Similar Media Texts (Back Face CD)

Another requirement of the task is to create the back to the CD album cover. Here I will analyse the backs to the album covers seen previously:

Marmaduke Duke

This is the back to the album cover 'Duke Pandemonium' by Marmaduke Duke. As you can see, the colour scheme is continued from the front cover, which is something that I expect to be seeing when I look at other back faces. The black obtrusive circle once again features, this time with the album tracklisting (along with numbers), record label and legal details and websites. to the bottom right is the barcode which is an essential item. Because this side follows on with the same colour scheme and pattern, it brings good continuity which is something that I feel is essential on an album cover. The spine of the CD is black with the name of the album and the artist.

Animal Collective

As you can see above, this is the cover to the album 'Merriweather Post Pavilion' by Animal Collective. The casing itself is a rather strange one, as the band have decided to get rid of the conventional casing and instead opt for what seems to be a box instead. The left image shows what we see when the box is opened, and the other two show the front and back of the inside cover. The artwork to each is fairly contemporary in the sense that it uses colours which are not associated with everyday life. The first is of someone swimming with vibrant colours outlining their silhouetted figure. The second image is that of blurry lights. The original casing carries on with the colour scheme, however when the box is opened we see a different colour setting which is carried on in it's own way - with orange being the more prominent colour to be figured. There is no tracklisting on either of these sides and no information on the record label, which can be found on the clingfilmed cover surrounding the outer box.

Milburn

Here is the cover to 'These Are The Facts' by Milburn. The first noticeable thing about this part of the cover is that it is incredibly plain and simple, however the white outlining makes it seem more authentic and something which I instantly associated with silent films. The centred, white text again draws out the simplicity, however it still creates the same effect. Towards the bottom of the case are the legal and record label information which is customary on all CDs, as is the barcode. The white diamond underneath the last track name is the symbol to Mercury Records - the label which Milburn were signed to. This acts a space filler however the size of it makes it look like nothing more, however it is a clever piece of advertising. The colour scheme is different to that of the front cover, however it would have been complicated to continue such a strange image and colour scheme, and so the band have opted for a simple black and white theme for the back. The spine of the cover is a simple black stripe with white writing on - the writing being in the same font and style as on the front cover.

Pink Floyd

Here is the back to the album 'Dark Side of the Moon' by Pink Floyd. It is seemingly the same image, however when flipping from the front to the back it is apparent that the spectrum joins up with that of the front, as does the white line which spurts off to the right. This is fairly unnoticable, however it ensures that the same colour scheme is used except a different image ensures no repetitivity. There is a black border around the back which means that the spectrum does not reach the edge. There is no information about tracklisting or record / legal information, although it does say 'Made In Japan' and has the symbol for Harvest records. The spine of the CD cover is, once again, black with the artist, album name and 'Harvest' (relating to the record label) written in white writing.

From these 4 CD covers, the codes and conventions are seemingly obvious and set in stone:

• Continue the colour scheme from the front



• Include tracklisting information (numbers are not necessary but a nice feature)



• Include legal and record information

The back of the CD does not have to be as eye-catching as the front covers as these are not the sides on display. I feel that the best working back faces include the conventions specified above and therefore I shall try to include all three points. I have also noticed that barcodes are included in two of the four faces, and so I have decided that they are too inconsistent to include. I believe that nowadays the majority of CDs are packaged in clingfilm which include the barcode on them and so I feel that they are an unnecessary feature.