Thursday, 12 September 2013

CD Artwork and Digipack's of Analysed Artists

I have found the CD artwork of the artists that I have previously analysed and I am now going to look at the way they're:

- Branded
- Imagery used
- Logo used
- Relevent Context

And as a result of this, I will create my presentation of how I plan to have my album artwork.

You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift





I have always loved this album, as it is designed like a fairy tale and even the music video that I analysed is. The way that the 'prince' meets the 'princess', it's just so lovely. Taylor Swift doesn't really have much of logo, however during her concerts and on her platinum edition album of Fearless, she makes a heart with both hands: 




The name is extremely similar to Sara Bareilles', as they both connote the inability to be yourself and do what you want to and not to be scared of other people's thoughts. The colour of this album is very fairytale like, with the creaminess of the corset that Taylor is wearing on the back cover and there is a hint of browns within the album cover. The writing on most of the albums that i've chosen is mainly white on the front of it, so I think that's what i'll use for my text colour and then on the back of Taylor's album, the text is brown on a light cream background, which complements the picture of Taylor on the back next to the song names. This is what I could do for my album - choose the back colour scheme to fit with the image. 

The text seems to be the opposite to what the rest are: the artist name is in handwritten style text, yet the actual album title in clear and in capitals, which is strange as the rest of the albums that i've analysed are mainly the other way round, so I guess during the designing of my piece, I can choose.

The overall mood of this album is happy and positive, due to the warm colour scheme with the browns and creams. I like this effect, however I think I will go for more the colours of the forest that I filmed in, as it fits in with my video

Invisible Empire - KT Tunstall





KT Tunstall's Invisible Empire album is much different to her other albums, however she has grown as an artist and has made the album based on the passing of her father. I wouldn't say that she particular has a logo to brand herself, however on this album the main feature would be the colour and the environment, with the red and white stripes featuring in between her text and also on the actual CD, keeping a fluent, flowing range of colours throughout. I think the stripes link in with the whole 'warrior feeling' of the album, which is also shown in her music video, with links both the CD and the music video together, meaning that I could do that for my piece. The white and black is also apparent within her clothing that she has on, which again draws up another link.

The text that has been used is extremely simplistic and again, white. I think this is extremely ironic because the topic which she is singing about and basing her album around is very deep and complex, yet the front cover of the album and the text is rather simple. This may link to how laid back and well she is coping with the whole passing of her father and how this album will outline her thoughts and feelings clearly. The whole background of the album cover is really nice, as the front and back link together. This is much like a previous album that i've already made. The colour scheme and idea links together. I think KT's images that she's used show the nature of her reflection of events and how there is rather a lot of thoughts going on during her life. The text is also shown at a slight slant, much like it is done it italics. This is interesting, as I wouldn't have normally gone for the italic look for both the title and the sub title of the album, however it really works for this one. On the back cover, all of the song titles are shown at the bottom centre in quite a small font, bringing the main focus to KT's image. I really like the way this album has been done, as it's very simple and in a way, the simplicity does brand KT as a laid back artist would enjoys making music and isn't afraid to do so.

The sign/symbol that is branding this album would the stripes, however this isn't apparent through all of her albums, just this one. This shows that KT doesn't have a particlar sign to brand her music, however she has the ability to change the style of her artwork, depending on the style of her album which is a really nice idea. This would be a nice way to create my piece.

The tone of the album is quite 'breezy'. I don't know why I have described it like this, it just feels very laid back and reflective, which gives a lovely feel to the album. This is done through the use of the colours and the imagery that has been used on the album cover. The CD is also very simplistic, which allows the audience to just listen to the music and really take in what she has to say and the message that she is trying to get across.

Colbie Caillat - Bubbly







In Colbie's album 'Coco' there is a clear logo which is the flower. Colbie uses the flower on most of her album covers, which brands her as an artist. There are a range of different colours, however the front of the album seems to be very cooler, bright colours, yet the back and the CD seems to very warm colours. The whole album works very well together, with the the main colour being white on the front cover, with a range of teals, browns and yellows coming through from the text and the flower and also her skin tone and hair colour. The back cover is more browny colours, with hints of yellow coming through in the text (times of the songs). The white colour has been repeated within the song titles and the text which is on the spine. The flower is also apparent on the back of the album and also the CD. The CD however, is a completely different colour to the rest of the album colours, as it's red. There isn't red shown anywhere else. I think this really connotes the warmness of the album and the humble feel in which the songs create towards the target audience.

