2. The Picture is in black and white which gives the
smoke a more prominent feel in the album cover as
it stands out to the background. Moreover, the
smoke being colourful links into the idea of the
album title of being too weird to live, too rare to die
cause in that world of black and white the smoke is
very rare to have.
The person featured on the album
cover is the main vocalist in the
band showing that they include
the band on the cover. However,
only he is featured on the cover
due to the album being personal
to him unlike the rest of the band.
The main singer is staring at the
audience through the mirror
making it harder to turn away
from the cover.
The album cover name is written in a
smaller font than the band name as well
as the font is different except for the
words ‘Live and Die’ which are
juxtaposition to each other. It also links
into some of their songs which are
located on the album such as ‘Far too
young to Die.’
The titles of the
music are
located on the
back cover and
are written in the
same font as the
title. The number
of the songs are
written in red
which could
mean they are
more important
as you need the
to know which
track is which
when listening to
the CD.
Moreover, the
barcode is
incorporated
into the design. The Lead Vocalist is in a open top car looking into the mirror
which gives the feel as if he is looking at the audience which is
looking at the music titles. Also, the image contains lens flares
which gives it an almost vintage feel. Moreover, the artist looking
through the mirror at the audience could mean that he is looking
at our reactions to his music, however, doesn’t want to openly
admit it. Lastly, the open top car gives the album a rock style
theme which links into their music.
The background is quite boring as it’s of a
abandon/run down area which gives most of the
focus onto the singer and the smoke. The singer is
wearing all black and is smoking which gives of the
feel of rock which links into their type of music.
Lastly, the singer is looking down at the ground
rather than at the audience which could symbolise
him being respectful to the audience or he is
almost being open about his music as his arms at
hanging at his sides.
The front and back
cover of the album is in
black and white with the
only colour being the
smoke and the numbers
meaning the overall
design is matching.
3. Panic! At the Disco are a American Rock band which released their album ‘Too Weird to Live, Too Rare
to Die’ on October 8th 2013 from the producer Butch Walker.
The genre of music is rock which links to the albums black and white imagery and the artists body
language/appearance. This is due to him wearing only black clothing and smoking which is commonly
linked to the rock genre in music. Furthermore, the only colour on the back of the album is red which is
another which is commonly linked to the rock genre of music.
The imagery on the album is of the main vocalist of the band who either smoking or driving in a open
top car. The front cover imagery gives of the feel of rock due to him smoking, wearing black and in a
abandon area. However, the smoke which is colourful (thus contrasts the rest of the album) makes it
feel less rock and something new instead. Also, the imagery has completely swapped the colours
around so usually the smoke is black and white while the rest of the world is in colour but instead the
band has chosen to swap this around which in turn links into the title of the album ‘too weird to live,
too rare to die’ as the band’s music is unique just like the smoke in the black and white world.
Moreover, the artist in the picture seems to be walking away from the building which could mean he
is trying to unique in the world which in turn once again links back to the title of the album. The main
person in the cover is looking downwards with his arms at his side while smoking which gives an
openness to album which in turn makes the main singer look like he is being open about everything.
On the other hand, looking downwards instead of straight ahead can be seen as a sign of respect
meaning that he could be being respect to the audience.
The layout of the album is focused mostly on the top left hand corner and the mid right of the album.
The writing of the album for this band is usually found in the top left hand corner which is why they
probably located it there. Furthermore, the layout has meant that the test and the main picture do
not overlap thus take the importance away from one another. The title is located above the band
name which may indicate that the title of the album is a reflection of the band itself.
The text style is one which links into the band as they usually use that type of font in their album art. In the title of the band and the track list on the back is
written in a style of font like bebas. However, in the title they are changed the words ‘Live’ and ‘Die’ to the same font as their band name which are
contrasting words which gives on another feel of rock to the album. Also, the font they use for their band name looks handwritten thus fives the feel of rock
and it being personal to the artist.
The use of symbolism in the album cover can seen through the smoke in which the singer is smoking as unlike the rest of the world the smoke is colourful and
different which may indicate that the he is creating something new and never seen before (smoke though mouth = lyrics come from his mouth also) but it
could also mean that just like the smoke this album is going to be too rare to die however to weird to some people to live. This could be seen as the band’s
view of themselves in the industry of music.
4. The title of the album and the band name is located at the top
of the cover in small text which gives the image underneath
more importance to the audience. This could be to give the
feel of inclusion for the fans due to only the fans of the music
would know of the image and thus would feel like true fans.
The main focus of the album is the boy with the American
flag on his face who is wearing a stripy blue and black t-
shirt. He is staring right out at the audience which a blank
expression. This gives the boy an angry and dark feel to his
face which links into the album’s title ‘American
Beauty/American Psycho’.
The boy is
wearing
dark
clothing
which
links into
his dark
face
paint
which
only
covers
half his
face
which
could link
to the
fact that
he is half
psycho,
half
beauty.
