Analysis of Album Cover Artwork - Mrs Fisher

I will now be researching into my chosen artist to find out what their album cover artwork represents as well as what it is telling the audience. I have looked and researched into Shani who's song we have chosen as a group, however as she is an upcoming artist and has not yet developed into a big well known artist she does not have any album covers or single covers in which I can use to relate to. This is then why I have had to go back to the original version of the song by 'Gyptian', 'Hold Yuh'. Gyptian is becoming increasingly popular within the music industry and 'Hold Yuh' is the song that has got him recognised upon all other artists. Gyptian has a single cover artwork piece in which case I will annotate instead.

This album cover on the right is by 'Gyptian'. The main element in this album cover piece is that nearly the whole area of the cover has the artist's face on it. As a result of this the audience are able to identify who the artist is and what they look like. Another element I have picked up on is the writing effect which says the name of the artist and the album name. The writing of the artist's name is different to what consumers would expect to see in a mainstream album cover piece. This however does work in his advantage as it makes him individual and unique.

The background colour of the cover is orange at the top and as it goes down to the bottom it gets lighter and lighter. This is a good effect to use as it make the cover look more interesting. The two tone effect also works well and looks very professional. Lastly, the colour used for the background is very neutral, this means that the album is not targeted at just males or females. The neutral colour attracts a wide target audience and works well with the overall feel the album cover gives to consumers.

The next album cover I have analysed by 'Gyptian' is the image on the right.This cover is a single release and shows the audience a different type of style to the other album cover. This album cover makes the artist look more focused and established due to the use of colours suggesting that he is well established. Black, grey and white are bold colours when used together correctly and this album cover piece shows that the artist is strong and is driven to be successful. The image of the artist is in the same place as the other cover, however in this cover the artist is looking directly at the camera, this also suggests that the artist is looking directly into consumers eyes as they pick up this single release. The other album cover above shows a more vulnerable side to the artist as he is not making eye contact with the camera. This suggests that the artist is shy, whereas the second piece of artwork makes the artist look successful and dominating. In conclusion to this in my opinion the second piece of artwork references the artist better due to the body language and facial expressions being shown to consumers. This makes the artist look comfortable and like that should be successful within the mainstream music industry. I will now be analysing one more album cover piece and will decide which cover out of the three is best for appealing to a wide target audience as well as making the artist stand out from others in the same genre.

This is the final album cover I will be analysing. This image on the right makes the artist look in control and dominating. From the posture of the artist consumers are able to see that the artist is very strong. As he is not wearing a top as well this suggests that the artist can be seen as a 'showing off'. By this I mean that only men that work out and go to the gym usually have the confidence to take their clothes off. In this case 'Gyptian' has done this for his album cover where many many fans will be able to see him this way. As a result of this it allows the audience to identify that he is confident and independent. The colours used in the background are neutral again which is the same as the first album cover I have analysed. This again allows the artist to be attracted to a wide audience as the colour does not reference male or female perceptions.

Moreover, the writing on this cover showing the artist's name is again in writing that is not expected to be found on a mainstream artwork piece. As a result of this 'Gyptian' can be identified as an individual artist within the mainstream perception. Finally, from analysing these three album cover pieces I am able to identify that the second cover represents the artist best. As well as this it also targets a wide audience and does not show any vulnerability or over confidence which some consumers may not like.

Analysis of Album cover Art Work - Mrs Fisher

There are different connotations that can be picked up on throughout media techniques that are used within album cover artwork pieces. Some of these connotations include the body language of an artist, positioning as well as what the artist is wearing, along with facial expressions portraying what the artist is displaying to consumers. As well as this writing that is used on any album cover art work can determine what kind of genre the artist is based in. For example if an album cover shows 'curvy writing' then automatically it would lead consumers to associate that with a female artist. Having said that bold and simple text is usually used for male artists as it builds up an up front perception which many male artists like to portray. Colour also plays a big part in how the album cover will be perceived by consumers. The colours on an album cover need to reference or symbolise a link between the artist and the genre in which their music follows. For example Freddie McGregor, who is one of the artists I researched into while looking into the reggae genre. On one of his album covers the colours green, yellow and red are used. This symbolises Freddies heritage and what his music will reference as well as the type of genre his music is which is reggae. All of this needs to be taken into consideration when choosing the correct content for an album cover so it can be perceived correctly by the audience.

This may affect the audiences reading and understanding of the music and artist due to a misleading judgement being portrayed by the music industry on a particular artist. This may have an effect on record sales due to a false perception being shown about a certain artist that consumers can not relate to. This will then mean that consumers will feel cheated because they have bought a CD of their favourite artist, who was perceived to be someone else rather than who they really are. An example of an artist who may be perceived in this way could be Britney Spears. As she first started out she appealed to a wide target audience, this was because of her innocence and the link between herself and other young girls of her age who aspired to be like her. In conclusion to this as her image has increasingly gone in the opposite direction towards a good girl gone bad perception means that consumers have lost the link between her and her music in comparison with the amount she has changed over a short period of time.

