ResearchAnalysing Existing CD Covers

By Amber Foster

CD Cover 1

Front Back

Colour: Dramatic colour change, both colours contrast but the red is also seen on the front of the album cover as it is the colour of her bra under the white shirt which is the colour that is also seen on the back. Also on the back there is a use of contrasting colours, the white and black on the red makes it more noticeable and distinct. Additionally, the colours contrast also on the front as the sky blue, is contrasted on the white shirt and the white colour of the shirt is contrasted with the sky : the artists name.

Costume: The shirt used is considerably vintage ;this fits with both her music style and personality.

Font: The same font is used on both the front and the back of the album ‘Born To Die’, connecting them through this conventional album cover technique. The font used fits with the theme of the music and the artists personality, therefore furthering the feel of the music through the album art. The font is both bold and eye-catching, the size of the font used for the name of artist is larger than the album name so that she is more recognisable.

Barcode: It is placed on the back as it would impact the visual impact of the cover art if it was located on the front of the album.

Target audience: The target audience of this album is primarily female as the female artist naturally attracts female listeners, but due to the colour scheme which is unisex both male and female audiences are targeted.

Image: The medium close up that is used is framed by the masthead and the album name drawing attention to the album art and the artist. Also Lana Del Rey is also making eye contact with the camera which immediately includes and personally targets each individual potential customer. Also this is a conventional aspect found in all 3 album cover that I have analysed.

Her previous album cover holds the same aspects and follows the theme that this more recent album does.

Album name: The album name is ‘Born to die’ But attention is drawn away from this to the more noticeable name of the artist which dominated the upper half of the album cover. The album name is coincidentally the name of her number one hit single ‘Born To Die’.

CD Cover 2

Front Back

Image: The image is in black and white to fit the ‘soul’ theme, it also fits with the theme of ‘Platinum Edition’ as there are metallic tones on the cover. The theme of black and white is also found on the back of the album but there is metallic gold colours used. Additionally, this isn't conventional as album covers usually really on bright colours for visual impacts, but by not following this theme ‘I am Sasha Fierce' draws attention due to its lack of colour. Moreover, the images contrast on the front and back of the album on the front she is wearing little makeup where as on the back she is wearing heavy eye makeup conveying how underneath she strong and powerful, which fits with the colour scheme, theme and album name.

Font: Firstly, the font that is used on the cover has a metallic finish which furthers the strong feel that the album name created ‘ I am Sasha Fierce’. The font is a serif font, on both front and back of the album, thus another way the front and back link together. Additionally, the font used for the artists name and album name, has a middle gradient (lighter in the middle but darker round the edges which fits with the background on the front of the album as this has a similar effect but in different shades of grey.

Colour: More over, the colours that are primarily used are shades of grey, white and black, on both front and back, this lack of colour contrasts with other albums on the shelves which rely on bright primary colours to attract their audience, therefore attracting potential customer attention due to its lack of colour. Furthermore, this dark shades shows the lever of emotion that for Beyoncé everything isn't plain ‘Black and White’ and that’s what she's trying to convey throughout the album. On the other side of the album, a gold metallic colour is used on the costume, this adds colour to the album and keeps it from being too simple.

Barcode: It is placed on the back as it would impact the visual impact of the cover art if it was located on the front of the album.

Target audience: The target audience of this album is largely female based; as the female artists image naturally attracts female listeners. The colour scheme is unisex but the feminine feel of this cover (both front and back) attracts female potential customers

The only similar aspects about this more modern cover is the font is roughly the same but significantly more spaced out. Colours have been used and the artists eye contact has changed to a lack of.

Costume: The costume on this album cover is considerably modest with the high neck shirt, therefore this shows that she doesn’t want to rely on her looks to create an audience, her music speaks for itself.

Album name: The album name is ‘I am…Sasha Fierce’, this is a very personal insight to the artists life as this is her real name not her stage name ‘Beyoncé’ conveying that she is going to also be emotional and personal in the music selected for her album.

CD Cover 3

Front Back

Image: The image used is of the artist from ‘Marina and the diamonds’ in a lying down pose on both front and back of the album. The two images are very similar yet are taking at different angles and with different aspects, for instance the front image if of the artist making eye contact with the audience; directly targeting her market, but on the other hand she's looking away in the back image as capturing the audience through eye contact is no longer needed as they are already showing interest by looking at the back of the album.

Font: The font used for both the album and artist name on the cover of the album is also used on the back of the album to show the songs that are going to be on the album. Sans serif is the type of font that is used, it is also bold and has a hand written look conveying that she's written it herself and has actually taken interest in her album and that to her its about the music not making money, which is how many artists come across.