The text seems to be very personal, as it's more like handwriting with it being slightly curly and uneven. I do like this text, however I don't think i'd personally choose this. Although the rest of the songs that feature on my album will be very much love based, I think Colbie's songs are more acoustic and soft, which allows the text to complement the song style. My songs however are more rock/pop, probably linking in more with KT's text style.

The main background of the front and back cover is taken up by an image of Colbie and I think this add's to the innocent and humble feel to the album. I think I would like my album to have an image of me on the front and back, however I would like it to link together like the KT Tunstall album, much like an image of me on the front facing the camera in the woods and the back cover an image of me facing away and walking away like I do in the end of my video.

The overal mood of the album is very 'warm' and inviting, leading to her fan base and target audience wanting to buy the album.

I think the front cover links more to the music video that I analysed, so there is a link shown between one of the songs on the album and the whole album.

The Blessed Unrest - Sara Bareilles




This album links directly to the video I think, as Sara is shown being 'Brave' in her album, linking in with the music video that I analysed. This shows that almost all of the albums that I have analysed show a link between the album and the music video. There isn't a clear logo that is shown on this album, or in any of her other albums, so I guess her logo is just herself, as she appears on the front of every one of her albums. The colour of the album links very well with my product, as some of my music video is in black and white, linking my research in with my product. 'The Blessed Unrest' is a really nice name for this album, as it connotes that people shouldn't rest and they should go out and conquer their dreams, much like my album is like as I call it 'My New Dreams' and also it links in very well with the video that I analysed 'Brave'. The imagery that is used is very similar to the KT and Colbie album because all of the artists have featured on the front and the back cover, which I think is particularly nice. Sara's album however links in more with KT's, as the front and back do have a link, as the net that is shown on the front cover is also shown on the back cover. I like the idea that the both sides should link.

The text is really a mixture between straight forward and handwritten, much like a mix between KT and Colbie's albums texts. I like this, as her target audience is able to be clear that it is her music, however the personal feel is brought into it through the use of the handwritten typography style. Now that I see a link between them both and not just one or the other, I like the way they work together and I think this could be an option for my album.

Although the colours of the album are quite dark and mysterious, with the use of the black and white and the contrast, I think the overall tone and mood of the album is particularly positive, as Sara is shown smiling on the album front cover and an expression of reflection is shown on her face on the back cover, which is quite nice. The bottom picture shows part of the digipack and there is an image of Sara walking along a tightrope  possibly trying to imply to her target audience that they should be 'Brave' and go out and be who they want to be. 

Please Don't Say You Love Me - Gabrielle Aplin










I absolutely love this album the most. I think it is beautiful. There isn't a clear logo that can be identified from this album, as it is her first album, however I think her 'brand' is basically herself and her songwriting skills. I love the connotations that come of the album, as it is named 'English Rain' and Gabrielle is shown on a beach in black and white, however the only thing in colour is her umbrella. This highlights that although the English weather is bleak where she lives, it is her hometown and there are bright aspects to the 'English Rain'. This is the most artistic album that i've analysed so far, with the imagery of herself and then the colourful umbrella and the back of the album cover just showing an arrangement of colourful flowers, which is very unique and unusual. The use of the black and white really links in well with my work, as my narrative scenes appear in black and white, which is good as there is a link between her album and my work. On the other hand, her album is different to the previous 4 albums that i've analysed, as she doesn't appear on the front and back cover, which is unusual for this genre, however I think I will be going for the look that I appear on both covers and they link together, as that what the majority of this genre and research has shown and I love the idea of it. 

The text is extremely similar to Sara's album as title and the artist name is shown in exactly the same way and a similar text. I do like this idea as it brings a sense of personality into the album, as the album title does look hand written, which I think is unique to this genre as most of the artists within it do write their own music and lyrics, so it all links in great with my piece.

As I mentioned previously, the use of the black and white and then the colourful umbrella does bring out a happy side to the bleak weather and I think that the overall tone of this album is cheery and unique. I think this because Gabrielle isn't shown to be unhappy on the front cover and also not in the digipak. I really do like the digipak and it was a similar idea to what I had in mind for my album, to show images of me doing gigs and playing my guitar. The Taylor Swift album also includes lyrics within her digipak like Gabrielle does.

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