My CD Title Cover Artwork:

This is the first edited draft of the title cover artwork which is meant to inform the audience on what number certain tracks are, and also what the tracks are called, the back of a CD cover is just as important as the as the original cover, basically due to the fact when people are browsing around CDs they first look at the front, turn the CD over and then look at the back of the CD, it's understandably random why people do this, however i feel the back of the CD cover is designed for the audience to feel closer to the artist and the artists music, therefore i have designed and edited some drafts of some CD covers and i will now explain what aims i wanted to get and eventually which one I will use and which one i like the most.

This was the first back cover which i created, i wanted to create a contrast and a sharp difference between the front cover and the back cover, i feel it makes the product as a whole just seems a lot more interesting and gives it more depth.

I wanted to use a close up of the branches as i want the audience to feel like by looking and being interested in this artists music, you are becoming closer and closer to him personally, whether it be, you're getting closer to his personal roots or just to his music, i wanted to make the audience feel they're close to this artist.

I chose to fill the branches in white, as i thought it created strong contrast between this back cover and the front cover and i also wanted it to reflect the name of the title as it's named 'Eskimo' i wanted to connote that name, which i did by replicating the look of snow on the branches. I also absolutely love the colour of the sky in the background, i feel it reflects how peacefully and free the artists music is.

The font i used is a totally different font to which i used on the front cover, conventionally the marketing company will use the same font for the advertisement campaign for the artist however, i didn't want to do this as i feel with using the same font, as my font was quite plain, stripped back and simple anyway it would have made the album tedious and boring for the audience to read, therefore i also made it slightly more interesting by making songs different sizes, it's also more interesting and makes the audience want to read the title-list more then if it were just plain Arial text, which they've seen on the advertisement campaigns and the front cover, it gets very boring.

One problem with this back cover, is there is no conventions used which are absolutely compulsory such as the logo of the production company which produced the album, even the name of the manager of the artist which is usually printed on the back cover of highly successful musical artists.

This is the second draft of the backing CD cover which is an edited version of the first draft, i haven't changed much, apart from i have included the name of the production company in the bottom left corner of the product. This i feel is still not enough as on many digi-packs which include DVD footage they include the DVD logo and also i realised i need a bar code also. These are absolutely compulsory for the product to look like a CD backing cover.

This is my final edit of my CD back cover, i have edited in the must-have-conventions which make it look like an actual CD backing cover. I have make the logos appear see-through so you it does not just look like i have copied and pasted the logos, and it does look a lot more professional.

I haven't changed anything else nor am i going to write the name of the manager who manages the artist as Damien Rice himself isn't necessarily well known and marketed at a specific audience nor do i see a lot of his advertisement campaigns either therefore as he is not a pop artist i do not expect to see all of these techniques used to be used upon a singer/songwriter artist such as Damien Rice nor my made up artist Jonathan Brendan.

Pictures I took for use on the CD backing cover:

There are a few images which i took for the CD backing cover, i wanted the image to continue the first image which is seen on the CD front cover, i wanted to bring the audience closer to the artist behind the music and also closer to the music, therefore i thought of the idea of using an extreme close up of the tree's branches. These are the images which i managed to take:


This is the first image in which i took, i like the idea of it being a close up of the trees branches, i feel like this presents depth to the album, such as there's lots of feeling and emotion created from the base genre of singer songwriter the base being the tree trunk. I like the idea you can see the bright blue sky through the thin branches and also the contrast within the photograph. However, i dont like the way you can see other trees in the background, i do not feel it presents anything positive or noticeable for the photograph, and also there is a really annoying cloth thing on one of the main branches of the photograph which i also feel is pointless and ruins the photograph. It wasn't supposed to be there, therefore the there is no point with it being there at all.




This is the second photograph which i took of the branches in a close up, i feel this photograph was better taken then the photograph before. This photograph has more image of the branches and are more visible within the photograph. There is blue sky throughout this background also which i feel frames the photograph a lot better. The annoying cloth which was in the other photograph has managed to vanish out of the shot and therefore left with a perfect shot and the photograph which i wanted to achieve. Basically, everything which was wrong with the other photograph has been removed or changed to this perfectly framed photograph. This image is defiantly my favorite and i also love the strong contrast between the clouds and the shadows on the branches. You are able to see the branches in fine detail, which is the look and image i was going for, as i feel this suggests this album has been made up with many fine details which make the album to be perfect and artistic.

Kings of Leon CD Title Cover

This is a Kings of Leon CD title page which displays the name of the songs and what number track the song is on the CD.

