This document analyzes the album cover for Ellie Goulding's "Lights" album. It discusses how the close-up images of Ellie Goulding conform to theories about record companies wanting to sell the artist. It also examines how Ellie Goulding blends pop and indie styles in her music and image, coming across as edgier than other female pop artists. The use of lights and dark colors on the album cover are meant to represent and draw attention to the album title while also hinting at the varying tones within the music.

1. Digipak Analysis Ellie Goulding Lights
This album cover features images of the popular female artist Ellie Goulding
this conforms to Andrew Goodwin’s theory as he says that record
companies demand a lot of close- ups of the main artist, especially female
artist as they are trying to sell the artist rather than their music.
Ellie Goulding is an artist
who portrays Nicolas
Abercrombie’s theory that
genres are shifting and
becoming more permeable
as her music indicates that
she is pop artist however
she is unlike any other
female pop artist as she is
more indie than other
female artists. Unlike other
female artists Ellie has never
produced an R&B record
however as the older she
gets the more Ellie is
changing to look like other
female artists. This can be
shown through the hooded
image of Ellie as she is
showing she is more edgy
and daring.
The use of golden lights to highlight certain features on the cover
of this album is to add emphasis on the album name ‘Lights’. It is
also a play on her last name ‘Glouding’ this makes the album
significant to Ellie and stand out to other artists.
The dark colours could be used to show that this album is dark in some places with some
uplifting songs; this can be differed from the bright coloured golden lights. This could be
interpreted as Ellie changing her style of music and becoming more of a pop artist however still
with her indie side. This also conforms to David Buckingham’s theory that genres are constantly
interchanging to keep the audience interested