Analysis and initial ideas for an album cover and magazine advert for my digipak. A2 Media.

1. Charlotte Hull
Album cover analyses

2. Tow’rs-Whiskey & Wine
The colours used on this album cover are
very dark and cool; the album artwork is
not striking or dramatic which means the
focus is on the letters. The letters are
white which stand out amongst the plain
background making them the centre of
visual interest. The blue-toned image
suggests it was taken later at night which
therefore implies the end of something
rather than the start. The only colours
used on the album cover are blue, black
and green with varying shades within
each.
The text on the album is quite basic with
large, bold letters. The lettering is white
which means it stands out amongst the
background whilst remaining plain and
subdued as to match the rest of the
album cover. It is easy to read and will
stand out amongst other albums. The
text colour corresponds with the brighter
parts of the image at the top which tie
the two together and allow them to
compliment each other rather than
contrast and stand out.
I like how the letters appear to be wrapped around
the trees. The layout of the text has been
manipulated so that it is not all in front or behind the
image but varied to make it appear as though it is all
one. This shows the text is equally as important as
the image for this album cover.
The image is of a dark forest and appears to
have been taken during the winter seasons
as there are no leaves on the trees. The
surrounding area of the forest is empty with
no people or animals to distract from the
main feature.
The CD that fits with this album has
an artistic effect that makes for an
additional artistic feature rather than
it just being plain. The CD features
the name of the band and a visual
representation of what is shown on
the cover. The colours of the disk fit
well with the theme created by the
overall package and does not distract
from the main image. However, the
main attraction of the disk is the
mountains that are created through
the lines that are printed onto the
black background. Up until the centre
the lines create rings which surround
the name of the band created by the
final line in the centre. This also
creates three triangles which portray
mountains and then create the word
‘Tow’rs’, the name of the band. The
font of the word is similar to the one
on the front cover and the same
colour but in proportion to the CD. I
like how the CD has a printed design
as it makes it more attractive within
the album cover rather than just
having a visual point on the front.
The only name on this album cover is of the band. There
is no evidence of the name of the album or any
additional information showing that they wanted the
cover to be minimal. The main focus of the cover is the
simplicity of the image and the bold text. This provides a
minimalistic but effective presentation of the album.

3. The main thing that
attracted me to this album
cover was the colours. The
use of the sunset colours
has been used very
imaginatively to create a
backdrop for the name of
the album. The colours
have provided a multi-
toned, almost ombré
effect where the colours
appear to dissolve into
each other. The colours do
not look harsh or fake but
compliment each other
and the rest of the cover
effectively .
This album cover gives the impression of an indie genre through
the use of colour and the image. The traditional sunset colours
and the use of treetops is a symbol for this genre which is
represented through these aspects on the cover of the album.
The band is an ‘IndieTronica’ band and so are rightfully
represented through their album cover. This makes it clear to
the audience what kind of music they will find from this band
and what style the kind of songs included on the album will be.
The image used on the front of
the cover is of the sky during a
sunset above a set of trees. This,
although simple, is effective for
the style it creates for the music
video. The thing that makes this
image most creative is the fact
that it is positioned up-side
down. The text is actually
positioned in reverse to the
image. This makes for a more
alternative presentation, again
referencing the genre of the
band. Also the text fits better as it
is positioned above the darkest
section of the main area so the
two contrast and stand out.
The text used on the front cover of this album is very simple and
minimalistic. The writing is small and thin which means the reliance is
on the colour to allow the text to stand out amongst the image. The
text is white which perfectly contrasts against the blue-purple piece of
sky that it is positioned over. This allows for the text to be clear but
without distracting too much from the image as it fits with the lighter
colours. On the album cover they have included the name of the band
as well as the name of the album but the significant difference is
highlighted with size.
The wires coming out of the telegraph pole in the image act
as dividers between the main features within the image and
the plain colouring of the sky. This breaks up the album
cover and along with the telegraph pole, help to position
the other features of the cover. This could also represent
where the real image ends and where the colouring has
been manipulated to make it more attractive and cover-
worthy.
There appears to be two initials on the bottom of the album cover which
could relate to the band or an artist within the band. They are cleverly
disguised through the use of colour ensuring it corresponds with the
shade that is present during the place it is positioned. The are placed at
the bottom of the album cover to show their insignificance in relation to
the name of the band which is central on the cover and so the main focal
point of the album cover. This is the most important thing on the cover
and so thus, the first thing the audience will see.

