A2 ARTIST ANALYSISBy Daniel Soto-Llano

Taylor Swift- (1989)

Front Cover

The front is very basic, using a Polaroid picture (very common in the 1980s) over a white background. The writing on the cover is handwritten, and this emphasizes on the basic style that she wants to employ, since the cover is called 1989.

The white background could connote peace, in addition to the doves on her shirt. The filter used is vintage, and this can connote that this cover is old-style. Her youthful looks, red lip-stick and her face powdered (almost blending in with the background) shows that this album is targeted to teenagers and young adults

She is centered in the middle of the photo, and this shows she is the main focus, so rather than talking about a certain topic, the songs are most likely to be about her.

Back CoverAs with the front, the back is also white (and as mentioned before), white connotes peace. The colour scheme is very minimalistic, having a white border, a white-silver main frame and black handwritten text. This adds simplicity, and this goes with the theme of the 80s, when CD cover were simplistic and not as flashy as today’s. The numbers in the margin are handwritten, and this allows it to be personal to the buyer.

In the picture, she is centred in the middle foreground, with her lips and her body cut off, showing only her eyes. The vibrant gold colour of her hairs, and her eyes being visible (her face blending with the background) could suggest a sexual stare. Her youthful looks further suggest that this cover is aimed towards young adults and teens, however, she is not posing in a revealing dress, or doing a sexual pose, so this connotes innocence.

The typography looks like Impact, the letters are all capitals, joined with handwritten text which is significantly bigger than the typed text, and this diverts your attention to the numbers

CD

As with the front and back cover of Swift’s album cover, it uses a very calm colour scheme, opting for light blue, pure white, blended in the middle to give an ethereal effect of purity. Doves connote peace and purity, and in both Christianity and Judaism, symbolises love. As soon as we see the image, we can instantly know what genre the music is, due to the peacefulness of the CD cover.

There is no main typed words on the CD cover (the border not included). Instead, the title of the CD is handwritten, and so is the artist name (T.S. = Taylor Swift, D.L.X = Deluxe) and this makes it personal to the buyer, as if the CD was homemade and was given to them as a present. Since it adds a personal element to the album, it makes it more memorable to the user, and therefore they will be more likely to listen to the CD.

Bruno Mars(Doo-Wops And Hooligans)

Front coverInstantly, at first glance, it gives the sense of nature (natural world). Many objects and animals are yellow, such as bananas, bees, sunflowers, lemons and obviously, the Sun. It could show that the artist is down-to-earth, since yellow is the most luminous colour in the spectrum. This gives the audience a feeling that he’s easy going, and well-mannered, therefore a person is more likely to listen his CD.

The layout is very simple, using a two-coloured scheme of yellow and yellowish white. The typography is very 60s, and very retro. This also gives the idea that he’s a very retro artist, being a very different artist who is not generic.

The figure of him, wearing his trademark fedora, is very miniscule. In the background, you can see a rocket flying, and Mars is embarking on a journey of walking towards that rocket. His figure is shadowed, and you cannot see any prominent features, showing a sense of independence. The colour scheme of yellow shows that there isn’t a specific gender he is targeting, meaning that it appeals to both genders

Back cover

Trying to keep the retro style in his album cover, the back cover is also yellow. The main circle being a yellowish white colour, with the name of the songs included. There are no capital letters in any song name, and the font is bold, but not sharp, giving a sense of calmness and also that it’s laid back.

The titles are not numbered, instead, it is one song under the next and this makes it very simple. There is no need to see what song is what number, instead, the listener will listen to all the songs.

CD

The CD resembles that of an old-fashioned vinyl CD. It is plain, with the figure of Bruno Mars as a miniature figure. This is because he is a prominent singer, and therefore the audience will already know who he is. The layout is very simple, with no text and this keeps it basic.

CALVIN HARRIS (18 MONTHS)

FRONT COVERThe scenery in this image is busy, having lots of objects such as buildings, bricks, and obviously, the singer. The typography is Impact, having all capital letters and this emphasises on the text, making it stand out, especially as it has a high contrast from white to brown.

The top left frame is a shot of a building, possibly making it seem local and urban looking. The bottom right frame is of Harris, looking away from the camera and seemingly busy as he plays with his hands. The title of the album, and his pose signify a sense of mystery. 18 months of what? This intrigues the audience and therefore they would want to find out.The use of brown signifies a very busy life. Construction workers work on sites, which is

typically working on bricks and placing them until they make a wall. The unfinished wall could possibly represent something about his life, that his life is hit a stop.

BACK COVER

The image used for the back cover is very similar to the one in the front. This shows that there is a recurring theme of isolation, especially since a wide shot is used, and he’s the only one in it. The numbers in the margin are the same font as the song titles, and this shows that the songs are most likely to be similar in tone

CD

The high contrast of black and white make it very easy to look at, and distinguish the artist name. The typography is Impact, meaning that all the letters are capitals, this gives a sense of power as all the letters are rigid and bold.

The simple font make it very distinguishable, and since it covers the whole CD, it is very ‘in-your-face’ while also being simple.

AVICII (TRUE)

FRONTThe colour scheme is a very basic, but the highest contrasting colours in the spectrum, having white text on a black background, which makes it very easy to see, and the text is very big and bold

His shadow is in the centre, in all grounds. The artists name is in small letters right under the title, and therefore it won’t be easily read as the title. His use of his shadow as the main subject could emphasise on his popularity, since he doesn’t need his name covering the album to say who he is.

BACK COVER

As with the front cover, the back sticks to the colour scheme of black and white. It could be very useful to visually impaired people, and the layout will look simple, but bold, and this use of contrast can show that it appeals to all audiences

Instead of the usual number in the margin, Avicii’s album shows how long the song’s duration is. This could be helpful to some as they can see which songs they can finish quicker if they have somewhere to go.

CDAs Avicii is a DJ, he makes the quirky element of making the CD for the album reminiscent of a vinyl CD, which DJs scratch on when using a turntable. This can make it humorous and make the audience feel as if they too can be DJs.

The simple typography, in addition with the high contrast of black on white can make it memorable to the audience. The simple touch of the CD looking like a vinyl DJs’ use, it can make it personal to the listener.

30 seconds to mars (This Is War)

Front coverThe most, and probably the only focus in the image if the picture of a tiger roaring violently. The colours blend well with the typography, which looks like Impact, but hollowed out, allowing the tiger’s fur colour to fill the gap. The banner of the band’s name and album name covers the tiger’s eyes, which could connote violence and, the fact that it says ‘This Is War’, could show that it is attacking. The use of the tiger could mean that the music that the band make could be ‘ferocious’

The figure of the tiger covers all grounds, and this shows that it is the main theme of the album. Although it doesn’t feature any songs about tigers, the theme is about strength, courage and fierce.

Back cover

As mentioned with Avicii’s album, it has a very high contrast between colours. This album has black text on a white background, and the most prominent figure is the triangle, which is the band’s icon. This can show that they only need a simple picture and they are immediately recognised.

The typography underneath the icon is subtle, and very neatly typed. The numbers are put just before the title, and the song names are not in a vertical list, but instead, right next to each other. This makes it simple for the audience to view.

CD

As shown in the back cover of the album, it uses the band’s icon as the main image. Around the borders show the band name, and the top vertex points straight to their name, and this can show the audience who they are, without needing the write the whole band name in big, bold letters. This shows that they are not too focused on making people know who they are, but the audience can find out for themselves.

The triangle is a dark blue against a white background. The colour blue signifies loyalty, responsibility and trust, and this gives an idea to the audience about who they are, and how they behave. Since they are not a loud, annoying rock band, the audience may respect them for their integrity.