The main focus point within this, is the image of glass being smashed, to reflect this to the title of the album, which conventionally is usually done. The image strongly stood out part because of the colour of the background and the colour of the image also connects with the colour of the text of the title of the songs. It's not strongly clear what the main image is, however with the name of the album it's self, it would make a lot of sense if it was a hour glass being smashed whilst the picture is being taken in mid-air. This image creates a sense of ambiguity and wonder as the audience do not know what the image is. The framing of the image also does not take up the entire space on the back, therefore there is still a lot of dead space within the CD backing cover in comparison to Britney Spears' backing cover.

The name of the songs only take up roughly 1/3 of the entire backing cover which also seems to have become a convention as the same amount of space was used on Britney Spears' backing cover. The font of the text seems to just be standard Arial and also in Sans-Serif Font. This creates the idea the musicians are also passionate about their music, with the simple font and artistic image it's clear it's a completely different genre to Britney Spears' image and genre being pop. This seems more rock, singer/songwriter genre, which i feel is reflected through the simple black on white text with black connoting to the genre of Gothic, however through the artistic photography, it comes across as less harsh and easier to listen to and digest, therefore the genre of Indie/rock is explicit i feel.

The number of the track are also in a different colour to the text of the song, i feel this is also becoming a convention as both Britney Spears backing cover and this CD backing cover have both used this idea. I feel they have done this to make it easier for the audience to tell apart the different songs, and to make it easier to make out the number of the track and the track's name i makes it less harsh on the eye and more pleasant for the audience to read, rather then the whole text just simply being a white, bold mess.

There are also the conventions of bar codes and music production company which appear on all back of CD covers for the reason i explained on Britney Spears' CD cover analysis.

Overall this has been a very simple and easy CD backing cover to analyse as it's completely stripped back and they've definatly taken the artistic image to reflect their attitude as a band and to reflect their genre.

Analysing The Back Of CD Title-cover-art.

This is a title-page CD cover art for Britney Spears’ debut album Circus.

The main eye catching thing upon this piece of artwork is the main image; there we see relaxed Britney spears lying on a bed filled with pillows and luxury whilst a child/ dwarf clown is presenting her with a cake with lit candles on the top. This could have many meanings, with the most probable being a celebration as this album was in fact released on her birthday which collaborated with the other idea that she has spent a decade with the same music production company, Jive. Therefore the birthday cake could be a celebratory momentum, this idea is reinstated as Britney isn’t looking at the character holding the cake, she seems to be looking ‘behind the set’ towards the camera crew or an item actually behind the audience, I find this very interesting due to the fact of it does not seem posed or un-naturalistic at all, it creates a strong sense of realism and is allowing the audience to have an exclusive look at Britney Spears behind the production of the album, and off the record which is strongly valuable due to the level of celebrity Britney is deemed to be. The lighting within the image is very low lighting which suggests intimacy and reflects something personal and closed off from the rest of the world; the colour pallet also is pinks, reds and oranges which also suggest intimate, sex and passion. The image is also retaining the circus image by the gypsy cloths and rags and I also like the way the image of sex is used very subtly only just by showing a small bit of flesh. The black heels which she is still wearing on the bed, I feel also reflects sex and fetishism however also reflects the idea she’s a strong, sexy and independent woman who makes up her own rules as it’s rather odd and strange to wear shoes, in particular heals on a bed.

The listing of the songs which are on the album are again, in the same font which are used on the CD front cover, this links the whole product together and also is constantly reinstating the theme of the album which is, in this case: the circus. The song list is in red, which reflects and connects with the colour pallet within the main image, with suggests my idea of intimacy, passion and up-close-and-personal. This means the songs are very close to the singer and celebrity therefore it makes the audience crave to listen and understand what the songs are about.

The number of the songs is in a total different colour to the red used to name the songs; the numbers are printed in a blue. I feel this represents the colour of the sky which suggests freedom and being allowed to sing and perform about what ever Britney is emotionally feeling or inspired by at the production of her album, I also feel is suggest the idea of the album is fresh, brand new and sharp. Where it says ‘Bonus DVD’ is written in green, which also suggests something fresh and new especially powerful with the word ‘bonus’ as it suggests the singer has never given out a bonus DVD before, something like this is brand new and fresh, reinstated and backed up by the fresh and bright colour green.

I love how the titles of the album of the song are framed, it’s as if they are written on a banner just like it’s advertising the Britney Spears’ circus, to some extent it is as her album is her circus just not the literal form of a circus. The background of the banner is yellow which connects with the colour of Britney’s hair and also the pillows she is laying on, this can suggest the idea of these songs have come from her head, they are her creation.

