Ancillary Research TaskAnalysis of Magazine ads and Digipaks

Snoop Dogg – Tha Blue Carpet Treatment

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Artist name

Album title

Parental advisory sign

Image of artistAlbum release

date

Features/credits

Website

Record Labels

Hip-Hop Magazine Ad: Snoop Dogg – Tha Blue Carpet Treatment

This magazine ad contains the same image as the original digipack cover with a white border around it. Outside the border are details of the artist including the artists name on the top in stylised font, release date and features/credits below in smaller sized font. There is also a website reference at the bottom in even smaller font while in the bottom corners of the page, two of his record labels features. The font used for Snoop Dogg’s name is typical of the hip hop genre as it has been used by him in previous titles e.g. “Paid Tha Cost To Be Da Bo$$” album cover features the same stylised font.The image of Snoop used in the portrays him in a serious and respectable manner as it uses a slight low angle close up of his face and his facial expression suggests confidence which is typical of the hip hop genre. It also suggests his status within the hip hop genre as this album was around the time when the artist was well known and popular within mainstream culture as well as his origin of hip hop culture.

Example of other album cover with same font by Snoop

Hip-Hop Digipak: Snoop Dogg – Tha Blue Carpet Treatment The album cover of the actual Digipak barely differs from the album itself. The major difference overall is the lack of overt advertisement in the image or outside of it. This could be because the cover itself is supposed to be an attraction of visuals and subliminal advertising rather than text heavy overt advertising reminiscent of what was seen on the magazine advertThe main feature of this cover is the image as it covers the frame. This is typical of most album covers because, as already mentioned, the cover of the Digipak sells the album subliminally with imagery and attractive colours rather than words, descriptions and recommendations as such. In terms of genre, this fits in with the hip hop genre as the plainness of the background contrasting with the gritty black and white image of Snoop Dogg fits the themes of a genre that isn’t too cheery and colourful with their imagery and can have darker and serious themes which can be reflected through serious colours such as this one. The colour of the background can also link to the album title “Tha Blue Carpet Treatment” as the word “Blue” is being visually reflected. As said before, The image of Snoop used in the portrays him in a serious and respectable manner as it uses a slight low angle close up of his face and his facial expression suggests confidence which is typical of the hip hop genre. It also suggests his status within the hip hop genre as this album was around the time when the artist was well known and popular within mainstream culture as well as his origin of hip hop culture

Hip-Hop Album: Jay Z – The Blue Print 3

Artist name

Album title

Artwork

Parental advisory

Release date

Record label

Website

This is hip hop advert contains less written features compared to the Snoop Dogg advertisement. The absence of the accolades and features from this album are both notable features. This could be due to the albums artwork taking up most of the space on the page, focusing on attracting the audience with visuals rather than persuasive writing. This could also be because the artist themselves has more of an attraction value for audiences and so does not have to rely on other star names.The artists name appears on the very top of the page. This is a position for most other album advertisements as it is seen as the main informant, showing the audience who the album is referring to. The font used for the album is also worth noting as it is a font that the artist has used for previous album titles, the most notable one being his previous effort “American Gangster” (2007). The font itself has a wide, and dominant look about it, which is how the artist himself comes across, especially other artists in his genre. Both this, and the fact that the font can be recognisable make the font an appropriate choice for this advertisement.The artwork for the album appears directly in the middle of the page and takes up most of the page. It is an image of a collection of studio equipment all in white with three red strokes going across the image. This abstract image in the middle of the advertisement is eye-catching for an audience as the colours are what is expected of hip hop, but the image itself is unique, which creates an contradiction and draws audiences in.The album title appears just underneath the artwork for the album and is written in thinner, modern looking writing. This type of writing isn’t common in hip hop and would be an attraction for the audience (although it retains its purpose of informing the audience of what the artist is selling). Its position on the page is also worth noting as the font diminishes its prominence on the page, however, sat on top of the release date, and placed directly under the artwork of the album makes it obvious to the reader that it is the album title. The title itself is also a reference to his previous work, “The Blueprint” (2001) and “The Blueprint 2” (2002) and could also be the reason the font is not as significant as his target audience may already recognise it as the title.

