2. Album Cover
Across most genres of music, there are
several conventions that remain
constant across the front covers of
albums. Lots of them feature the artist
in some way, especially in more
mainstream genres that rely on an
artist’s character and personality.
Genres such as electronic music that
rely less on that personality feature
the artist less often.
Even if it does not feature the artist, it
will usually instead feature imagery
typical of the genre, or another aspect
of the artist’s image.
Duran Duran – Duran Duran/Rio
Debut albums often showcase the band,
as they will not be known the audience
at large. When they become more
famous, they are often given more
creative freedom to experiment with
covers that are more unique and do not
directly relate to the band as much.
Aphex Twin – Richard D. James album
This unnamed album was actually made
as a counterpoint to other Electronic
albums. Aphex Twin decided to have his
face as the sole element of the cover
because every other electronic album
‘had to have a computer chip or
something’.
Mayer Hawthorne – Man About Town
The artist’s identity is established as
someone who is always well dressed,
which also alludes to the soul influences
on the album. There is also elements of
enigma with the nondescript backdrop.
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
The cover showcases the band, while
also fitting with the ’colours’ idea
provided by the title.
Ladyhawke – Wild Things
Showcasing the artist’s appearance,
fitting of the pop genre. There is also a
slightly retro image to this, such as the
font on her shirt, the slightly faded
colours, and the ‘Recorded In
Spectacular 100% Stereophonic Sound’
text that would have been placed on
albums when stereo sound was new. All
of this gives hints as to the album’s
overall sound
The Knocks - 55
Not all albums that feature people on
the cover show the band. In this case, an
unknown woman is the focus of the
cover in the unusual setting of a kitchen.
The band is nowhere to be seen. This is
fitting with the background role of
production that the band takes, all vocal
roles are by guest artists. The anonymity
of the band helps to establish that.
3. Justice – Cross / Woman
These two albums feature the band’s
logo, the Christian cross, as the focus of
the cover. This not only gets the band’s
branding across, but also alludes to the
band’s faith (which as a break from
convention is not reflected much in their
music).
Run The Jewels – Run The Jewels /
Run The Jewels 2 / Meow The Jewels
The two albums and one remix album
released by Run The Jewels feature
variations on the same image. The hand
gesture portrayed is the band’s
signature, developing their image.
Celldweller – Celldweller
An image showcasing a praying statue
being surrounded by metallic vines. This
image has obvious symbolic value, while
the contrasting imagery of metal and
ensnarement with stone and spirituality
is a conflict fitting of the genre.
Flight Facilities – Down To Earth
The main image is of a plane landing in
the Outback, with the two members
shown standing next to it. This
establishes the ‘flight’ theme of the
band, as well as alluding their Australian
origins.
Aphex Twin – Syro
This album cover is styled like a receipt,
showcasing how much the cost of the
album goes into every single aspect of
its production. It is also unusually
formatted: the album folds out to reveal
that the list goes on for several sides.
The green circle containing the artist
logo, name and album name is also a
removable sticker on the plastic wrap
the album is packaged in.
The album cover is also optimised for
each version. The CD and vinyl versions
are different to reflect the different
processes and pricing of each version.
The digital version meanwhile only
features the sticker.
Miike Snow – Miike Snow/Happy To You/iii
All of Miike Snow’s album features their logo of a jackalope, but shown in different
ways. Their first album shows it forzen in a block of ice, the second shows an image
of someone running away, and the third shows colourful spheres. This serves to give
each album its own identity, while keeping the band’s image consistent throughout,
Obey The Brave - Salvation
Metal albums often contain very specific
genre imagery in contrast to the more
freeform nature of other genres. These
are usually illustrations rather than
photographs, and imagery focuses on
supernatural themes such as Death in
this example. Collectively, metal albums
are often seen as part of a collective
mythology of hellish landscapes and
eternal conflict.
4. Back Cover
Compared to the diversity found on
front covers, the back covers are far
more standardised. They most often
feature a track listing, pricing and
barcodes, as well as copyright
information.
There are cases however where that is
not provided, in which case the track
listing is often inside. An occasionally
seen use is to place the barcode on
the plastic wrap the album is on. After
it is bought, it is then taken off
allowing the album art to be
unobstructed.
The back covers of albums, as
seen here, can be quite similar.
Common similarities include:
• The tracklisting.
• An image of the artist.
• Copyright information,
including the record label.
• Pricing and barcode.
• Credits
Unlike the front cover, the back
cover rarely contains artistic
elements such as artwork and
imagery unrelated to the artist.
The back cover can sometimes
then be seen as an opportunity
to explore the artist’s identity if
the front cover fails to do so.
5. Inside Cover
The inside cover is most often some
additional artwork that fits the theme
of the album. If a tracklist or copyright
information is missing from the back
cover, then it will most likely be on the
inside cover instead.
The contents of the back and inside
covers are largely interchangeable,
with whatever doesn’t appear on one
likely appearing on the other.
Conventions seen include:
• A track list with additional information, including
track credits and sample listings.
• A history of the band or record.
• Lyrics.
• A continuation of the imagery and themes of the
other covers.
• Further copyright information.
It is also common to see the inside cover be used as a
booklet, containing the prior information, in addition
to further artwork.
6. Magazine Ad
Most magazine adverts for albums
feature the artwork of the album,
alongside information related to the
availability and contents of the album.
Because it is first and foremost an
advertisement, recognition of the
product being sold is the most
important aspect, followed by details
of it’s sale. The album artwork is
almost always featured on the page for
this reason. The exact details may vary,
but as shown to the left can be broken
down into many distinct aspects.
Because these advertisements are
most often run in music magazines
that already cater to the correct
demographic, there isn’t often a need
to directly establish genre. Generic
conventions are still used to attract
audience interest.
Magazine adverts contain several consistent conventions:
• The artist’s name prominently displayed, followed by the
album name under it.
• The album’s artwork displayed.
• The release date, or an ‘Out Now’ indication.
• Any major songs, usually previously released singles,
featured on the album.
• Reviews of the album, both scores and quotes.
• Information on where the album can be bought, as well as
the formats it is on.
• The record label that the album is being released on.
7. Conclusion
Overall, albums and their related advertisements follow a clear set of conventions that I will
make sure to follow when I create my own. I will ensure that the artist is given some level of
focus, in addition to the enigmatic front cover.
My back cover will be standard in that it contains copyright and a track listing, while I wish to use
the inside cover to display the artist whom is in more focus than the front cover.
Next, I need to research the conventions of my specific genre in order to establish what imagery
I can use or break convention with.