4. The colours used in this album cover are
quite warm and so directly link to the
artists skin colour. The album artwork is a
close up of the artist where she is wearing
natural make-up and the colours reflect
the shade of her cheek and lips. The
colours get darker on the back off the CD
case but still imitate of the colours that are
used in the photo for example, the artist's
hair. Unlike other CD covers there is really
only one colour used here but many
different shades which means it is easy to
continue the theme created here. The
colours also give the overall cover a soft
and calm tone.
The image used on both the front and the back of
the album is of the artist. Both are close-ups, one
directly in-front of her and one from above. The
front cover from in-front is unusual as she is not
looking directly into the camera and therefore
there is no interaction with the audience. Instead,
the artist appears to be in thought and mysterious
which draws the audience in as they don’t know
much about the music yet. The back image also
represents this as the artist is looking down and
again, away from the camera. The cover is fairly
simple as the only thing in frame is the artist. The
top that she is wearing fits with the theme as it is
elegant and gentle through the use of lace and
ribbon.
The genre of this music is soul pop which is shown through
the use of warm colours that compliment each other and
discretely transition. This allows the effect to be subtle and
gentle, which fits with the overall tone of her music and the
album cover. The text used on this album cover is
white which stands out well on the back
of the album cover against the dark
colours however, not so abruptly on the
front. The lettering on the front of the
album blend in with the colours of the
image and therefore size has been used
to emphasise the important features.
Ella is larger than the other words and
in a fancier font to show that this is
important, as it is the artist’s name. The
other words are on the front which
suggests that are significant but the
light font allows them to fit better with
the overall appearance and not distract
from the image.
The images are not positioned central on
this album cover which is unusual. The artist
on the front appears to tilt her head slightly
to the left and so the focal point, closest to
the centre, is her lips and eyes. This allows
the audience to focus on her beauty and the
features of the artist before taking in the
bigger picture. The image on the back is kept
to the side which makes it seem like it is not
as significant as the front image but is
instead used to fit around the text of song
names. The barcode and legal information is
also displayed on the back around the image
of the artist so that it remains aesthetically
pleasing whilst still meeting the required
standards.

5. The Ella Henderson album also includes
a booklet with all of her song lyrics in
and images of the artist. This follows the
same colour scheme as the front and
back cover of the album as well as
having similar style images to reinforce
the style. I like the idea of having a
booklet with the lyrics of the song inside
to make the album a bit more exciting
and worthwhile for the audience to
persuade them to buy the hard copy
rather than just downloading the music.
The CD for this album is relatively simple and stripped back
which fits with the genre of the music and the overall set
theme from the album. The disk is white with the name of the
artist printed the same as it was on the front cover but in black
letters instead of white. The surname of the artist is then
printed beneath and the name of the album is below that. This
is highlighted through the use of patterned circles that
surround the name of the album separating it from the rest of
the information about the album e.g. the company who
produced it etc. I like how the disk is plain as it stands out
against the rest of the packaging of the album.

6. Potential album cover ideas
From looking at different album covers already on
the market and analysing three specifically I have
narrowed my ideas down to three that I am
interested to develop. I either want to use a sunset
with an array of colours that I can fade to dark, a
photo using autumnal colours and my artist where
I can use the colours as a base throughout. Or a
photo of a forest with the individual trees and the
name of the band split between them as in the first
analysis. I will need to further look into these ideas
and the ability to link them with my poster to see
which would be most successful.

7. Magazine advert analyses

8. The image on this magazine advert is almost
identical to the album cover with some of
the colours swapped round. The colours
have been changed on the poster so they
match the bottom half of the advert which
was not included on the album. The black at
the bottom of the poster ties in with the
name of the album which has been changed
to black text from the album. The advert
includes some extra information about the
album and what will be on it/where to find
out more. The picture has been slightly
enlarged to fit the different sizing better and
to fill the page to make it more eye-catching.
The colours used on the poster follow
the same colour scheme as the album
and work together to make it attractive.
The colours are different shades of one
so that they blend fluently yet contrast
enough to allow the words to stand out.
The name of the band and the album
are black and white and so stand out
amongst the purple colour scheme. The
yellow and orange used at the bottom
of the poster are used to make it more
striking and un-usual in comparison to
the rest of the advert. The white text
features throughout the poster allowing
the audience’s eyes to move
chronologically down the poster.
The image used on the advert is a mosaic of a sunset
scene. The image can be understood through the use
of simple objects like the trees and moon but is made
unusual by the effect. The mosaic makes the advert
stand out and gives a more cryptic atmosphere for the
music and album. The image appears central in both
the album and the poster although in the advert the
image has been cut slightly to allow it to adjust to the
sizing and orientation difference.
On the advert the main focal point is the name of the
band ‘the killers’ with ‘the’ fitting within the word
‘killers’. This cleverly attracts the audience so this if
the first thing they see and due to the different in
colour of this text it stands out from a distance. The
same colour is used within the moon which allows the
moon to also be prominent amongst the magazine
advert. The information about the album is positioned
at the bottom of the advert which shows it is not as
significant as the name of the band or even the name
of the album included beneath that but is still
important. It is placed on a black background so it is
clear and therefore it is obvious to the audience
where they can find this. The information includes the
name of the band’s famous single to appeal to people
who may not know of the band but have heard of this
song. The text on the magazine advert is mostly
central which allows it to fit directly in the middle of
the poser and look professional as well as
symmetrical.
The soft mix of colours mean it is attractive to both
genders as well as indicating the genre of the music
indie/alternative rock. The relaxed purple colour
scheme give the impression of calm, mellow music
whilst the interruption of yellow/orange flames
suggests something much more alternative.