Hip-Hop Magazine advert: Jay Z – The Blueprint 3

The release date, can be contrasted to Snoop Dogg’s advertisement. The uses are different as Snoop Dogg’s is very formal (spelling out the date and month) while this one simply has the numbers put together showing the date/month/year. This informal way of promotion fits in with the scheme of the advertisement as it appears very modern and informal with the lack of any other formal wording and the use of the artwork taking it up most of the space. It also uses a different font from the album title which helps distinguish the two.The record label uses its flagship logo on the cover and is seen beneath the release date in a smaller font. This is probably because the logo is more recognisable and so can afford to be smaller than the rest of the items on the page as long as it remains visible. It also retains its usual colours which match the colour scheme of the ad as well.The website can be seen at the very bottom of the page which shows that it is the least important bit of promotion. Although it promotes a way of keeping informed about the latest news on the artist, it isn’t the main thing being promoted and so, to keep attention away from the album being advertised, it is written in the smallest font on the page. This is also so that audiences are aware that there is no reference to the actual album itself and that it just promotes the artists brand.

Hip-Hop Digipak: Jay Z – The Blueprint 3

The digipak retains the same artwork as the advertisement, and has become more prominent with its size and also due to the artist name being moved to the side in a smaller font. This artwork now becomes more prominent and had more of an attraction value to it, especially as the purpose of an album cover is to attract and sell itself. Enlarging the image helps itself as this abstract/symbolic art will attract more than just mainstream audiences as others from different genres may become interested in this. The artist name retains the same iconic font that has been used in his previous album covers. It is written in a smaller size and is pushed to the top left corner to accommodate for the artwork. This also fits into the purpose of the album cover which is attracting an audience rather than informing them. The artist name is mostly just to inform so it would make sense for it to be shifted to the side. It still adds some attraction value however, as the font is well known for being used for his name and can be easily recognisable as well as informative.The album title is also placed directly opposite the artist name, carrying the same font from the advert. It is shifted for a similar purpose as the artist name as it informs rather than attracts. There are some links to the artwork itself as the three red stripes in the middle could possibly represent the number three as well as the three stripes next to the album title.The parental guidance sign carries out the same informative role as the artist name and album title, and is placed in the bottom left corner directly below the artist name. The position of the sign can be discussed as it is parallel to the artist name and in line with how the other informative items on the front cover are in corners. This keeps the design of the cover neat and helps the audience really focus on the artwork more.Overall, the colour scheme used throughout the digipak is simple and true to the hip hop genre as it doesn’t create anything too hectic or disruptive on the cover while the contrasts are clear against each other(the red of the stripes against the white of the background), making it look neat.

Hip-Hop Digipak: Jay Z – The Blueprint 3

Ed Sheeran – X Album title

Artist name

Accolades/reviews

Release date

Website

Pop Magazine Ad: Ed Sheeran – X

Compared to the hip hop album, this ones comparisons differ. One thing to note from the magazine ads is that the album is missing its features from the album. This could be due to the lack of features on the album itself, although alternatively it could also be because the artist himself is already popular and his name could be a bigger attraction for audiences than having a list of features. This could be a convention of mainstream pop genres as mainstream pop artists have a high status among a wide range of audiences and so would be easily recognised, especially some one of Sheeran’s status as he appeals to the younger audiences which take up most of the mainstream market.Another difference from the hip hop magazine is the absence of the record label. Ed Sheeran’s album was released through Atlantic and Asylum records. Although Atlantic is a well known record label within the music industry, Asylum is a genre specific record label and may not be appropriate to advertise in this mainstream pop advertisement. This may be the reason why the record labels aren’t present. The album name is present and the most prominent thing on the ad. It stylised as the artwork has borders above and below it. This is similar to the hip-hop advert which could mean that this is a mainstream convention as it incorporates enough space for some overt advertisement. The artists is also incorporated into the advertisement is part of its overt advertisement as the name can attract audiences.

