
when it is a 2D design. This is a consistent theme within the album as she
refers to art a lot, whether this be in the form of a pattern or sculpture. I
think that the choice of colour for the text doesn’t really stand out and isn’t
very easy to read, as it is a very bright pink colour. This could lead to
someone not buying the product, for this simple reason. Ke$ha’s album is
very different to Artpop in the way it is designed, because they are two very
different artists who are trying to illustrate a different message to an
audience. She has continued to use a gold, handwtitten font like what
appeared on the front of the album and the inside cover which shows how
she is attempting to be consistent in her product. I think that this back cover
looks a little too overcrowded and personally believe it doesn’t look very
professional. This is because of how it seems to be unorganised and fills the
whole of the back cover which doesn’t happen very often on an album.
I think this design is far too advanced for a new artist, as I think the
information that is included on the album needs to be clear and easy to
understand. These are the reasons that I don’t think I will consider this
type of back cover for my product.

6. TRACKS TO THE SIDE OF
THE DESIGN.
(DIANA VICKERS – SONGS FROM A TAINTED
CHERRY TREE)
(RITA ORA –
ORA)
WOULD I CHOOSE THIS
DESIGN?
This is one of the most common designs that I came across when looking at
back covers of albums, as it includes the information that the album needs and
also has space for an image. This makes the back cover look really appealing to
the audience that the artist is aiming to sell their products to, as they are able
to see who is singing the songs that they are going to be listening to. Rita Ora
has chosen to use lots of images of herself on her album Ora, and placed them
in a way that resembles a collage. This looks similar to the design of a
newspaper and could maybe suggest that she is very popular as an artist and is
in the news a lot. The font used is very bold and bright on this back cover and
stands out against the black and white images used. This is different to the
back cover design that is used for Diana Vickers’ album Songs From A Tainted
Cherry Tree as the font she has used is quite unusual, and mixes upper and
lower case letters together. Out of the two, I think that the placement of the
image on Diana Vickers’ back cover is more aesthetically pleasing than Rita
Ora’s back cover, but Rita Ora has used a font that is a lot clearer and think
that a mixture of the two would create a very successful product.
This is the design that I thought would look the best before I did any research
into existing products, and still think that this is a design that would work
really well for a new artist’s album as I could include an image of the artist
which would make the design appeal to the audience I am going to aim my
product at. I could also use an image that still relates to the other parts of the
album in some way, but isn’t of the artist as too many images may ruin the
product and make it less effective.

7. TRACKS TO THE TOP/BOTTOM
OF THE DESIGN.
(ONE DIRECTION – UP ALL
NIGHT)
(NICKI MINAJ – PINK FRIDAY ROMAN
RELOADED)
WOULD I CHOOSE THIS
DESIGN?
This is also a design that is quite basic, and I think that these are really
interesting to look at and really represent the personalities of the
artists. The album from One Direction shows them having fun on a
beach as if they are running towards the sea, which illustrates how they
are friendly individuals. This will appeal to their fans as they are mainly
young girls and they will feel as though they can relate to people that
are famous, that they look up to and that they possibly think are
attractive. On Nicki Minaj’s back cover for Roman Reloaded, she is seen
to be covered in paint and is laid down staring into the camera in a
seductive way (the paint splatters also follow on to the text which
makes the back cover flow as a piece). This suggests that she is seen
in a sexual way by fans (supporting Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory)
and also gives an insight into the type of music she creates. This is
something that fans of the rap artist will already know, as she is
famous for her use of sexual and taboo language, but is something
that people who haven’t heard of her may not know. This image is a
great starting point for the artist to portray herself how she wants to
be seen in the industry, and coincides with the track list as these also
suggest a sexual individual.
I think this is a possible design for the product I am going to
create, as it enables me to use both imagery and text to create a
fun and exciting product which will then in turn make it
successful.

8. CONVENTION
S.There are the things that appear on each back cover I
have looked at, which are:
- Record label(s) the artist is signed to
- Barcode
- Tracklist
- Relates to the rest of the product
I am going to look at the conventions of the designs that I
think would work for my product, rather than look at ones
that I don’t think would be suitable for what I am going to
create.

9. TRACKS IN A BASIC
DESIGN.
On this design, the conventions are really simple and there isn’t many, as
there isn’t much happening on this particular design. The conventions on this
particular design is:
- Track list
- Record label(s) the artist is signed to
- Name of the album (possibly)
- Barcode
- Font stands out against background; creating a clear, professional product.
If these conventions are followed, the product can end up looking really
professional and interesting. Sometimes, the product may look slightly
undesirable if this style doesn’t suit the genre of the artist, so I would need to
think about whether this particular style would suit an indie-pop artist. I
would most likely use a pale background and a darker font colour to make
the track list really stand out and look professional. I think that this would
make a successful product because it would look really simple and would
THE
CONVENTION
S.

10. TRACKS TO THE SIDE OF
THE DESIGN.
This is another design which is quite basic, but think it is a lot more
interesting to look at than a back cover with only text and no image.
This design is also used quite a lot because it enables the artist and
their institution to be as creative as possible, mixing both imagery
and text. The conventions for this design are:
- Image(s)
- Track list
- Record label(s) artist is signed to
- Track list not covering the artist’s face on any image
- Colour of text stands out against the background of back cover
- Barcode
There are a lot more conventions for this design, as it has a lot more
happening and uses a lot of different things to create the product.
This would be a really good idea for the design for the artist I am
going to create because it would allow me to be as creative as
THE
CONVENTION
S.

11. TRACKS TO THE TOP/BOTTOM
OF THE DESIGN.
This design is very similar to the one in which the track list is
placed to the side of the image, as it follows a lot of the same
conventions:
- Barcode
- Image of artist or something relevant
- Track list
- Record label(s) artist is signed to
- Font of track list stands out against the colour of the background
- Track list doesn’t cover the artist’s face
I think this is also a design that could work for the product I
am going to create because it is a design that is used by many
artists, so will be able to take inspiration from lots of different
artists when creating my album. It is again a design that will
enable me to be very creative and experiment with whether
THE
CONVENTION
S.