There are a number of different conventions that can be identified from album cover artwork that the audience have been shown. Again from all the colours and the main image of the artist the audience are able to see what kind of image and representation can be made with a specific artist as well as what they represent. Conventions are defined as items that you would find likely to see somewhere and in this case it is what you are likely to see on the cover of an album. Different aspects such as text displaying the name of the artist as well as the album name are expected to be shown on the front cover. As well as this artists and their music organisations often choose to have the artist as the main focus on any album cover. However some album covers use images that relate to some of the referencing in the songs or about the artist to display that on their artwork, rather than having photographs taken of the actual artist/artists themselves. Moreover depending on the type of genre the artist supports will also determine what consumers have come to expect from artists and their artwork. As Shani is a reggae artist in my opinion it is important to display some aspects that show her heritage as well as what her music references.

Planning my own Album Cover - Mrs Fisher

Actors for the artist:

Due to the fact that Shani's song 'Hold Me', has not been released it means that not a lot of consumers have come to know about the song as well as the artist. This song has only been promoted through YouTube, whereas Gyptians version of the 'Hold Yuh' was marketed in a number of different ways to attract consumers. Not only was Gyptians version promoted through YouTube but also other big associations such as iTunes and music stations; e.g. Kiss, Smash Hits and MTV Base. This has lead me to the conclusion that Shani will not need many actors/actresses within her music video due to the fact that being a new artist means promoting her own image and concentrating on what she has to offer the audience. If actors/actresses where to be including into the music video they may over shine and take the concentration away from Shani. However due to the lyrics and nature of the song a male actor may be used when necessary to portray the conventions of the music video.

The song my group and I have chosen is by Shani who sings 'Hold Me'. Below are the videos of both versions to the song, Shani's version and the original version by Gyptian.

Gyptian Album Covers:

Narrative of Shots:

• Mid Shot/Low Angle Shot - This shot will show the artist running upstairs to her bedroom.
• Long Shot - This shot will show the artist lying down on her bed while watching Gyptian, 'Hold Yuh'.
• Close-up - This shot will be the same as above lying down on her bed watching Gyptian. 
• Long Shot - This shot will contain the artist rolling off her bed on to her feet.
• Close up - This shot will show the audience the artist picking up a present left to her by Gyptian which is a Tiffany necklace.
• Long Shot - The artist will be shown here opening the present looking surprised.
• Long Shot/Over the Shoulder Shot - The artist will be shown here looking into a mirror and touching the necklace she just received.
• Mid Shot - Here the artist will be dancing in front of the mirror and singing to the song by 'Shani', hold me.
• Birds Eye View Shot - This shot will contain the artist singing and dancing to the song while lying down on a bed with cream silk sheets.
• Extreme Close Up/Side View - This shot will be used to show the artist from a different angle while singing to her song.
• Close Up/Long Shot/Mid Shot/High Angle/Low Angle - The artist will be singing and dancing in this shot while standing in front of a white background.
• Extreme Long Shot/Panning/Close up/Mid Shot - This shot will contain the artist singing and dancing while walking along the side of a river to her song coming towards the camera. 
• Establishing Shot - This shot will show cars driving by at night time on the A10. 

Locations:

• Artists House (Stair Case)
• Artists House (Bedroom)
• River
• Outside Artist House (A10)  

Costume, Hair & Make-up:

• Pink Converse with black leggings and a blue denim cropped jacket with a white vest top. Her hair is straight and her male-up is very natural again with only eye make-up on.
• Green jumpsuit, with black suede heels and jean waist coat jacket, with Tiffany Necklace. Her hair was straight. She has natural make-up applied.
• Cream one shouldered dress, Natural eye make-up with red lipstick and straight hair.
• A blue dress with black patent shoe boots. Her hair is straight again with natural make-up.   

Positioning of Character:

• Artist running up the stairs to her bedroom. 
• Artist lying down on the bed while on her computer, watching Gyptian.
• Artist rolling over off her bed to stand.
• Artist grabbing Tiffany bag.
• Artist opening Tiffany present.
• Artist is dancing in front of the mirror, looking at herself and touching her Tiffany Necklace.
• Artist dancing in front of the mirror from a side view.
• Artist lying on her bed moving and singing to the music.
• Artist singing to the camera still lying on her bed.
• Artist singing and dancing up against a white background.
• Artist is walking along side of a river, singing and dancing whilst walking towards the camera.
• Artist on computer watching Gyptian on YouTube.   

Annotated Images - Mrs Fisher

Freddie McGreggor and Damian Marley

Album Cover Artwork - Mrs Fisher

I have chosen to research two artists within the reggae genre, the first one is Damian Marley and the second is Freddie McGregor. The reason I chose to research these artists is because they are well known and have had a lot of success when it comes to reggae songs. Damian Marley is the son of the famous Bob Marley and has produced songs such as; ‘Welcome to Jamrock’ and ‘Road to Zion’. Freddie McGregor is also a very well known artist who sang songs such as; ‘Just don’t want to be lonely’ and ‘That Girl’. The reason I have chosen the Reggae genre is because the song that my group and I have chosen to use as background music in our music video is by a reggae artist whose name is ‘Shani’. 

