Student Ancillary Task Convention AnalysisADAM JAMES NEWTON

IntroOne of the most important aspects of designing the cover and advertising of albums is to ensure that the conventions suit the target demographic it is aiming for, as well as to convey the genre of the work itself. This can be done through a wide variety of methods, from font choice, colour palette, setting, and the representation of the artist. These three examples are from a range of genres, and demonstrate the differences between each to gain different appeal.

Canopy Climbers - StuckThe genre of this album is indie pop, and this is clearly conveyed through conventions. It is colourful, abstract and uses simple fonts and shapes reminiscent of other albums in the genre, as shown by these similar real album covers below:

There is a lack of artist representation, which can sometimes be due to genre. However many artists show themselves in one way or another, and a criticism is that this digipak could have done the same.

Digipak not aligned properly

Outside and inside covers dissonant. In my opinion this is a fine artistic choice, and fits the production/lyrical dissonance that is common in the genre.

Two sources of light and heat are present, a fire and a sparkler. Contrasting with the cool colours on the front, This serves to represent impending danger and the deeper edge that indie music involves.

Many expected conventions, such as record label, copyright and barcode.

Clean font choice, suitable for the clean production style of the genre.

Reviews, retail locations, release date and contact information is all present, as expected of a magazine advert.

Both a major label and a subsidiary is used at the bottom of each. While an indie band signed to a sublabel can be fairly common, it is unusual to display both at the same time. The spine on the album only contains the WB logo, unusual as subsidiaries are almost always given priority.

A purple colour scheme is at the forefront. Fitting as vibrant colours are common in the genre.

Text is misaligned and inconsistent between poster and album cover. Better consistency between the two would make for a more professional looking product.

Target audience would be generally middle class, white and young. The simple, more artistic cover leans towards that demographic.

Miguel – Kaleidoscope DreamThis is an RnB album, and I like the way it includes certain conventions of the genre while also taking them in a unique direction. The artist focus and themes of love are elements that have been present since the origins of the genre.

The below albums showcase the strong artist focus as well as urban settings.

Clear focus is placed on the performer, which is standard among the majority of RnB albums.

Includes record label, place to purchase and website, all good things to have on advertisements.

Themes of love, which should be self explanatory to the genre.

Track listing is at a slanted angle, which I like because it reflects how eyes follow a page.

Unusual shape of magazine advert. I dislike it because it will be incompatible with most magazine formats.

List of hit singles, gives a good hook for fans of an artist’s previous work.

Yellows, Greens and other colours associated with nature give it a warm, natural look.

‘Handwritten’ font gives a personal touch fitting of the genre.

Criticism: The black font colour makes it hard to read the back and spine text.

Costume is a suit, ‘high class’ and suitable for the genre. The black main performer also fits convention, as well as appeal to a majority black audience.RCA, a major subsidiary label is present. This

is correct for the mainstream genre of RnB.

This album takes place in a natural forest setting. This is a major deviance from the urban setting of generic conventions as well as the largely urban demographics. I personally like this as it gives the album a unique look while still sticking to other conventions.

Sum 41 - All Killer No FillerThis hard rock cover uses several conventions fitting of the genre. The overall feel of the album is a dark, violent tone. This feeling is achieved through the imagery of broken glass and the dark alleyway. The low key lighting and colour palette further enhances the feel.

Unlike many other magazine adverts, the cover is not replicated and upscaled for the new ratio, but rather the album itself is displayed in a creative manner.

Reviews and ‘out now’ are standard conventions of the

Vinyl record player style CD insert. I personally do not like this because it neither fits the genre or the actual format being used.

Low key lighting and dark colours give it a grungy look fitting of the genre.

I like this cover because it is a creative way of displaying the album. The tagline is clever and makes it feel like a ‘must have’ product.

Blood font I don’t like, but it does fit the edge of the genre.

Band is on inside cover to establish identity. Clothing matches the ‘homemade garage band’ feel that many groups in this genre ascribe for.

Large, bold font fits genre.

Poster implies that you are meant to steal the album. Good for punk aesthetic, bad for business?

Alleyway, urban setting reflecting locations commonly seen in music videos.

The target demographic for the genre would be young, white, lower class and urban. The settings of dark alleyways suits this well, as does the band on the cover matching this representation.

The imagery of shattered glass implies violence, fitting the harsh themes of the genre. It also suits the title of the album, such as the word ‘killer’, as well as the perceived insult towards other bands for having ‘filler’.

ConclusionOverall, I believe that many of these examples are successful at establishing genre, and any flaws they have are comparatively minor and do not detract from the ancillary tasks as a whole.

Important aspects to consider when creating the genre of albums are:

Colour and Lighting Levels

Settings

Costume

Imagery