At the bottom of the page there are the usual conventions which you expect to see on the back of a CD cover which are the manager’s name, Music Company and barcode. These are pretty much seen on every CD backing-cover-artwork. They are pretty much used for easy retail use and for legal reason and promotion for the record company.

This was a very interesting CD backing-cover-artwork as it’s interesting to see how the management and production staff manages to keep the themes of the album, even on other strong images. It’s also interesting to see this in particular through the font and framing of the product as a whole.

My edited photographs and CD front cover art work

As i originally said in my hand drawn plans, i want something completely stripped from special effects and gimmicks as a CD cover, therefore i would just simply like to create, literally the most basic CD cover for my artist.

I feel as Damien Rice is not a pop artist, therefore does not create pop music, no bright colours such as pop art is necessary. The art work, needs to be stripped back and represent his as an artist and a musician rather than a pop artist with gimmicks, as he defiantly is not that. I think an artistic musician, this should be resembled through the art work of his CD, as a buyer in HMV for example would judge on a CD by first looking at the front cover artwork, then would continue their interest by looking on the back of the CD cover. It needs to ooze personality from the musician and needs the image to just suggest them, therefore by using an image which has been seen in their music video, people already know it's been featured in the music video therefore becomes a memorable reoccuring motif.

Here are some edited shots of what i created to make the CD front cover artwork:

This was the first edited version of a CD front cover album artwork which i did.

This first of all, isn't the correct shape for a CD cover as it's a strong rectangle rather than a square, the effect i feel is also slightly overwhelming, however it definitely puts across the artistic flare within my musician.

The font is also a big problem, as it doesn't look anything special at all, the text is the same size which mean the album title is just as important as the artists name. By analysing CD front covers, the conventional way is to make the artists name larger than the CD album title however, i have obviously just ignored that convention.

The shot of tree i feel is strong as a Long Shot lets all of the tree to be involved within the shot. However, this also is a problem as the tree is very tall therefore forcing the shape of the picture to be rectangle rather than a square which is what i need it to be to actually look like a CD cover.

My first album artwork creation was a good way to start off brainstorming, however this is atrocious, there's nothing very much positive about it apart from the artistic flare which the audience receive from it. Also it creates interest as it's not a conventional CD cover, it doesn't even look like a CD cover therefore at least it would gain some interest.

This is my second attempt in creating a CD front cover art work, which is basically a re-edit of the first attempt. All i literally did was crop the image down to a squared shape therefore to make it seem more of a CD cover rather than a poster.

I still don't feel this works as a CD cover artwork as the font isn't anything special at all, it doesn't suggest anything, and it literally looks weak and like I've spent five minutes on it. The framing of the text isn't nicely done and also i don't like the way the name of the artist is stretched along 2 lines instead of one. I also don't feel the colour for the word 'Eskimo' is anything special i feel it should at least be white to connote the idea of ice and snow, reinstated by the title of Eskimo i feel is a stronger idea.

I feel the artistic flare in the artist is still apparent however, the CD cover i feel is still too busy, one thing which is positive about the busy artwork, is the way it looks like ice and snow which connects with the connoting of the title of the album 'Eskimo.'

Overall this is a very weak piece of CD album artwork, i feel i can definitely create something stronger which actually looks like a CD album cover.

After completely scrapping the first idea of trying to replicate the effect of 'snow' within my piece, i took advantage of the winter looking weather (with no leaves on the trees) which looks a lot more realistic than trying to replicate snow.

I love the colours and contrast within this photograph and i also feel through the look of this image, looking like professional photography the artistic element is definitely there. I feel the darkness creates more depth to this album, such as the artist has really dug down into his emotions to create this album. I also love the dark lighting on earth whilst the sky is of a lot stronger brightness which reflects the meaning to the video of the characters journey of discovering the only happy and free place she can be, is in another world. It presents hope and also the reflection of religion within this photograph which i feel is strongly intriguing and interesting for the audience. I love all of the natural textures within this photograph in particular with the shrubbery being completely black, however there's still the texture of leaves and also the texture of wood and man-made brick i feel the colour, brightness and contrast allow this photograph to show the beauty of nature. I also, love the idea of how dominant the tree is within this shot, with man-made buildings and items being only small and less-dominant in the back, i feel it represents the ideology of the artistic musician of the idea of inspiration and influence is all around.

The font i feel is strongly basic however, it's bold and i feel really works within this CD artwork. I love the contrast between image and font through the album title 'Eskimo' i feel the use of white on black makes it stand out and is largely noticeable for the audience to see. I like the size of the title, as it makes the audience look closer to the product before really seeing it, as it is noticeable however not so bold such as Lady Gaga's album title. I also like the contrast of the artist's name Jonathan Brendan across the top, i purposely created that using larger text than the album title as the conventions which i found out by analysing the four album covers was the album title is in smaller font, than the artists name.