9. The magazine advert for this album takes
on a completely different approach to the
original album artwork. The album cover is
bright and plain, featuring the band in a
window of a run-down shop whereas the
advert is dark and busy with images of
each different member of the band acting
as the central square. Similarities remain
as the text font is the same as the one on
the album cover however a different
design has been used to separate the two
announcements.
The layout of the images on the poster has
been done so that this is the main focal point
of the advert. Each band member has been
framed by the same environment and placed
symmetrically in a square. Nonetheless,
these images are not placed exactly straight
with each other which allows the poster to
look a bit more relaxed and home-made.
Each one has dark corners which make the
images appear as though they have been
stuck together on the poster individually. The
name of the band is positioned directly at the
top of the poster with the name of the album
underneath slightly smaller than the initial
text for the header.
The information about the band and album has
again, been positioned at the bottom of the
poster. The text is white which stands out
against the dark background. A quote has been
used from magazine NME to make the band
seem more attractive and to entice the readers
to buy the album. The names of their popular
songs have also been included and framed to
show their significance on the front page.
The colours used in this magazine advert are
minimal. Mostly black and white are used
with the exception of the red and blue
coming from the image of the sunset in the
background of the band members who are
wearing black and white. The main colours
contrast sufficiently to allow the information
to stand out without taking away from the
main focus on the pictures.
The font for the text on the magazine advert
differs for the different information. The font
for the main header and album name has
been taken directly from the album and is
iconic to the band. Although the colours and
overall design is different they still have this
one thing that connects the two. The
information at the bottom of the image is in
a simple font so that it is easy to read and
highlighted as different to the information at
the top.
The main thing that I like about this magazine
advert is how the images of the band are
placed together. Although each one is different
and separate they all appear to fit together.
Each uses the same environment and the
position of the member is mostly the same.
The colours and amount of light are identical
and each has their instrument that makes them
unique in the band in the image.

10. The colours used in this magazine
advert come as a result of the
image. The sunset provides the base
for the colours used on this poster.
The text colours are used to directly
contrast to this with grey for the
name of the band and the song and
white for the extra information that
is included at the bottom. The
colours at the top of the sky are seen
again in the shadows of the
mountains further down in the
image which allow the reader to
connect these two parts of the
image and so look around the poster
without realising.
The image is fairly simple with the
mountains, ground level, remaining
at the centre of the page. Above this
the sunset provides an attraction to
put the graphic and names on top of
and the bottom filtering to black to
position the extra information.
The graphic on this poster is simple
yet effective as one square has been
rotated and placed on top of another
allowing different shapes to be made
within this. This works well amongst
the colours of the sky as each layer is
a different shade and it helps to be
less harsh. The graphic provides an
extra step rather than just placing
the text straight onto the
background.
I like this magazine advert as I like the
image that has been used and the graphic
that has been positioned on top. The
image provides an array of colours that
stop the poster from looking boring or dull
with the simplistic colours that remain.
Also, I like how the image appears to fade
to black at the bottom. It does not look
fake or greatly edited which I think is
something I will need to greatly consider
when making mine.
The font used throughout this poster is
mainly simple and bold. The header and
the extra information is in a plain, thick
font that allows it to stand out as
significant. The name of the single has
been included in a fancier font that shows
this information is different but important
as well.
The text on this magazine advert has been
placed central which makes it look
professional and neat. The name of the
band is larger and in the centre of the
graphic which not only allows it to be
symmetrical but draws the reader’s eye
directly to it. The start and end of the text
are perfectly in line with the graphic and
the size of it. Similarly, the text at the
bottom of the advert is positioned directly
underneath the point of the graphic . This
is where the circle has been placed to
create the centre of the lines separating
the text. The lines allow the reader to
move around the poster and take in all of
the information without overcrowding it.

11. From further research of magazine adverts that currently exist and after analysing some in detail I have decided
to draft my first idea based on using an image of a forest. I believe this will give me a good base for my poster
as well as my album cover and will give me a good choice of colours to fade to black at the bottom of the
poster as many of the ones I have looked at have.
Potential magazine advert ideas