Research into ancillary products

The bands name and album title ‘The album leaf’ into the blue again is located on the top right hand corner in a small handwritten font. It’s much like a signature from an artist, it’s simple and small. Suggesting that there is no need for it to be ‘in your face’ as the target audience would know the band.

A brown, paper like, border is used around the cover, it is the same colour as the font, which in turn makes catches the attention of the audience as everything else is a different colour.

The detonated meaning of the image is a table with dirt , nails, thread going around the nails and paper. However, abstractly the image is of a beach, the blue cloth being the see and the dirt being the sand. The nails and thread is like a net, that isn’t allowing anything passed.

The name of the album and the front cover share a semiotic relationship as the title of it is ‘Into the blue again’, blue being the sea, and the cover is an image of a beach.

AnalysisCoversThe Album Leaf – Into the blue again

Overall, the cover is quite simple, there aren’t colours that stand out and the bands name isn’t centred across the cover.

AnalysisCoversRadiohead – OK COMPUTER

Once again, the album title and the band name is in a smaller font, a block font is used as it’s called ‘OK COMPUTER’ and stereotypically, that is a commonly used computer font. The bands name is in their own font, it used on all, if not most of the bands posters/albums/promotional merchandise. The picture itself is a negative of a motorway.

It’s made to look busy and chaotic. The use of a negative image made it look quite arty and different to other products out there, differentiating the band and creating a sense of uniqueness.

A silhouette of a person at the back of the motorway.

Two posters entitled; ‘Lost Style’ and ‘Lost Child’ suggesting that they’re both of similar importance, which in a way, the cover is making a statement as to what is wrong with the world.

An image of a person is faded into the main image, it looks like he’s running away from something with something in his hands.

Another sub-image; Nose of a crashed aeroplane, people fighting and a cross inside a blue banner, suggesting that this needs to stop, the fighting and terrorism.

AnalysisCoversBrand New - Daisy

This album cover is so simple, it is literally just a mid shot of a fox in a forest, with a few snow flakes falling. Depth of field is used as the fox is in the foreground, as well as the snow flakes, the focus isn’t on the forest behind.

The cover doesn’t have anything to do with the name of the album, there isn’t a daisy in sight.

Due to this simplicity the band comes across as people who don’t really care what the artwork looks like and that it is all about the music. This is a stereotypical trait of bands in this genre, they’re just a bit ‘too cool’ to care, using the approach that the music will sell the album.

The font and font size is so simple, it looks like Times New Roman, the colour white had to be used as it wouldn’t be able to stand out if it were any other colour.

The image is very centred, the fox is right in the middle, as well as the bands name and the name of the album, there is also a tree right in the middle, with two trees symmetrical to each other next to it.

AnalysisWebsite homepageAlexisonfire

Analysis (Continued)

Website homepageAlexisonfire

• The background image of the homepage is the cover of their new album ‘Old Crows/ Young Cardinals’ which is a form of promoting their most recent album.

• There are several links all over the page, the header is the bands name with several hyperlinks beneath, ‘Home’, ‘News’, ‘Tours’ etc.

• The font style is something which is used on several of the bands previous albums, in a way; their ‘own’ font.

• There are tour dates in the top corner, easy to see as well as accessible if someone wasn’t a regular computer user.

• Furthermore, there is also a news section showing what’s going on, it is also regularly updated to keep fans informed. There is also a ‘Mailing list’ hyperlink on the page which allows you to get E-mails from the band; news and information.

• A section is there for a featured video, which I presume would be changed quite often; primarily being used for interviews, live performances and music videos.

• Finally the page is primarily being used to inform and promote new material.

AnalysisWebsite homepageInterpol

AnalysisWebsite homepageInterpol

• The homepage is very simple, the background is a picture of a deer as most of their album covers are often images of animals.

• There is a scroll down box on the side with blog entries about what the band has been doing, basically just to keep the fans up to date.

• The header is a menu made with flash, when you mouse over the headings they begin to fade, it’s a nice feature to have.

• You are also able to skip through clips and pages on the header.

• On this homepage there isn’t too much brand promotion, instead just links to the forum, shop, myspace etc.

AnalysisWebsite homepageDeath Cab for Cutie

AnalysisWebsite homepageDeath Cab for Cutie

• Everything on the page is centred around a stamp of the band name. All the sub features are based around it.

• Most of the images on the page are made to look old, they’re using an old school television and mic, as well as black and white images.

• The page has quite a lot of flash on it, when scrolling over certain images, there would be an animation, for example, scrolling over the mic induces electric shocks to come out of it.

• It’s also very busy, there is a lot going on; Fan clubs, mailing list, news, photo album, tours, shops, and free ticket competition.

• There is quite a lot of promotion all over the page, ticket giveaway and free ipod applications. Also advertisement for their new album ‘Photo Album’