Pop Album: Ed Sheeran – X This digipak front cover has several differences to the magazine advert. One of the main differences is the absence of words to inform the audience. In comparison to the advert, it features no overt advertising in the form of words and just has the artwork which features the album title in the middle. This is a trending convention in mainstream music as artists now look to create abstract art for their digipaks which can take up the whole of the front of the digipak. It still holds the attraction of audiences as it stands out amongst other album covers, however, it loses its purpose to inform due to the lack of information on the front (however the back could contain some of the key information such as the record label, parental guidance, etc.).The colour of the album cover should also be noted as green may usually be a colour associated with other genres which are more edgier and less cheery. However, as the artist himself is also associated with making similar kinds of music, this fits with the representations of his music on this album as both cheery and edgy.The font of the album title is appealing as it fits in with the colour schemes edgy look. The writing appears drawn on with paint in an intentionally untidy way which suggests some youthful/urban about it. It could also suggest a darker, more edgier rock sound to it and again this links to the representation of the artist and his genre as it shows that he reaches out to more than just the mainstream pop fanbase.

Kasabian – 48:13

Artist name

Album title

Image/Artwork

Release date

Website

Record label

Electronic Rock: Kasabian – 48:13 Magazine Ad

This magazine advertisement features little writing on it and stands out from most other advertisements for not having a border separating the overt advertising from the albums artwork. But the other most noticeable difference from other album advertisements is that this artwork was specifically made for the advertisement and does not feature on the albums front cover. Instead, it is an image of two of the bands members stood facing each other. The promotional image has representations of the rock genre because of the clothes they are wearing (both black clothes while the one on the right wears large coat with fur) which would attract the target audience immediately. Another noticeable feature of the ad is the inclusion of the website. Although the rock genre usually has connotations with authentic, live instrumentation music that usually isn’t promoted on a digital format, the more modern rock bands have used the internet to promote their music and gain a larger fan base. As a result of this, more artists/bands of the rock genre are beginning use both social media and their own websites to reach fans and promote it on most of their advertisements. The bands album title remains at least the second most prominent feature on the album cover with the font being the largest on the page. It remains underneath the bands name making it just as significant as the audience can easily recognise the bands name and its album title. Its written in a bold, plain black font, which contrasts with the pink background as it is less cheery and exciting. This could then link to representations of rock, as black is almost the flagship colour for that genre as it represents themes of aggression, violence and sad/dark thoughts. The plainness of the font could be part of the bands more electronic approach to the genre. The album is said to contain elements of electronic music as well as rock. This influences their image as they now represent this genre of music through their artwork and have chosen a plain but sharper font to do this.

Electronic Rock: Kasabian – 48:13The bands name is written above the album title. Although it is written in smaller font, it is still recognisable for their audience, particularly their current fan base as this font has been used for all their previous albums, becoming a logo for their work. It is stylised in a more personal font so that the audience can immediately recognise it in when featured in any other advertising for example, a music festival. This personalised font has more of an edge to it because of the untidy way it is written, the “B” in the name is stylised as a sharp looking “8”. The connotations of this untidy looking font links to the edgier side of their rock genre as it is more carefree.Lastly, the record label at the very top is another noticeable feature. This is because this particular label, Columbia records, is a renowned record label based in the US. The promotion of this record label for a band originating from the UK shows the influence it has in the music industry, boasting musical acts ranging from different genres including even hip hop (J Cole). As this is a well known record label, it is useful advertising for audiences as it can attract audiences who are interested in the record label through their interest in their other artists.

There are several differences between the digipak and its advert counterpart. The absence of any overt advertisement (release date and website) is expected as the purpose of a digipak front cover is to attract and not inform.The other major difference is the artwork. It consists of a sharp, plain pink colour as the background and what appears to be the length of each track on the album in a list going down. This is a good example of contemporary genres, in this case electronic rock (Kasabian’s music has also drawn some comparisons to indie rock) and their representations as they appear to be unique and abstract in the way they present their music and advertise it. They use simpler features rather than flashy or complicated imagery to attract audiences. The plain pink colour, which is very sharp and has connotations to more feminine things, is a contradiction to their genre, and as a result, attracts the audience to want to find out what their music is about.The bands name is located above the track list length and in a slightly larger font. It has the same purpose as on the advert and has an even more significant role as without it, there would be confusion as to who the album would belong to as it is not made clear by any other feature on the cover. Just like before, the fact that the bands name appears written in the same way on each of their previous albums means that audiences will easily recognise this as their work.The album title is placed below the track list length. This could be a clever way of signifying that the numbers above added up to the length of the album which is what has become the album title. The font used for the album title is the same as the one used for the track list length and connotes to the genres uniqueness and abstract visuals they add to their artwork, as mentioned before

Electronic Rock: Kasabian – 48:13 Digipak Front Cover