This document analyzes and compares the visual styles and design elements of album covers across different music genres, including pop, rock, classical, rap, and country. For each genre, key aspects like color palette, typography, images, lighting, and shot types are discussed and examples are provided to illustrate how the covers reflect and represent the distinct styles and audiences of each genre.

1. POP
This genre makes use of a very bright colour
palette, for example, on the Lana Del Ray album a
variety of colours are used including pink and
yellow. Target audiences of the genre are typically
younger people and this brand of music is
stereotypically associated with the female society,
Lana Del Ray’s album cover again highlighting this
by the use of feminine colour choice. Many of the
fonts used are also big and bold, for example on
the Justin Bieber album. This technique is most
likely used to grab audiences attention and make
them aware of the artist/album name.
Shot types on these covers vary, but mid to close
up shots tend to be favoured. This allows more
focus to be directed towards the artist, a long with
direct mode of address which is used to create a
relationship with the viewer. Playful images are
also used quite often, for example on the Rihanna
CD (bottom left) , this reflects the mood of the
music featured and entices the audience to
purchase it. The lighting used on the covers also
seems to be very bright, which again adds a
stylised effect and draws your attention to the
artist, thus creating an eye-catching setting.

2. ROCK
Rock has a much different feel to it than pop, and
therefore uses other features on CD’s etc. Colours
can still be bright, taking the Silent Scream album as
an example, but many tend to surround a dark
theme. Due to the target audience of rock music
tending to be stereotypically ‘dark’ people, the
lighting and colours tend to follow suit and connote
a feeling of power and darkness. The typography
featured is also very much related to the genre in
the sense it is usually quite jagged, this connotes the
edginess that is associated with the style of music.
Shot types again vary, with some covers electing not
to feature images of the band themselves. An
example of this would be the ACDC album which
only features the logo of the band on an edited
background. Mid shots are also used on both the
green day and slipknot albums, with editing
techniques again allowing them to look unique and
edgy. The images used seem to match the genre
again, an example being the Green Day digipak
(bottom right) which houses an image of a bleeding
wrist, this in turn links to darkness and death and
portrays the style well. The lighting also helps set
the scene as it is very dark and gloomy, this creates a
very mysterious and intense setting.

3. CLASSICAL
Classical takes quite a different approach with the
artist appearing on every cover. The colours used
range, but they tend to be very plain and simple to
allow the focus to remain on the image of the
performer. Photographs are also used, for example
on the Paul Potts album, which depicts him in
what seems like an upper class area – this links to
the music genre. Lighting is again used to add
focus to the performer, for example, within the
Katherine Jenkins cover. The typography used is
also very formal and of similar type, again
highlighting the upper brow of the genre. It is also
quite large to draw the attention of the audience
and notify them of whose album it is.
The shot types used again vary but are very much
focused around the artist, and medium close ups
are often used, examples being the Katherine
Jenkins and Susan Boyle covers. Long shots are
also used, for example in the Jonathan & Charlotte
album. It links the title as it depicts them
“together”, which is of course the name of the
album. A black and white effect is also used quite
often, this perhaps portrays simplicity and natural
feeling which links very much so to the genre.

4. RAP
This again is a very different genre and is often
associated with gangsters and crime. This is
portrayed through the images used, with serious
expressions commonly seen on the artists faces.
The colours used again range but they tend to be
fairly dark and again have a focus on the artist.
This is of course not the case in the Kanye West
album as a symbol is used, which may represent
something associated with the music or artist.
The yellow and black colours could however
connote an element of danger or warning.
The shot types used within the covers tend to be
mid to close-up shots with the performer usually
being at the centre of the setting. They all seem
to be in a position where they are posing, and
they all look ruthless, serious and powerful. The
lighting is used with good effect, putting
emphasis on to the artist and creates an
atmosphere of importance, a good example being
the Dr.Dre cover. The typography used is big and
bold which allows it to stand out and grab
attention, which is what the artists want. It is also
very modern, for example with the Lil Wayne
album where the text is very much artistic and
‘cool’.

5. Country
Country CD covers seem to of very similar nature if you
look at these examples. It is a very Americanised genre
of music and is stereotypically linked with the
countryside and cowboys. The images used obviously
portray this with the wearing of cowboy hats and
chequered shirts etc. The lighting used is also very
bright and again highlights the artist and help create
quite a natural setting in unison with the background
images, which are very country related with the
outdoors and woody features being used – these are
often linked with Country singers. The typography used
on the covers also tends to have a very western look
about it, for example the Leann Remes cover looks
reminiscent of a wanted poster.
The shot types used again vary but close ups and mid
shots are used on many occasions. An example of a
close shot would be the Blake Shelton cover. This adds a
feeling of relation between the audience and the artist.
Long shots are also used, for example on the Jason
Aldean cover, this helps depict the scene and allow the
viewer to gain a sense of belonging. Furthermore, all of
the artists are looking directly at the camera which adds
a direct mode of address, thus increasing the
relationship between the artist and the fans. This helps
create a very comfortable setting.