1st draft Digipak

1st draft Album Advert

Digipak Mockup

Album Advert Moodboard

This is my album advert moodboard containing ideas on what the themes and images that my album advert would look like. This moodboard is my inspiration in what my album advert would consist of.

Digipak Analysis

Album Advert Analysis

The name of the band/artist is Florence + the Machine, its lead singer is called Florence Welch.

The band’s name comes from a joke that was made between its lead singer-Florence and her friend Isabella, also a band member whom they nicknamed the machine which eventually resulted in the band name of Florence + the Machine. The idea of the name Florence + the Machine connotes that they are a band with Florence being the frontman/main vocals and the ‘machine’ consisting of the other band members. It could also hint the fact that as it is Florence that is the main singer of the band, she is the one that is always shown or known in the band and always expresses her emotions whether it is through their songs or appearances compared to the other members of the band who are important and always there, but are less able to express themselves hence the name ‘the machine’.

The font/lettering of the band’s name is best described as a handwritten style, this gives a personal look to the advert compared to other album adverts where its design gives a commercialized look. As this is a debut album, this could suggest on the reason why the font uses a handwritten style as it aims to appeal to certain audiences who may be attracted to this style.

The title of the album is Lungs, one of the main organs in our body is the lungs and it is something that everyone needs to have in order to survive.  As this is their debut album, the title of the album could signify the idea of survival and being able to start to make it into the music industry as there are artists out there who are never able to have the opportunity to release their first album. Also, having really good lungs is needed in order to be a really good singer and this is what they rely on most and in this context, it could mean that this album contains a significant amount of importance for the band. The dominant colours include wash out black, dark green, white, pink and yellow, these connote as being one with nature as natural colours are used within the cover.

The dominant image within the front cover is the lead singer, Florence Welch. This suggests her dominance over all the other members as the cover only consists of her when band albums usually consists of the members in the front cover. However, as the name of the band is Florence + the Machine, it could be a way of introducing her to the audience.

The physical appearance of the star makes her look vulnerable as she doesn’t stare directly into the camera and poses with her head titled to the side while looking down. The camera angle used is a mid-shot, with the camera directly pointed at her which could hint at why her pose shows her being shy. Her costume is a very elegant, classic dress with intricate details used on her shoulders making the audience immediately drawn to the artist when they first see the album advert. The artist seems to be lying down in a field of flowers which stand out due to the artist’s pale face, which gives an effect of an old painting.

The artist fits into the genre of Indie, this is signified by the album artwork used in the advert as it is very quirky, old and modern at the same time especially when it is advertised as being available in a vinyl version which is very rare these days when technology has developed to the extent where downloading albums and songs are easily accessible. The attitudes and values associated with this genre includes being open and honest to everyone, like revealing everything about themselves which could hint that this album is very personal for the band and could possibly be written by the members through experiences they have all shared, hinting on why Florence’ lungs are exposed in the front cover.

The target audience for this album advert is girls aged 15-20 years old who are into alternative music as opposed to the stereotypical ‘pop’ music that girls around this age like. The advert is appealing to this audience because it has clearly been well-planned in terms of the detail that went into making the front cover of the album. The artwork used in the front cover is aesthetically pleasing and is well in line with other album covers of the same genre.

The name of the band/artist is Noah and the Whale, their band name originates from the band’s favourite film called The Squid and the Whale directed by Noah Baumbach, this resulted in the band’s name of Noah and the Whale. From the formation of the band name, it connotes the band’s unity from the early stages as they all brought in ideas on the name of the band. Also, the name sounds like a children’s book which could suggest on why the album advert and cover are designed to look like a book or movie. The font/lettering of the band’s name is all in capital drawing attention from the audience to it straightaway, but the name of the album is larger than the title which is common in indie genres. The lettering of the album name is almost italic styled font that makes it look like a romantic book or movie, this could suggest the band’s sound and colour as very mellow and easy-listening kind of music style.

