Similar Media Texts (CD Covers)

Covers of CDs

Marmaduke Duke - Duke Pandemonium

This is the front cover to the album 'Duke Pandemonium' by Marmaduke Duke. This is a very eye-catching display due to the vast quantity of different colours, resembling the 'Choose Colour' function on programmes such as Microsoft Paint etc.

• The colours range from vibrant to dark, drawing in the audience as all colours catch the eye; this is even more effective due to the random positioning of the coloured squares as the audience does not know what colour will appear where.


• The circle at the top left also stands out, as it is a black circle on top of vibrant colours. The black circle with white writing is prominent as white on black stands out more than other colours do.
  
• The top left hand quarter of the cover is taken up by this black circle which draws attention to the artist's name and their album title, whereas the other 3 quarters of the page are filled by the randomly coloured squares.
  
• The font used for 'Marmaduke Duke' is similar to that from their first album, and therefore this creates a continuity from their first album where their fans will associate this font as being the Marmaduke Duke 'trademark' font. The font of the album name (Duke Pandemonium) is written in much smaller font underneath the band name, and it is written in a much more ordinary font. This is something that I feel will be apparent in all of the CD covers that I research and analyse - the fact that the artist name is written in a much bigger and stylish font to that of the album title. I believe this is because the artist will be much more recognised than that of the album title and therefore they will want to draw attention to the fact that they (the band / artist) are releasing a new album.


• The music on this album varies from dark to cheerful tunes, and this is certainly shown on the front cover. The light and dark colours relate to the music on the album therefore the audience will know what to expect, to an extent, from this album.

Overall I feel that this is a quality CD cover which will no doubt attract shoppers looking for an exciting album. Due to the vibrant colours which certainly jump out at you this cover screams originality and excitement and it will definitely catch the shopper's eye. Even at the bottom of the shelf this CD cover will be seen by everyone.

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

This is the cover to the CD 'Merriweather Post Pavilion' by Animal Collective. The CD comes in a booklet style case (shown on the left) which is covered in clingfilm with the label stuck to the outside (shown on the right). When the clingfilm layer is taken off, so does the label and therefore the user will have no recollection of what the CD inside is. It is essential that the clingfilm layer stays on when being sold as people will not know who or what this album is.

• The front cover is a well known optical illusion, where as your eyes move from side to side, so do the green oblong shapes in a diagonal direction. This will certainly stand out as when the public walks past it the cover will seemingly move. Our eyes get drawn into moving objects and therefore this a clever piece of art as the user will stop to look further into it.

• Even with the optical illusion, the colours stand out more than other traditional colours. Purple and green are two colours which are not often used in cases such as this however they have used these colours to good effect.


• When the clingfilm is on the case, it is a very prominent figure. The standard black writing on a white background stands out more than it would on a normal CD case. Because Animal Collective are not as famous as bands such as Arctic Monkeys or Kings of Leon this is a clever piece of advertising as the audience will look at the 'blip' in the bottom right corner of the case. This white label includes the name of the album and band along with other information such as album tracks and their record label.


• Behind the green oblong shapes is a dark blue and purple background. These colours seem to be clouded together, looking like something you would see in space. This is associated with their music as their genre would fit into a sci-fi movie and therefore the front cover gives the audience a brief idea of what to expect in the album.

This album is certainly eye catching due to the optical illusion on the front cover. The general public will be drawn in to the cover as it apparently moves, and the colours will add an extra bit of flavour to the cover. There is enough information on the cover, however when the clingfilm casing is taken off, so is any information about the CD which, in the long run, could turn out to be a wrong move on their (Animal Collective's) behalf.

This album cover is an innovative design which is created in the form of a booklet:

Milburn - These Are The Facts

This is the album cover to 'These Are The Facts' by Milburn. It shows four people with the heads of animals, something that you would not see every day. The setting and colour scheme of the photo is something that would catch the attention of the audience and also the layout of the image is something that has been cleverly thought out.

• The colouring of the sky is not a natural background colour. The photographer has used the 'Sepia' effect which gives the colours a more orangey tint. This colour is in conjunction with the phonebooth and the animal heads on the 4 main people. They have managed to give the grass a grey colour instead of the standard luscious green that is more often associated with grass. This could make the public turn their heads as this is not what they are used to, and therefore the desired effect will have been created as they have managed to gain attention by using slightly different colourings to what we would expect.


• The photographer has used the rule of thirds to a good extent with the main interests of the cover all being in different areas of the cover. To the left we have someone with a pig's head - something that features in the video to their single (What Will You Do) off this album. To the top left and running into the top middle section we have the name of the album and the band name; again, the name of the band is written in a much larger and more extravagent font. Down the middle of the image is the phonebooth, and to the right are the two remaining figures. This cover has been well spread out as it is not too cluttered despite the subject and topic of the cover being quite confusing.


• The narrative of the photo is quite strange compared to those of different album covers. It is not a conventional cover in the fact that it is not obvious what the photographer was trying to convey. This is a strange marketing technique as this could make customers move away from the CD as they don't quite understand the concept behind the photo, however people may also move towards the album because they are curious as to what the album could include and possibly that the answers lie inside the album.


• The four characters are all dressed up for the occasion as they are all wearing suits and ties. One is holding a briefcase and so this will cause the public to ponder whether they are businessmen or something else; they will be wondering why they have dressed up in such a strange combination of clothes.

The mise-en-scene of this cover is different to what we (the public) would expect - the main image is confusing, the colouring off and the costumes and props seemingly irrelevant and mixed. This can be a recipe for disaster however in this case it has been put together in such a way that the public can only help but be drawn in and therefore I believe that this is a very clever CD cover.