Colour: The colours used for the image are greatly enhanced, showing that the artist is after a more painted/portrait look for her album (hence the font style: hand written and the background which looks like canvas material). This is both the case for front and back of the album. Additionally the white used for the information contrasts immensely with the enhanced darkness of her hair and the dark colours used on the front of the album, therefore drawing instant attention to it.

Target audience: The target audience of this cover would yet again be mostly female ages 15+ as the colour scheme, models pose and eye contact all make this cover notably female orientated.

Barcode: It is placed on the back as it would impact the visual impact of the cover art if it was located on the front of the album.

Her previous album cover holds the same aspects as the previous album. For instance the pose and eye contact, but the font and colour schemes have dramatically changed.

Costume: On the front of the album there isn't a costume visible, where as on the back of the album it is more obvious she isn't wearing one, this shows that she is going to get the ‘naked truth’ in her music and let the audience in to her emotions, which is conventional of a soul/pop genre artist.

Album name: the album name is ‘The Family Jewels’ which is both a quirky and interesting name, as it suggests through her music is going to have some underlying personal message or feel, hence the word use of ‘Family’ in her album name as this is a word universally related to personality and personal lifestyles.

ResearchAnalysing Existing Tour/ CD

Release PostersBy Amber Foster

Poster 1Colour Scheme: The colour scheme that is used fit with both the theme of the poster and the album name: Circus. For instance, the bright primary colours are conventional of a circus poster and it is also conventional that album release posters or tour posters relate to the artists album releases.

Layout: On this poster there is a page border which is conventional in circus themes posters (as those located to the left) which makes it look unique and authentic compared to other release posters. ‘Britney Spears’ in a large font is central on the poster and therefore the most eye-catching characteristic, by doing this she is proving that she is already an established artist as her audience and fan base will recogniser her name alone and will be compelled to look at the poster.

Image: There is a lack of imagery used on this poster, no image of the artist or the album cover suggesting that the artists is confident enough that her name will be enough to sell the album, along with the name of a popular song from her album ‘Womaniser‘. Additionally, the use of the border is also seen on the album cover.

Target audience: The target audience of this release poster is roughly 15+; and due to the colours being unisex both genders, male and female are potential customers.

Information: There are various details on this poster which promote things such as: album name, release date, the artist, a single ‘Womaniser’. All of this is information is considered important to the audience and what they need to know in order to purchase the album and find incentive to purchase it .

Poster 2Colour Scheme: The colour scheme of the ‘I am… Yours’ tour poster is similar to the ‘I am Sasha Fierce’ album colour scheme, the same technique with the fonts gradient for ‘Beyoncé’ is used on both poster and album cover. Additionally, the same use of grey tones is used but with an other colour to stop the poster and cd cover being too plain. The colour of the dress matches the twist on the album name: ‘I Am… Yours’, adding a glamour's luxury feel to the poster.

Layout: The tour poster has a similar layout to the album cover, for instance, the placement of ‘Beyoncé’ is exactly the same as the album cover, thus linking both together, so the target audience and owners of the Beyoncé album would recognise this as her poster without relying on the image .

Image: Firstly, the image that is used completely contrasts with the image that was previously used on her album cover, where the artist doesn’t rely on her looks to attract and audience where as with this tour poster she does. The album cover is more directed at women than men, but in this tour poster she is still targeting women but she's trying to target a male audience through her looks and pose.

Target audience: Primarily, the target audience isn't necessarily affected by the colour scheme yet the image, this image is a case of ‘Men want her’ and ‘Women want to be her’, therefore attracting both genders, although the ages of the audience would roughly be 16-45 year olds.

Information: The information on this tour poster has the conventional aspects as other tour posters such as the artists image, name, tour dates, where the tour is situated and if tickets are on sale/when they go on sale.

Poster 3Colour Scheme: The colour scheme of the ‘El Rey Theatre’ tour poster is pink, black white brown and green, all used to contrast one another . For instance, the pink of the background used on the artists name contrasts with the black to make it more distinct. This also goes for the tour dates and theatre, the important details. A softer lighter pink is also used for the songs on the background to make them noticeable but not the key characteristic of the poster.

Layout: The main characteristic of this poster is the pop art version of the artist, as its directly central, but accompanying this is ‘Lana Del Rey’ cutting through the mid section of the image, so when the audience is looking at the picture they will automatically see the important details that are required to participate in the tour.Image: The imaged used on this poster isn't conventional to the soul/pop genre, therefore its key characterise , the image, makes it more diverse. Moreover, the image is distinctly Lana Del Rey as her key characteristics are highlighted and emphasised, such as her wavy hair and lips. Additionally, the image is also quirky and distinctive and links perfectly with her album covers which also follow this theme.

Target audience: As an estimate, the target audience of this tour poster would be 13- 35, primarily women as the poster is extremely feminine, from the feminine pinks to the image.

Information: There is also conventional information on this poster like the others I have analysed : Artists name, artists image, location and tour dates.