Inspiring Album Covers

We took inspiration from the key iconography of this shot. There is a strong theme of nature with the flowers and birds in the background as well as the colour scheme of green and blue, which connote authenticity and freshness. The lungs on the outside of the artists body are quite surreal and suggest to the audience that the artist is unique and quirky. The way her body is posed with her eyes looking down demonstrate her quirkiness and also makes her stand out from other artists.

The key image on this album cover is quite surreal as the house in the background is reminiscent of a cottage in a fairytale. The bright red and yellow that are prominent in the image reinforce this. The horse imagery is also suggestive of mythical elements and the prominent green in the image connates more natural elements. The daisies also connate a sense of nature and also summertime and therefore a sense of dreaminess. Both these qualities suggest that as an artist Kate Nash is unique and different with an element of authenticity.

The image on this album cover has a cartoon/animated effect on it. It is very simple as is the colour scheme and the animated artist is dressed simply and is not groomed which suggests that she is again authentic and that her music is in a sense 'real' and sincere.

Gwen Stefani – Love Angel Music Baby

For the deconstruction you will need to explore the following:
images used (layout, colour, style etc)

Front

Vivid and colourful

A medium long shot

Main colours used – gold, pink yellow

White background with a gold border

Gwen Stefani sitting on a gold throne in the centre directly addressing the camera

Head tilted up slightly and to the right

Curly messy hair – looks careless and so ‘cool’

Wearing a white top with frills, grey jacket with white fur, denim shorts, tights

Holding a gold purse and stick – link to royalty

Gwen Stefani is in focus but the surrounding images are out of focus

Slumped in the throne, one eye hidden, looks very laid back, relaxed, careless and so in control

Signature look – dark red lipstick, blond hair

Surrounding image – two Asian girls standing and posing

Back

Dark red background

Image is to the left has a white background

Image in black and white

Gwen Stefani sitting on same throne but more upright

Head tilted down to the right.

Curly even messier hair – looks careless and so ‘cool’

Eyes half closed – still looks chilled out

Big black stilettos

No longer wearing the grey jacket

Holding a tiara – connotations of ‘royalty’

Holding a stick – link to royalty

text (fonts, size, positioning, colour etc)
Font colour – gold

Album title in top left top corner and name Gwen Stefani in bottom right corner

Album title fairly small, Gwen Stefani much bigger and in bold

Font used is distinct, fancy style, connotations of royalty and ancientness

The relationship between text and images - how do they work together ie anchorage Differing functions of the front, back, inside sleeve
Anchorage - The text has connotations of royalty in the image, Gwen Stefani is sitting on a throne

The text, the throne and the border are all gold

How the Iconography represents the band, the genre of music and their overall image.

Iconography represents Gwen Stefani as individual and distinct

Colourful iconography is colourful and reflects the genre of pop, which consists of catchy dance music that is fun

Gwen Stefani’s image consists of her dark red lipstick, blond hair and her wild/different/out there fashion sense

Overall image is quite fun

Are there any signifiers exclusive to the band/ genre
Colourful and fun – pop genre

Signature look – dark red lipstick, blond hair, quirky dress sense

What the cover says about the institutional context of the music ie the label, mainstream, underground, first album etc
Owned by Interscope Records, licensed to Polydor Limited, Universal Music

First album as a solo artist?

What can we learn about the potential/target audience from the cover ie specialist, niche, familiarity with the band, compilation, mainstream etc.
We can learn that the target audience is mainstream, as the cover resembles other mainstream pop artists/bands, as it is colourful, fun etc. However, it is also individual to suit Gwen Stefani’s style.

Any work completed on album covers should be posted on your individual blog, with links to the album cover imagery

STAGE 1: ALBUM COVERS RESEARCH

A: Look at a selection of album covers (minimum of ten, CD or vinyl), maybe from your own, your parents or a friends collection, or online - the more variety in genre, style, decade etc the better. Make notes in answer to the questions below:

1. What are the typical features that an album cover has? Make a list of all the elements they have in common.

Front, back and spine

Name of the band/artist – usually bigger then title

The title of the album

Typeface – visual motif same font

The artist is usually on the cover

The image is strong and iconic: Lady Gaga - The Fame

Marketing stickers

Price labels

Offers

The tracks on the CD

Institional information - The record label, copyright symbol, publisher, designer date etc

Certain expectations – legal licensing fro industry etc

Artist/band website

Record label website

Bar code

Same design and colour scheme on front and back

Name of the band/artist and the title of the album on the side

Booklets

Distinctive debut albums – sell the artist/band

Second/third etc albums - work on familiarity

Greatest hits – play on nostalgia using iconic images of the artist/band, work on an emotional response

2. How would you categorise the covers in front of you? Are there any other ways of distinguishing between them other than generically?

Genre
Target audience

Artist/band

Male/female

Style

Band/artist on the front

Conceptual

Debut/first/second, third etc

Mainstream/alternative/niche

Compilation/greatest hits etc

Tone – funny/serious

Era/decade

Layout

Dual case/digi pack/vinyl album

Special edition/double album etc

Record label e.g. Motown, 2 Tone – associated with a specific genre

3. Album covers serve many different functions. What do you think these are (ie what is their purpose?)

To portray the artist/band artistically

Serves as an identifiable image associated with the artist/band.
To hold the CD

To advertise/promote/sell the artist/band

To advertise/promote their songs and music

Indicate the genre of music and style

Informative – tracks

Genre specific – has to sell a specific genre

Institutional identity

Individual, distinctive, should stand apart

Gets people talking about artist