The only thing i don't like about this, is the size of the CD cover. Again, it's the wrong size for a CD front cover, it's more wide and looks like a billboard advertisement for the album. However, apart from that error i feel this is a strong piece of art-work and represents the musician as an artist and also represents his ideology as well as the creativity on the album.

This is a re-edit of the third picture which i would use for my CD cover artwork, there is only one big problem with this re-edited version: the font sizes are the same size. As i explained above i want to explain to the audience this is Jonathan Brendan's album, which i feel is part explained by the order of the font on the CD cover as it creates a status hierarchy with the album name being the least important. However, i would like the album name to be smaller text than the artists name. Apart from that the size is a lot better and looks a lot more like a CD cover, however i just feel the size of the text is the problem.

This is the final edit of the photo which i created. I'm very happy with this piece being my CD album art work, i really think it's an artistic piece, although maybe plain however, it allows the audience to take a look into what to expect the music of this artist to be like, which is artistic and creative.

I changed the text size of the title of the album as i feel it's more important to advertise the artists name more than the title of the album as hopefully the artist would become more well known by his name rather then 'the guy who created the album 'Eskimo.''

Photos which i took and want to use for my CD cover

These are all photographs which i took of the same tree which is featured within my music promo video, i took many angles and i particularly love the way the sky is a bright blue in the background. I would have to edit these obviously as the framing in a lot of them is not very good, in particular just the random metal flower in the bottom right shrubbery and the brick garage in the back, it's completely unnecessary to the photo shoot.

My ideas for the CD digiak!!

After analysing a few CD cover art, i've drawn up a few ideas of what i want my CD digipak to look like, i've hand drawn them and scanned them onto the computer.

I really want my CD cover art to stay simple as i feel pop albums are the albums which have a lot of detail within the CD artwork, i felt artists like Damien Rice and Jonny Flynn have used the artwork to fully express their seriousness and passion of being a musical artist by using art instead of themselves posing in an expensive photo shoot by an expensive and professional photographer such as David Lechappell which i feel presents more of a raw artistic image, it gives the idea the artist has put themselves more into the project rather then leaving it to the marketing team of the record company.

I've draw up some front CD album artwork plans which i will analyse and discuss the feeling and what i tried to put across through the use of the artwork.


This was the first hand drawn draft which i created for the front cover artwork, i wanted the CD artwork to be as a simple as possible, as i wanted to give the image of 'no gimmicks' which suggests the idea of the artist being more passionate and artistic with their music, hence they don't need any gimmicks or an image to sell their records as many other artists: in particular in the pop genre use.

I love the idea of clouds being involved within my piece as i like the connotation which clouds suggest, which is freedom, peace and warmth which reflects the music video which i created for the song. It reflects the character which is seen throughout the music video as all she wants to be at the end of the music video is free. I also feel it reflects the genre of the music, to be dreamy, slow and piece full... almost like a slice of heaven for the listener, possibly from 'god' or someone from a higher power.

I feel the whole image and text should be in black and white as i feel this demonstrates and oozes realism, and i feel it also refers back to the music video also. I feel by using black and white i am also reflecting the idea of the artist is conforming to the singer/songwriter image of not using image to sell records.

I also like the idea of using block capitals to state the artists name and also the title of the album, i feel like it reflects the seriousness and passion of the music on the album. It puts across the idea of this is a bold and large album, which suggests the idea the music is 'massive' and 'bold' which is on this album.

This is my second idea of what i would like my CD cover to possibly look like, i like the idea of the tree being the main image on the CD cover, as this links in with the climatic moment on the music video of Eskimo.

I like the idea of the name being broken up, by the trunk of the tree through the middle, i feel this reflects the idea of the artist being really dissected and his most intimate secrets and emotions are all placed in and used within his music. I also like the idea of the title of the album being placed at the bottom of the CD album artwork as this reflects the idea this album is the base of the artist, this is the artists most personal album. However, one thing i do not like is the idea of the album name being in a bigger sized font than the actual artist.

I feel the colour should be either highly saturated, which i feel reflects the idea of fantasy and make-believe which are the themes featured within the music video, or perhaps just all grey scale as i feel this reflects the opposite idea of realism and also reinstates the themes featured within the music video and the idea of fairy tales and happy ever afters only happen if you believe in them, therefore imagination is defiantly required to see this album art work in a different light, i feel it creates strong mystery and enchantment.