The title of the album is The First Days of Spring with the dominating colours being a light blue and green. These connote and provide the essence of spring into the cover and the effect used onto the front cover gives it a vintage feel especially with the props the lead singer uses. With the feelings of spring brought onto the cover, this could signify the beginning of a new life for the band as every album is never the same as the other, it could be that the band is trying out a new sound for its audience and this is their way of expressing this. The dominant image within the front cover is the band, but the lead singer does stand out the most as he is the only one in focus. While the other members are angled to look elsewhere, the lead singer is the only member focused towards the camera but he is not looking directly towards it but uses an old camera to look at the reader. The clothing used is very laid back, with loose shirts and denim connoting that spring season atmosphere.

The artist fits into the genre of Indie through the vintage effect used throughout the front cover and how the size of the font for the album name is bigger than the artists name showing that they do not rely on the name of the artist in order to sell the album but rely on audiences who are willing to explore their genre of music. The attitudes and values associated with this genre include the quality of their songs to be the highest priority as they know that audiences listen to them for their music and not for their image and who they are.

The target audience for this album advert is 20-24 years old as the album advert resembles books from authors such as Nicholas Sparks which are mainly aimed at women aged within this group. The advert is appealing to this audience due to its similarity to films and books that attracts audiences of this age. Also, due to the advert being laid out like a movie it gives audiences a glimpse into the album by thinking that there may be a story behind the songs giving it that extra personal touch.

The name of the artist is Beyoncé Knowles, however her stage name is Beyoncé. This connotes her as a successful artist as she drops her surname and is most known just for her first name. As it is her real name and not a stage name, this connotes her as an artist who is not trying to create an image that audiences know her as.

The font/lettering is best described as bold and the most dominant in the advert. This connotes her as a powerful and successful artist in terms of her branding as audiences would most likely be attracted to the advert due to them seeing her name on the advert and her being such a big name in the music industry. Sasha Fierce has the same font as Beyoncé, this connotes that they are the same people in two different forms.

The title of the album is I am… Sasha Fierce, this shows a different side to the artist and Sasha Fierce is identified to be her ego and character when she is performing on stage. Dominant colours include grey and black, which connotes the sound of the album and what the songs may include.

The dominant image within the front cover is the artist as there are two versions of her, the image on the left shows her muted down and looking her most natural with minimal makeup and the only prop used is a rosary. This connotes purity as she appears human and gives the idea of being just like everybody else without all the props and makeup used especially when audiences see her as a living legend in the music industry. The other image on the right shows her as a true pop star with bold makeup and gold accessories and extravagant clothing worn in the image. This image shows a direct contrast to that of the image on the left, with the album name of I am… Sasha Fierce this connotes that the image on the right may be Sasha Fierce, her alter-ego. Someone who audiences see Beyoncé as.

The physical appearance of the star in the left side connotes a vulnerable yet in control image of the artist as the camera angle shows her from the shoulder up, making her face the most dominant part of the image. There is direct mode of address used, in which the artist seems to hold power against the audience by attracting them through her gaze. The facial expressions used is natural with the artist appearing to not wear any clothing in the shot, this could connote her way of expressing on what the album may be about as she is an artist known for being private it may be that this is her way of giving the audience an insight into her life. However, the image on the right connotes the opposite as she is seen to be the most dominant throughout the album advert making the audiences attracted to her straight away. The artist produces the same gaze and uses direct mode of address, but this connotes differently as she seems to lure in audiences by appealing to male audiences more in this image.

The artist fits into the genre of R &B, this is signified by the colours used throughout the album advert and the way the artist is represented. The attitudes and values associated with this genre include independence and female power and dominance that a woman is equal to a man and does not have to stay at home, but can choose to work and be independent without having to rely on a man for this.

The target audience for this album advert is women aged 20-25 and also men at this age. The advert is appealing to this audience because of how dominant the images of the artist are who is seen as someone people look up to.