The back cover of the album features the band walking away with their back
facing the audience except one of them which is wrapped in an American flag
in the same colours as the image on the front the cover. He is staring at the
audience which once again links into the fact that the audience can’t break
eye contact with him and thus will look at the album more. The band walking
away from the audience could represent that they are starting on their journey
of music while it could also meant this could be their last album and thus are
walking away from the audience.
The track list on the back of the album is written in the same font as
the title and the band name which makes the writing look dated and
links into the feel of retro America/Patriotic (the flags, clothing and
backgrounds). The band members are all wearing leather jackets
which are usually seen as rock clothing which links into their type of
music.
The
background
of the image
is commonly
seen as a
standard
American
scenery
(desert,
tumbleweed
s etc). Also,
the sun gives
a dusty feel
to the album
which
makes it link
even more
into the rock
genre.
5. American Beauty/American Psycho is the sixth album realised by Fall out boy which is an
American Rock band. The album was released on January 16th in 2015 by Island Records.
The ‘American beauty’ comes from the album by the grateful dead while the ‘American
Psycho’ comes from the book by Bret Easton Ellis.
The genre of music is rock as the band is described as an ‘American Rock Band’ due to their
pervious album was ‘Save Rock and Roll’. The genre of rock comes across in the album due their
front cover featuring dark/punk type face paint which is commonly linked to rock music as well as
their back cover features the band in leather jackets in a abandon setting which can be once
again seen as rock. Furthermore, the colours on the people on the album are black and blue
which are dark colours and can be seen as linking into the idea of rock of roll.
The imagery on the front of the album is a young boy wearing black face paint which covers
only half his face and is in the style of the American flag. The boy is wearing a tank top which is
blue and black and is in central focus of the image as the house in the background is blurred.
The back cover contains the imagery of the band walking away (back to the audience) while
one member with the American flag is looking back at the audience. The imagery is used to
create symbolism such as the boy’s face is only half covered showing that he is half American
beauty and half American psycho (which links into the title of the album). His facial reaction
can also link to this due to him looking expressionless so it gives him a dark and angry vibe.
Furthermore, the colours he is wearing are black and blue which are colours usually linked to
bruises thus violence which also links into the theme of anger shown through the boy’s face.
Another way symbolism is used through imagery is the back cover of the album contains the
band looking away from the audience while one of them is looking back which could show
that the band is daring to do something different and unique so is not following the social norm.
This can also be shown through the boy’s face as instead of going horizontal the flag is instead
going vertical meaning that the band is showing they are sticking to the social norm but at the
same time they are changing it to mean something else.
The text in the album is quite traditional which links into the theme of patriotism which is
commonly seen as old. The text placement is seen as being small and usually located at the top
of the album meaning that you have to look for it to be able to see it. The colour of the font is
black which on the front cover is hard to see, however, it stands out on the back cover.
The representation of the band in the album cover is one
which is quite rock and political due to them giving an
almost riot look to their album due to their colour scheme
which suggest violence as well as the face paint which
looks more like war paint which links in once again to the
theme of violence. This can also been seen through their
song titles on the back cover such as ‘Kids aren’t alright’.
Moreover, the American theme is shown also through the
song titles ‘Fourth of July’ and ‘Hotel in NYC’. This shows
that the band was trying to get the theme of American
and violence across in their music.
The mise-en-scene of the photo features a middle class house which can suggest the boy
comes from a affluent background which can suggest that the band came from an
ordinary background. On the other hand, it could relate to the audience as they made
the background to make the audience feel an connection to the album. The middle
class background can also symbolise that in every house there is potential to be an
American beauty or American psycho.
6. The hands are mirrored which links into the title
‘Smoke and Mirrors’ and are bound in gold silk
which can also link to the song ‘Gold’ which is
on their album. The hand also being tied
together could symbolise the band feeling
trapped within making money (gold silk) and
wanting to break free.
The bird is being released by the hands
which may can link to the songs ‘I bet my
life’ and ‘Smoke and mirrors’ which is about
breaking free and making your own way.
Moreover, the bird could also represent
their music as the hands could mean the
band while the bird is their album which is
being released into the world.
In the top
left hand
corner there
is the
album’s
release date
which has
been
mirrored
which links
into the title
of the
album.
The background of
the album is covered
in web which contain
words and numbers
which is quite hard to
see due to the very
dark background.
Also, the web looks like
a broken mirror which
once again links into
the title of smoke and
mirrors.
The background goes from black to
almost light green which could show
the bird escaping confinement and
flying away to freedom. The bird
almost looks like it was forced to fly
upwards by the hands which could
show that the band felt the album
wasn’t ready when it was released.
The font used for the band
name is the font usually
found on imagine dragons
covers, moreover, the
band’s name is much
bigger than the album
name meaning that the
band’s name would be
much more noticeable
rather than the album
name.
There is a cross behind the track list which
is usually associated with religion. This
could symbolise that to the band their
music is their religion or that the music itself
contains religious features.