This is the 3rd example of a hand drawn CD front cover, i like the framing of this idea, with there being completely blanked space on the page where it's able to place text or possibly another image underneath the branches of the tree.



I'm including the image of the tree again in this plan as i like the idea of taking an image from the music video as i feel it's showing the audience the album is just as artistic and creative as the music video to Eskimo.



I feel the text would once again need to be bold and black and white, i feel the flatness and possibly 'boring' colours reinstate the idea of the music video, and also the idea of that there is only colour in life if you personally believe there is.

I also feel i should have made the name of the artist the biggest and boldest font on the CD cover, basically due to the conventions which are used on many CD covers, the artist name is in a bigger font than the album name.

A fourth CD cover analysis for Black Eyes Peas' debut album The E.N.D (The Energy Never Dies)

I am now going to do a fourth analysis for the CD cover for Black Eyed Peas' new album, The E.N.D (The energy never dies).

The main focus point of this CD is obviously the green robot looking image with the white text above stating the artists name and the name of the album. The band Black Eyed Peas have only recently made a 'comeback' after a few years developing their own individual and independent projects, therefore this was a highly anticipated album.

The main image which is a close up of the Robot looking image, with only it's face and neck within the frame. This is a very interesting image, as they've used animation of a 3D image rather then a photograph of the band themselves who have supposedly created this album. The overall 'robot' look of the animated image gives the album a futuristic look surrounding the band, the future is something which is very exciting and wondrous as nobody knows whats in store for the population (their audience) therefore this album creates an excitement and wonder surrounding this image, as it's eye catchingly different to any other CD album cover in the shops. I inpaticular like the idea of the 'robot' not having any eyes, however his face is still creating that connection of direct mode of address within the audience which creates interest for the album, it creates mystery and also a redefined feeling that this album is futuristic. There is also the feeling of this album being very ground breaking as using the idea of an image of a 'robot,' the technology side to the production and creation of a robot can back up the technology, ground breaking and production side of the album.

I like the entire colour pallet of the CD cover as i feel it just oozes energy. In particular, it suggests radioactive which is a source of strong disfigurement energy, to which the idea of it being disfigurement makes the album different and ground breaking, than any other album has managed to create. The green suggests the music will have un-beatable energy involved too, as the feeling that it's all 'futuristic' creates the idea you will not get bored of one song, it's all entering a new world of the future. All of these songs are suggested to be different, with high energy and futuristic which comes across it's audience as very exciting, rule breaking and also ground breaking just through the idea of using florescent green.

The text involved on the Album cover i feel is used for different reasons: for one, it tells the audience who the band are therefore, if an audience member wants this album as they like The Black Eyed Peas' previous musical work, they may come across this new CD and realise it's from a band in which they really like. I like the idea of using the white colour for the text, i feel this represents 'lightning' which can be mistaken for the colour yellow but in fact if you see a picture of it, it's more white then yellow. Lightning is known for it's strong electrical energy which can create fires and also, kill people. Lighting can be scary and overwhelming to certain audience members and certain people can be quite frightened by energy thus the audience i feel this band are trying to attract are younger, who tend to visit clubs on the weekend, i don't feel the title is really targeting 60+ elderly people, nor very young children. The image of lightning is also resembled and used within the band title which is displayed at the top of the CD cover, this reinstates the idea this album is strong, electric and energetic and once again futuristic.

I feel they haven't written 'The' on the album, as large as the other words in the bands name, basically due to the fact 'The' is not needed that much to identify a band. Many people refer to The Black Eyed Peas, as B.E.P of just even, Black Eyed Peas, they even call their selves B.E.P within their songs therefore 'The' in their band title isn't a strong necessity, and it also highlights what people will defiantly know the band as: Black Eyed Peas.

I feel the name of the band is framed on the 'robots' head to signify the idea the band are dominating and taking over the future, therefore labeling themselves on futuristic technology. It's a way of stating how amazing their music is, they have redefined and created the future through this album, and also i feel this reinstates the idea why the 'robot' has no eyes, as it's controlled by the energetic and futuristic music created by the Black Eyed Peas. It's also stating the idea that their music is so futuristic and energetic, it's able to connect with any types of technology and also with the lightning bolts on top of the 'robots head' they are able to power technology through their music.

