Fall Out Boy uses various branding techniques and imagery across their Save Rock and Roll album packaging and promotional materials to convey their themes of revolution and fighting against the system. The packaging utilizes red and black colors symbolizing revolution. Fonts, logos, and imagery are used inconsistently to seem non-uniform and subvert conventions of the rock genre. Promotional posters vary in styles from typical rock imagery to more tongue-in-cheek cartoons to attract both new and existing fans. Overall, the diverse branding reinforces their messages of change and defiance through traditional and unconventional means.

1. Save Rock and Roll

2. Fall Out Boy continue a similar theme between three parts of the digipak for this album
with the front cover being the exception. The main colour scheme is red and black as
they feature on the back, on the disk and the inside covers. These colour red connotes
revolution which creates a link between the branding and the lyrics, the songs are heavily
focused on young revolution and a fight against the system. Red being a colour heavily
linked with revolution (France and Russia being two notable examples) connotes the
revolt that their music is focused on, the black running down like liquid could therefore
indicate the blood of the oppressor. Black connotes the darkness that is forced upon the
oppressed population, in this case the band, genre and fans, which would justify the
black in the blood running down the digipak inside cover. The idea of revolution in the
genre is very strong, rock and roll has always famously been about revolting against the
system and Fall Out Boy there fore continue this theme in their music and are now
branding around it.
The urban logo used on the disc creates the image of a cult for the band; the logo is simple
and when keeping with the revolution theme, would give it’s followers (the audience) something
to follow and essentially worship. The triangular shape with ‘FOB’ (Fall Out Boy) inside bands
the audience with the band as the majority who are under the rule of the rulers of society,
symbolised through a crown. This connotes that fall out boy are the voice of the people,
speaking against their superiors. The graffiti imagery gives the impression that their fan base
is younger due to the street implications, something associates with the youth. The genre again
typically speaks the voice of the youth with bands throughout the decades aiming their rock
music at the young (AC-DC being a prime example), so this modernised interpretation of a
young population which need a voice is continued which follows genre conventions.
The back cover of the digipak follows the same theme, Red with Black, this creates uniformity
throughout the digipak except of the front cover which is an outlier. The cover has 2 young
boys, one dressed in traditional monk clothing and the other in modern, western clothes
smoking a cigarette. The ban apparently found this image inspiring and said "really solidified
what we were trying to get across on the record: The idea of old and new clashing. Tradition
and change coming together“. The idea of inspiration in the image is important for the
revolution theme, the idea that this image inspired the band indicates that they think it can
inspire the audience too which would spark a change.

3. Fall Out Boy use multiple fonts in their branding due to their established success and
recognisability as a band. The Logo used on the album cover for Name and Title is a
capitalised and white which contrasts against the maroons and dark reds that it is up
against, the attention to the name as well as the striking image makes a very recognisable
album cover which will attract audience attention when on the shelves. The font is thin
which creates a form of subtlety to the title which is subverting the genre conventions as
Rock and Roll has been a typically loud, bold and in your face genre, so by making the title
small and thin but contrasting colours and capitalised makes the image be the first thing the
audience sees, then the name of the band and artist; this draws attention to the relevance
of the image and their music and not the band.
The urban logo that was mentioned on the
disk is another form of font used in the band’s
branding. It is very different from the logo
used by the band on the album cover and in
most branding. This logo is the more typical
Rock image as it connotes roughness and
revolution much like many rock bands tend to
do, the fact that they have acknowledged
their genre’s brand as well as creating an
independent image through the font they use
shows the success of the band, they are not
uniform with their genre. The text on this
urban logo is still in all capitals which creates
a link between this and the band’s actual
logo, however the font is in black and is very
much in bold for the ‘FOB’. This creates
essentially a binary opposite when compared
to the original logo used on the cover which
shows their diversity and again links to the
rock genre which is all revolved around not
being uniform and fitting into the system.
The more colourful image is taken from
one of the band’s advertisements which
proves once more that they have multiple
brands and are not uniform like other
genres may be. This font is eye catching
as it is, again, all capitalised which makes
it easily noticeable amongst the images
that surround it (to be discussed on next
slide). The rougher imagery to the font
once more aligns it with the rock genre
and further contrasts the band’s
legitimate logo as a subverting picture to
the norm. The yellow, fire imagery given
in this logo connote hell which is typical of
the genre as it is often referred to as
‘Devil’s music’, a condescending
comment of the genre that was picked up
and stuck with by Rock artists and fans.

4. The evidence of multi branding is clear through the advertising the band uses, mainly in
their posters. The top poster is not to advertise any album or tour but is instead likely to be
used as merchandise. The large image of the Skelton with fire in the background creates a
link with the rock genre which uses harsh imagery such as this as key imagery. This
poster is a base image of rock and roll designed so it could be used as any band in the
genre’s merchandise and not look out of place. By having a typical rock image the band is
advertising the type of music they play as oppose to who they are or what their songs/
albums mean. The red tear through the middle of the page draws attention to the band
name which links genre and band together.
‘Fall Out Boy’ is capitalised and the largest
feature of the bottom advertisement. By using a
black colour to accompany the band’s signature
logo draws all attention to the name on this tour
poster, so to attract existing audiences. The
name and tour information are the most notable
pieces on this poster, selling the band and
tickets over the image. The image is interesting,
the use of the band appears for the first time in
the advertising for the ‘Save Rock and Roll;
tour/ DVD as far as my research has taken me.
They are selling to an existing fan base so it
would seem and due to the fact the show is an
Auckland, New Zealand, leads me to believe
they are doing so as it would be a big thing that
they are making the journey; playing the poster
to fan hype is a clever marketing move.
The tour poster in the middle totally
subverts the advertising campaign so far
for the ‘Save Rock and Roll’ era of Fall
Out Boy. The use of ta cartoon image
that appears to be some form of Her
(indicated by the gold and blue colours
and crown logo) creates a humour to
their advertising. Rock bands often have
some form of tongue in cheek attitude to
their music and this complies with that
idea. The gold and purple colours used
seem to connote royalty, as if the band
are suggesting they are rock and roll
royalty, hence why they would be
‘Saving rock and roll’. The crown logo on
the super hero links to the crown used in
the urban logo that is on the disk of the
album which creates a subtle link
between this unusual subverting of their
image as a band and the album.