Here are the two album covers of both my chosen reggae artists. Both songs I have chosen in this case are the songs that made the artists recognized for their musical abilities and talents. As you can see both album covers are very different and show a different side to each artist that the music label behind the artists want to show to the audience. Even though both artists are based within the same genre their artwork is very different from one another. Damian Marley's artwork gives off a dangerous feeling due to the background, as well as the clothes he is wearing which is an army uniform. This is associated with a rough stereotypical perception that rappers would mainly use within their artwork. Whereas Freddie McGregor’s artwork for his album cover shows warmth as his body language is very inviting due to his hands being place out in front of him.

I have researched and found different album covers from each artist and have compared the artwork on each cover as well as  what makes them individual and stand out so that consumers are attracted to go out and buy new releases from artists. All album artwork covers are very different from each other and they are used to show consumers what the songs are about. Damian Marley's artwork covers are very different as they show different sides to him. The first album cover shows a tough side to Damian as the conventions used in that image are very specific towards a violent type of genre. It is also seen as aggressive due to the use of colours, clothes and the body language Damian is displaying. However in the second album cover it shows a much softer side to Damian as he is smiling and shows a welcoming attitude that consumer will be able to relate to. The font type used usually says a lot about the artist and in this case the font type and size is used to show a bring out a different side to Damian which other may attract a wider target audience. Finally, the last album cover I have chosen to look at by Damian Marley doesn't give the audience any indication or hint into how the song may be or how the content of it is. As a result of this it makes consumers want to know more which will make them go out and buy the album/single. As well as this the colours used on the album cover show consumers that not a lot of affects and visuals were put into place when the cover was created. Having said that it can be argued that when the album was released there was no high technology available at that time to show the representation between the lyrics and what the song is about to make the link with the artwork. 

Moving on, Freddie McGregor's artwork on his album covers shows that he is a welcoming character in each picture taken of him. In all album covers he is in the photo himself making the audience aware of what kind of song he is singing about and how he is himself as a person. The audience are able to tell this from Freddie's body language as well as the use of colour and conventions we expect to see in an album cover by Freddie. Freddie is associated with being an upbeat character who mainly sang love songs. This has allowed me to come to the conclusion that all of the artwork used on each album cover represents the kind of person Freddie is. Being a reggae artist also brings around stereotypical views in how artists should act or the way their work should be. In the next album cover below, the black and white photograph works well and is very effective with the coloured writing at the top and bottom of the image. Red, yellow and green are seen as very African heritage colours which allow me to conclude that part of the stereotype is being displayed. This also creates a link to reggae music because consumers will relate them specific colours to reggae artists. Freddie's facial expressions show the type of person he is and allows him to attract an audience who just enjoy listening to reggae music and not talk about violence and suffering which is the opposite of what Damian Marley portrays within his work.

Finally, the last album cover I will be talking about is the image on the right. Freddie McGregor always shows emotion throughout each album artwork cover and I have found out that this helps the audience relate to him and his music. As well as this from the use of colour in the piece of artwork on the right shows that Freddie wants to give off a different kind of emotion other than love, however that it may be sorrow. I have drawn this conclusion due to Freddie's body language and facial expression. As he is looking down I am able to make the link between not having any confidence so this is what the song may consist of. 'Hard to Get' is the name of the album and creates a link between a vulnerable impression Freddie is showing within the image.

Analysis of Artwork and How it has Changed - Mrs Fisher

Artwork can support an artist’s image in many different ways, it can support an artist through the use of body language in a picture referencing how strong a character is or is to be perceived by the audience. Artwork can also be used as a symbol that references a specific artist and is used on each piece of artwork associated an artist on any promotional material. An example of an artist who has done this is Rihanna. Throughout her artwork she has an ‘R’ design which when seen automatically creates a link to her and her music. Artwork can also support an artist’s image as it shows personality and what the artist is about through the use of colour, writing, font types, font size, lighting, body language and facial expressions within the artwork. As well as this music labels use their own artwork (logo) to advertise their own organization as a form of promotion and creating the link between the music label and the artist.

The demand for artwork has changed with the introduction of new media technology the reason for this is because all artists want to be seen as up to date and have the latest products available to them which is the same case for when they release an album. All artists expect to have the latest technology used in their artwork to make them better and more creative in comparison to all other artists in the same genre. As well as this music labels also expect the same in order for sales to reach it’s highest potential through the way pictures are presented as well as text and the layout of both while they are available to consumers. Media technology is always developing and becoming stronger which is why the music industry is so competitive when it comes to the artwork of an artist. It is an aspect that all music labels and artists want to get right as it will be the image representing the organization and will be the image associated with the artist. This will then determine whether or not the artist will be successful within that album/single release.