I feel the title of the album is written smaller than the name of the band on the album, basically because not many people judge an album front cover, by the title of the album. They are more likely to be attracted to see a fully established and popular band's name on a new album rather then be attracted to the title of their album. The title of the album is actually broken down to spell out 'The End' whereas it actually stands for 'The Energy Never Dies.' I feel they created this title for different reasons:

I feel they named it 'The E.N.D' on the front cover, to arise interest and ambiguity to what it could stand for, which is creating ideas of post-modernity within their music and products which once again creates the idea of futuristic. However, i also feel it states the idea of all other 'popular' music will be stopped at a halt, as BEP's drop this album into the public's hands, it's a sign of breakthrough and it's a strong statement to make about anything, never mind make it an album cover. It also suggests it is an explosive album which i feel arises interest within the album.

I feel it's framed and positioned the way it is, just below the name of the band to suggest it is officially and legally theirs and they have created it, and are very protective over it. Many CD covers do this, and i feel it represents the idea the artists are proud and happy what they have created, therefore they literally 'stand over' it like a proud parent.

In conclusion i feel this is a very strong piece of artwork to place on an album, i feel it creates strong interest through the overall theme of 'energy' therefore the futuristic look and sound of music, are in The Black Eyed Peas' hands.

A CD front cover analysis of Slipknots CD 'All Hope Is Gone'

This is a CD cover for the metal-rock band Slipknot.
The main focus point is obviously the image, the image shows a group of people, stood up in a field full of dead crops. There is a tree in the background and the sky is dark and grey which could possibly mean their is a storm on the way/ heavy rain.

The camera shot this frame in a long shot distance, which i feel could have been used to introduce all of the band; also to show the surroundings which help establish the band and their genre. The angle of the shot is low angle which makes the band appear in a dominating light to the audience, it makes them seem power full. This is one contrast between the expectations for artists who perform through the pop genre, their album covers seem to be eye level to connect with their audience, where as R'n'B and slipknot are using this technique i believe to seem like an inspiration to their audience. This may seem like a boast full thing to do however if teenagers see these artists in a power full, god like light their is still a large chance of these teenagers idolising the band. The low angle, also makes them seem the best of the best of what they do within this genre, so if you do purchase this CD it'll be the best rock-metal music CD available.

On the cover, at the bottom there is a sticker advising on 'parental guidance' this reflects the image i believe which they was to represent, the idea of rebelling through music also reinstates the idea of the ideology in which Kerrang is representing: the idea of rebelling and self expressionism.

One convention which isn't displayed on the CD cover, is the name of the band and the title of the album, i feel they challenged the conventions to make themselves look different then other artists, however i also feel they don't need to display their name in big red writing, as their image is so iconic: the idea they wear horrifying masks with needles spiking out and masks which are facial expressionless: it's their image which they've always had, and since they are the only band who feel the need to rebel and individualise themselves however, this seems to have worked as they've made their image an iconic one and also makes their image a unique selling point of their music. The album cover title, however isn't displayed either, i feel this is used to challenge the idea of conforming to natural conventions, again it reinstates the idea of this band wanting to rebel, as conforming is a safe option, rebelling is a lot more exciting and dangerous.

There is a layered opaque image over the main image, which is over the band: this is a pentagram which is connoted a lot with witch craft. This reinstates their idea of gothism within their ideology, which connects with the idea of rebel as witch craft can still be seen as evil. This is why pentagrams connect with this genre so well, as they're both a taboo subject, witchcraft and Gothism. Witch Craft was written about in Gothic stories, and i believe they've reinstated that as their logo, as it's iconic of witch craft which branches off to being iconic with the genre of Gothism. I think it has been layed over in an opaque fashion, to reinstate the idea of their genre of music in which they specialise. The audience will first, look at the band and their image will establish their genre of metal-rock, however by then looking at the subtleties, such as the pentagram: and the genre is reinstated as metal-rock.

In terms of representation, i feel the artists are placed within a light where they do take personal image with much importance, however their importance is to shock the audience. Kerrang magazine would feature this band within their magazine, as Kerrang seem to promote self expressionism with the idea to shock. I feel their target audience could honestly be anyone, however apart from young children and old people, as their music is not helivy dependant on one potential audience, such as a band like 'Sugababes,' they heavily depend on the younger, girl audience as their genre is Teen-Pop. Whereas Slipknot, are world class musicians who write their own music, and i feel this is what people may appreciate more, the fact they are passionate about the music they produce, where as bands like 'Sugababes' and 'Girls Aloud' depend on songwriters to write music for themselves. I also feel the idea of the way they've been photographed, with long distance from the audience and a low angle: stating their dominance, and the idea of them being too good musicians for you to be close to: it may seem an arrogant thing to do. However, i feel this connects with the potential audience, and basically says 'your paying for this brilliant music, because we are brilliant musicians.'

