Cd cover analysis rihanna – loud

2. Typography: Minimal text
is included in the digipak.
The text that is included
‘Rihanna’ is in white, plain
font and is very spaced
out. This emphasises the
simplicity of the album
and sort of suggests a
completely different
image for the artist in
comparison to her
previous album. The title
of the album ‘Loud’ it too
written in this plain
spaced out font, and is
shown to be much larger
than the other text. This
again is suggesting a sort
of fresh start and new
image, which coincides
with the fact that Rihanna
had new hair and a new
promotional image.
Andrew Goodwin’s idea of demands of the record label
can be identified here, as the main focal point of the
image on the front of the cover is Rihanna’s Lips and red
hair. Together, both being bold red, attract all of the
attention from the viewer. Red hair became Rihanna’s
trademark for a while, so the record company would want
this to be featured as it is a selling point of her image.
Goodwin’s notion of
looking as well as
Mulvey’s male gaze
theory can also be
recognised here as
some people may
argue that red lips
are a sexual part of
the woman, and this
is where the eyes
are attracted to. The
lips together with
her bare shoulder
could be said to be
through a man’s
perspective
Dyer’s star theory can be seen as
it could be argued that Rihanna is
a fake character and is presented
as just an image and this may not
be the same person as who she is
behind the scenes.

3. The colour scheme,
images and
typography of this
digipak all contribute
to what was
Rihanna’s new image
for the CD. This
image promoted a
very feminine version
of the artist, the pink
of the flowers
connotes girliness
and is stereotypically
the colour that
represents women or
what women are
attracted to.
Rihanna is the key signifier within this artwork. She is the most
important aspect of this and it is very obvious from the fact that a
close up shot of her face is used. This use of a close up of her
face and minimal text emphasises the fact that she is a huge
and very influential figure in the music industry, therefore her
image is important however her name is not because everybody
already knows it.
This soft and feminine image was maintained in her music videos
where she wears pink skirts and girly outfits etc. She also
promoted her own perfume at this time, and the campaigns for this
used the same theme as this digipak did. This theme of Rihanna’s
new image is comprised within this digipak.
Reception –
The preferred
audience will
immediately
recognise the
image as being
Rihanna and will
enjoy the visuals of
her face and her
new image.
Oppositional
audience may not
receive the image
well and may say
that Rihanna Is
highly sexualized.

4. The colour red of the
roses could connote
the theme of the songs
within the album which
are about love,
passion, pain, romance
, heartbreak etc. This
theme is running
throughout the visuals
such as her hair, her
lips and the roses. This
could however also be
symbolic of danger
which is something
that can also be
recognised in the
music. Therefore this is
sort of creating a
mystery as to what
theme her songs are,
and the audience can
look forward to finding
out and interpreting it
in their ways.
The image of her lying down displays sex
appeal however she is not flaunting her body
in a provocative way which means she does
not appear threatening to her female
audience whilst still appearing attractive to
her male audience.
Rihanna's star
image is now
focused around
her bold red hair.
This hair change
may be
representing
also a change to
her music, and
did in fact set off
a worldwide
trend of female
fans dying their
hair ‘Rihanna
Red’
In the inside cover the dark reds are contrasted
against Rihanna's skin and her white dress, which
connotes innocence and purity. This is something
that is also linked to her new image – as her
previous album ‘R’ displayed a sexual, fierce and
edgy Rihanna. This image is pure and refreshing
and promotes a character that is sexually
attractive in a more wholesome way.

5. The CD’s contain a
graphic image of a light
pink rose on them, this
connotes the theme of
the digipak, showing a
soft feminine feel. The
colour of this rose is
contrasting against the
dark red of the roses
that Rihanna is lying on
and this symbolizes
variety within Rihanna’s
character and music.
Perhaps the red roses
connote to her more
sexual music such as
‘skin’ and the light pink
flowers relate more to
her love ballads such
as ‘California king bed’.
These roses signify a
balance of the themes
within the album.
In the large image of the artist lying down, her body
language and facial expression suggest a sense of worry or
distress, perhaps sadness. This links back to the theme of
her songs being mainly about love in the album, however
she does not show this distress in an obvious way which
creates an enigma and allows the audience to work out what
it means, the audience may also be able to relate to and
sympathise with the artist in her distress about love. This
ambiguity is contrasting with the LOUD title and this creates
the idea that there is more to the artist than meets the eye,
thus creating an attraction to the album. A sense of passion
can be recognised in
Rihanna’s facial
expression on the
front cover as she
has her eyes closed
and looks like she Is
thinking, she could
be embracing the
music. This relates to
the artist’s passion
for her music and
what it means.
It could be argued that this album
cover is not stereotypical of the pop
genre as it appears very minimalistic
and almost could be similar to a
classical music album. However I
think the heavy makeup helps the
audience identify that it is pop.