50 Cent - Before I Self Destruct

This is the front cover to the album 'Before I Self Destruct' by 50 Cent. It shows 50 Cent (a very recognisable figure in rap) slouched on a chair looking straight at the camera in a provocative manner with a raised eyebrow. There is the customary 'Parental Advisory' sticker to the bottom left of the cover as this warns to some explicit material in the lyrics. This is something often found within the rap genre.

• There is one main image, and that is of Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson. He is a well supported figure in rap music and one that everyone will know, no matter what genre of music they listen to. This is a good idea as the public will immediately associate the album with 50 Cent and therefore awareness is always being raised. He is the central figure of the image, there is nothing else to distract the attention away from him.


• There is audience interaction from the image, as 50 Cent is looking directly at the public from the image. This eye contact can be somewhat provocative however it could also challenge the public to buy the album. His fans will feel a connection between themselves and 50 Cent just by this simple eye contact and therefore the public will feel compelled to buy the album due to the 'connection'.


• The album cover uses the rule of thirds to a good quality, even though some sections are bare. To the top left we have perhaps the most important part of the front cover, 50 Cent's face. With this being the central figure of the front cover it is important that it is placed in a position such that it can influence the cover. By putting his face in the top left corner they have ensured that it can be seen even when stacked behind other CDs and therefore will always be on display.


• At the top right of the screen is the customary artist name '50 Cent' which takes up the top right square. Due to this it is a good size as it fills it and therefore it will be easily seen as it is a large figure on the cover. Just underneath this is the name of the album, again in a smaller and less extravagant font. The parental advisory warning is in the bottom left sector, where all warnings are placed.


• At the top middle is 50 Cent's hand, raised in line with his head. This is an important pose as otherwise the CD cover would look too bare, and so due to the addition of this hand it makes the cover look fuller. The hand gesture is in a pondering position, however it still comes across as being provocative. This, again, will possibly intimidate the public. This is an expression that I would expect from music of this genre.


• The colours of this CD cover are black and dark grey. This could relate to the intensity of the album and the dark lyrics that are within the songs. 50 Cent is wearing all black and is sitting in front of a dark grey backdrop. This makes him stand out as the central figure.


• 50 Cent is wearing 'bling', in this case a silver chains and a watch. This, again, fits in with the common stereotype of rappers and this genre of music. Tattoos are also apparent on his forearms.

The mise-en-scene of the album cover is something that I would wholly expect from an album with the genre of rap music. A central image (the front man), bling, a dark atmosphere, provocative gestures etc. All of these things will appeal to the people who follow this genre of music and therefore an album cover containing all of these things can only cause people to take notice. This album cover is only really appealing to people who listen to this genre and there is nothing to say that other members of the public may enjoy the music produced. This album cover is only advertised to a niche target audience.

Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon

Now we come to possibly the most famous and most recognisable album cover of all time. 'Dark Side Of The Moon' by Pink Floyd is instantly recognisable and an album that the majority of people will know about. There have been many parodies of this album cover, some clearly better than others (see right hand picture). This album cover has become a marketing technique and many a company has taken advantage of the fact that the cover is so well known.

• The black background ensures that the colours on top are vibrant and stand out more so than if the background were white. The cover represents light passing through a prism and splitting into a spectrum. This creates an array of vibrant colours which certainly catch the eye. The image itself is very well known due to the fact that it is light getting split into different colours, however it is now more well known as the cover of the Pink Floyd album. The vibrant colours certainly stand out and attract the public towards it.


• The pure simplicity of the album makes it stand head and shoulders above the rest. One main, simple picture on a black background. This is much more simple than any of the other CD covers that I have analysed in this post as it requires no photoshoots, no costumes and limited time to create. The simplicity of the album cover is certain to attract the public as it does not look cluttered.


• The main image is that of the triangle, positioned slap bang in the middle of the cover. The colours coming out either side are more attractive than the triangle, and so these are the things that will draw the audience in to browse the album.


• To the top right of the cover is the name of the band and the album. The name of the band is, in this case, the same size and font as the album name and they are both circled. All of it is white on the black background which will make it much easier to see, however it has been made much smaller than other CD names so as not to distract the audience away from the main image.


• There are other variations of this CD cover where there is no circle in the top right, and no album or band name. Due to the famous nature of the CD cover they have managed to get away with it because the majority of people will associate that image with this album.


• Parodies of this album sleeve have been made ever since it was created, and I am sure they will not stop for a while to come. As with the image above, 'Pork Side Of The Moon' seems to be a special offer for pork at Cab City Combo, and so they have cleverly used this as an advertising technique and a play on words to attract new members of the public to dine with them.


• People will have to pay for the rights to use the album sleeve in such a way and therefore Pink Floyd will get money when these parodies are made.

This album cover is simple yet effective. 36 years later it is still one of the most famous album sleeves of all time and therefore it has clearly been very well designed and created.

Conclusions

So, having looked at these 5 covers, I have come across the following codes and conventions:

• Colour - The colour scheme is rarely basic. This is due to the band trying to grab the public's attention and therefore plain, dull colours are not going to do anything, whereas expressive, vibrant colours will certainly cause a stir.
• Text - The artist name is bigger than the album title. This is becuase people will be more aware of the band rather than the name of the album. The band is the main selling point.
• Imagery - The imagery used is clever as they all grab the attention in their separate ways. 50 Cent uses eye-contact whereas Pink Floyd have taken a well known image and used it to good effect. The optical illusion of Animal Collective is something to consider, whereas a complicated image such as Milburn's is something I will avoid due to the confusing nature of it.

From these 5 albums I have decided that I am going to do a picture as a front cover. I believe that a well taken picture is the best option because it is simple and can relate to many different themes, however I will avoid complication such as with Milburn's cover. The name of the band will be in a bigger font to the name of the album.