The text is written in the same font as the title of the album
but it doesn’t contain the track list. The writing is written on
the cross and is central to the album back. Moreover, the
font is the lightest image on the back cover which the rest
is dark.
7. ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ was released on 11th February 2015 from Imagine Dragons by the label
KIDinaKORNER. Imagine Dragons is considered an American Rock Band, however, their music
can be considered pop rock. The title of the album comes from their song smoke and mirrors.
The genre of music in which the album relates to is commonly rock which can be seen
through the dark colours, however, the album cover is not considered normal for music in it’s
genre which normally have reds, blacks or rock symbolism while imagine dragons has golds
and greens. However, the religious link in the album can be seen as rock as most rock bands
usually contain crosses or religious symbolism in their music/cover art.
The imagery on the album is of a bird being released from two mirrored hands which are
tied up by golden silk. Moreover, in the background there is designs of webs or broken
mirrors which contain numbers and words. The hands being confined by the gold silk can
link back to their song ‘gold’ and could also symbolise that the band feels confined with
their popularity that they cannot be free to do what they want. Also, the bird can
symbolise their music and that they want their music to deify the social norms and unique
to the world. On the other hand, the bird seems almost forcibly thrown into the air which
could mean that the band felt as if the album was not ready to be produced, however,
was forced to release it, to create more money (gold silk). The imagery is focused mainly in
the middle of the image while the text is located in the centre which lets the audience
know easily who’s album it is and what it’s title is. The text is located also in the open hands
meaning that just link the bird the hands are releasing the album and band out to the
world.
The text font for the artist’s name Is one which they commonly use for most of their singles and albums thus is personal to them, on the other hand, the title
of the album is not written in the same style and is considerably smaller than the band name. This could indicate that the band feels their name and image
is much more noticeable than the album’s title. The album writing is also white which makes it stand out against the complex imagery due to it being the
only thing which is white on the album cover which could show that they see the album are pure as white=purity in religion, however, it could of just been
to make the writing stand out against the dark background.
The styling of the logo is that some of the letters are slanted so that some are complete while some stand alone. The writing is used due to the fact
they the fans will automatically know who the band is, however, this could also signify that the band feels conflicted about their band name due
sliding to different sides. The name of the album is called ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ which is an old-fashioned term for staged magic which is in the
simplest terms, tricking people using optical illusions. This can also be seen through the bird being released which links into the fact they magicians
released animals from hats in their performances. Moreover, the spider web is attached to the bird which gives it the illusions of flying to the
audience due to the fact that the spider web cannot be seen. This could symbolise that the band feels that they are tricking their audience with
their music into thinking it’s magical when in facts it’s just smoke and mirrors.
8. The logo of the band which is on every single they are produced.
The yellow makes it stand out against the black background and it
looks painted on making it have a rebellious feel. The strike in the
circle could represent that the band feels that they are imperfect
or rebellious by not having a perfect circle and thus are not perfect
yet.
The title of the band and the album. The band
name is bigger than the album name meaning
people would notice them before the album
making them more noticeable.
The yellow and
black could
symbolise danger
as animals use it
to make them
seem dangerous.
However, it could
be to make the
band more
unique against
the other albums.
The logo of the band is located above the track list
showing that the band wants people to know the
logo before their music or to show people that if
they want more from the band then look for the
logo
The track list is in yellow which makes it stand out
against the black background and links into the
yellow of the logo.
The island logo is
prominent in the front
and back cover which
could show that they
want their production
company to gain
more popularity while
on the other hand it
could they want their
fans to recognise
them through the
production.
9. The Prides are a Scottish Synthpop band located in Glasgow and is
made up of three members. They have so far released 11 songs and
one album which is ‘The Way Back Up’ which was released in 2015.
The imagery used on the album is only their logo which could
symbolise that they want people to judge them for their music rather
than who they are due to the lack of their faces. Also, it could
symbolise that they want their logo to be their main branding focus
that they want their fans to feel include so that only ‘true’ fans would
know who they are. The logo is written in yellow and looks messily
painted on showing that the music may be exciting and rebellious
which would appeal to young adults and teenagers. The logo is also a
circle with a line down it showing that they want to be unique or be a
different sector than the rest of the music.
The font is quite small compared to the logo and is written in a style
such as ‘Zona Pro’. Moreover, the writing is white which keeps it
apart from the logo and the dark background. The name of the
band is in larger writing than the album name which could show that
they want their name to be known rather than the band. This can link
into the fact this is their debut album.
The colours are black, yellow and white which can be link with danger
as in the animal kingdom, animals use theses colours to warn of
potential predators. This could symbolise that the music is unique and
rebellious which would bring in potential audiences who want
something different. The album does not represent race as there is
no people located on the album nor does it
represent any growing problems in society.
The line through the circle could symbolise
segregation as there is one part cut off from the
other. This could show how the band is different
from the other bands out there. The strike
through the circle matches the italicised I in the
band name which could allow fans to
recognise the band and feel recognition.