An analysis of Lady Gaga's CD 'The Fame Monster'

This is a CD Digipak cover for Lady Gaga's debute album 'The Fame Monster,' which is a re-release album from her 2009 success 'The Fame' however, re-vamped with 8 brand new tracks and released just before a world tour, The Fame Monster has been a world wide hit, together with the 2009 version of The Fame, has sold over 10,000,000 copies.

The main focus point on this CD cover is of Gaga dressed in a PVC jacket with the collar covering her mouth. There is strong contrast between her dark jacket and her hair, which establishes the colour pallet of the album to be white, black and gray.

Her hair seems to be very frizzy and un-kept which could suggest and reflect the idea her personality and music are 'out of controll' and can't be 'controlled.' However, her jacked seems to be very layered and repressing Gaga as she isn't revealed to the audience, it looks like she's hiding herself, mainly a secret or she's repressing her real personality from the first look of her. The collar over her mouth does suggest she's holding something back from the audience, therefore a mysterious, secretive and odd looking 'Gaga' uses direct mode of address which is used to connect with the audience. The way she is holding the collar over her mouth, it looks as if she is about to rip off the collar therefore she becomes a strong, independent and rebellious lady, perhaps this could link in with her background of being grown up in a strict catholic school therefore her personality of a performing artist could have been smothered therefore, there is a strong sense of liberation from the way she is posed in this shoot. Speaking from religious terms, the whole outfit does look like Habit, which is a catholic uniform worn by Nuns and Sisters, this links in with her personal background and the crucifix symbol in the CD title, however nuns are known for being repressed and strict religion therefore, i love the idea of her being rebellious and liberated as she looks like she's about to rip the collar off and inform the world who she is and what she stands for/ what she does.

I like the idea of her hand and arm being the only body part apart from her face on show, i feel this suggests liberation, however i also feel it represents a mystery and also some sex elements, also with the entire outfit being made from PVC i feel also demonstrates this point, with PVC being an erotic material.

I feel the shoulder pads within the outfit suggest the idea of fashion, which is in fact a convention in Pop music artists, so is sex. The pop artist has to identify themselves with an image in which people will feel they can connect with them by, and it makes it obvious to people in music stores which genre of music, artists have on their CD.

I feel the soft, dark makeup around Gaga's eyes represent the fact she has a darker side to her and her music, she may be dressed in sexy PVC and have blonde hair, however a theory is the eyes are the gateway to a persons soul, therefore the dark make-up surrounding her eyes suggest the idea of her having a darker twist to her. It also creates mystery surrounding who the artist is, which eventually convinces you into wanting to get to know, and listen to what the artist has got to say.

The entire backdrop which she is stood in front of i feel is also an important element to Gaga, as it represents the idea of a dark 'background' possibly to her life, she's eventually brought that dark background with her to tell you about it within this CD. This is reinstated by the idea of her just about to rip off her collar, guarding her mouth, as she's about to become strong and tell you about it. She's about to identify herself and tell you her story, she's about to tell the audience everything... you just have to buy the CD first.

The font is strictly in white, which i feel represents her identity as once being a repressed, smothered catholic school girl which are seen as being completely innocent and naive, however this is strongly contrasted with what she is wearing: a black, long, PVC outfit. The title and artists name are both in capitals Serif-font, which suggests the idea shes a strong and bold character, this i also feel helps stand out in particular against the black background.

In replacement of the 'T' in the word 'Monster,' she has used a crucifix which i feels is a rebellion to her catholic upbringing, in particular as she's placing the crucifix in a negative word 'Monster' which is usually linked and connected with the idea of nightmares and evilness. I feel this gives us some clues into what Gaga really believes in, and it leaves the audience wanted to know more about her, her views, opinions which is her music. The text is also the same bright white, which is also the colour her hair is, this suggests she's created this album, this is her album and it's come straight out from her head.

In conclusion, this is a very strong, creative front cover for a CD. This has influenced me in what i want my CD cover to include, and also how you dont have to use all of the conventions of that genre of music, and how they represent their artist. As long as it shows the artist in a creative light, and suggests the idea they are different you everyother artist in the music shop, you're guarenteed for it to get noticed. I in paticulaly like the idea of her giving clues to the audience about what her views, ideas therefore: her music, is actually about. That element of mystery gives the artist attention and with the suggestions she is giving the audience back, may just result in a sale of that album.

Britney Spears Circus CD Cover Analysis

This is an album cover for Britney Spears' most recent album: Circus. An album consist of conventionally 10-12 music tracks, however can include bonus tracks to intrigue the audience more.

The main image is always the main focus point, it seems albums have to include an interesting, attractive looking picture of the artist as this is one of the selling points as it exploits the genre and creates expectations for the genre of music and for the artist. The image is of the artist sat down looking at the camera. The camera angle is eye level, which like the magazines gives the audience the idea of being able to connect with the artist as there is no social status division between the two: this would be different if it was a low angle shot making the artist appear more dominant and powerful, this however, makes it hard for the audience to connect with the artist as there is a clear social division between them. The eye level theory can also make their music seem from their heart, and how they are feeling: it's personally from them. Her face seems to be very bare and has lack of make-up, i feel this enables the audience to see her as they haven't before, and by being viewed with no make-up it's almost like an exclusive look into her life and who she actually is as a person, rather how then the media perceive her to be. Her pose seems shy, perhaps with Britney Spears record of having a very public meltdown this shows a softer side to her, her vulnerability to the world, this connects well with the idea of the media twisting and making up lies about her life, how she can only tell the truth through her music: this is reinstated by the eye level camera angle. Her hair looks soft and long, this creates the idea of the femininity she has, and shows her in a good light, photograph wise, the hair is blonde which can connect with the idea her being young and of course she is vulnerable as there seems nothing more to be vulnerable then a young woman. Her costume consists of a pink dress, the colour is baby pink which again reinstates the idea of her vulnerability she has as a young woman. The dress isn't a revealing one which exploits her dignity and respect for herself which is seen as a good role model possibly in the eyes of the audience, this allows the target audience to be widened from the older audiences to the younger audiences as well. The photograph seems really intimate and allows the audience to see a side of Britney Spears which the media possibly wouldn't let you see: however, this is what an album is supposed to consist of, the idea of the audience seeing the artist for who they are through the music which they produce.

The text and font is seems to be used, all to add effect to the CD cover. The largest text on the cover states the artists name 'BRITNEY SPEARS' it stands out as it's in capital letters, this is eye catching and someone browsing in a music store would possibly see this CD first then others. The colour of the text is red, this could connotate to the idea of being 'Brand new and Red Hot Album!' It reflects excitement from the album, and creates excited within the buyers. It's also typical for a circus tent to include two expected colours: Yellow and Red, as circus tents include these colours in strips on their tents. The text is shaped as a tent, the 'Y' and 'S' in her name is the peak and the name follows up from 'Britney' and then follows down with the name 'Spears.' It's a stereotype of a circus being held in a tent, however with a circus theme being such a strong theme, the circus stereotype will be noticed and expected world wide, and this shaping of the font meets the audiences expectations therefore don't confuse the potential audiences. The font they've used for the artists name, is a quite show girl font, and is very circus themed: it's connotations include circus and performance.

The title of her album 'circus' is printed underneath her name, the text is smaller which is understandable as the name of the artist is a main focus point as if people are looking for an artists music, they search for the artist's name; rather then the title of the album. The text is in the colour mustard yellow which connects with the idea of the circus tent, with the tents expected to be striped with two basic colours: Red and Yellow. By using Yellow, it creates a variation within the album cover by including other colours as the album has to eye catching and interesting and by only placing one basic colour pallet, it isn't attracting the audiences attention as it could be. At the side of the album title 'Circus' there are two signs, these i feel help introduce the title as they are pointing towards it from each sides so it feels like an introductory feel. There are stars all the way around the album cover i feel this flatters the artist, saying to the audience how she is star quality, it also centres the artist making her the most noticeable thing in that album cover. The stars are a baby blue, which i feel reflects the vulnerably of the artist, however i also feel this reflects the idea of her being an 'out of this world' artist, as stars could connoted space, and out of this world.

In terms of representation: i feel this artist is being represented as clean, young and fresh. This is perfect for targeting the younger audiences as parents view the image she is portrayed in, and if they like the clean image they trust the artist for the music they produce: this is presenting Britney Spears in a clean, trustworthy light. Hip Hop artists are often photographed with all their jewelry and big expensive cars which have a negative effect upon a parents decision whether their children should listen to their music. By representing the artist in an honest light, it's widening the target audience. I feel every time an artist releases a new album, they should always represent themselves in a positive light for audience, who don't originally know the artist could feel they could potentially like their music through the representation of the artist.
The audience i feel who would buy this CD would be teenage girls, and all time fans who have been appreciating her music since she started out in the music business. Her clean, pretty image appeals to teenagers as they are bound to support some idolisation towards the artist. Her music is focused on dance-pop: people who buy this i feel will be more interested in the idea of escapism they can receive from the album, it's ideal to listen to from escapism from the stress when you're getting ready for a night out, dance-pop music builds up the excitement you feel for the night ahead.