After going into HMV and asking the shop assistant if I could take photos and analyse five CD covers of electro pop genre, I have produced the following research. The task was challenging because it required you to think about the style of the CD package and how it reflected the conventions of that particular genre. It also required me to ‘read behind the image’ so find out what the cover may be symbolising and after spending an hour and 20 minutes in HMV, I think I completed the task well.
ROBYN
Overall CD cover rating: 9/10
Front Cover
The back cover
I didn't analyse the above cover but the front cover really appeals to me. The colours are flamboyant and eye catching and I colourful streaks leading to her face is a rael statement peace.
Unfortunately, the security tag was on the case so I couldn’t open it to see the inside.
Appropriateness of the digipack to the genre
I think the CD overall digipack was appropriate. My instant reaction of when I saw the front colour was that the cover really stands out. Although the cover is very simple, it is quite eye catching because of the simple but bold colours used which were red, black and grey. The colours are appropriate for the genre because electro-pop is funky and upbeat and symbolises bright colours. The cover features a close up of Robyn’s face. I believe this is more appropriate than say a long shot of her because the target audience can engage with her more through eye contact. It feels more personal. Her face is also neutral and this creates ambiguity because there is no expression on her face; we don’t get a sense of her persona al we get is a connection through eye contact. This ‘effect’ is appropriate for the music genre. Her personality and the instant ‘feel’ for the album can be interpreted in different ways. The bird print on the back of the CD cover is also ambiguous and my instant reaction was to think that the bird was some kind of symbolism.
Mise-en-scene and its meaning/effect
I find it fascinating how the lines at the back of the CD cover draw into the centre where the bird is the focus point. It’s simple and clear yet so effective. You can spring so many interpretations just by looking at the picture. My interpretation was that the lines symbolised a path and the bird figure was either a symbolism of life or goodness/happiness. The colour scheme red, black and grey and these are effective and attention grabbing colours.
The layout and font and its effect
The layout is very simple and I noticed that she didn’t have an album name. Her name was located at the top of the close up picture of her face. I think the font print appeals to her target audience because it’s clear and fancy with an arc shape in the letters of her name. It looks better than standard font print. In fact, usually albums do have fonts that are like ‘times new roman (standard)’ so it’s rewarding that her name is printed in an interesting way. It’s different and electro-pop /synth genre is all about experimentation and different styles.
How does the image and style and style sell the artist/band?
The fact that you can’t see Robyn’s clothes due to the picture of a close up of her face means that the audience can’t see her complete visual style; you have to rely on the engaging eye contact she makes. Robyn’s make-up looks very natural. My interpretation is that her make-up was deliberately done natural to show that ‘this is her’ and ‘this is my music’. In other words, it’s not all about image; It is about the music. Her hairstyle might have been used as part of the whole package to sell her image to the target audience. Her hair looks fresh and neat and this may appeal to her target audience.
LA ROUX
Overall CD cover rating: 8/10
Back Cover
The CD I analysed was wrapped in plastic packaging so I wasn’t able to open the inside. However, I found her first album and looked inside that for inserts.
Appropriateness of the digipack to the genre
Overall, I think the album looks mysterious. On the front cover, there is a picture of La Roux looking in between the blinds and my immediate response was to think that her album will be deep thinking and reflective music. It gave me the impression that her music was something you would put in the background to think to or for easy listening. I think that the digipack is appropriate for this reason. Electro-pop/synth music is meant to be for open minded people who appreciate music for the sound. I think the colour scheme could have been better. When I think of electro pop, I think of flamboyant colours. The colours used on the album are boring combined together. The autumn brown and yellow colours make the album look dull.
Mise-en-scene and its meaning/effect
The fact that La Roux is in a room looking out at the blinds gives me the impression that she’s in an enclosed room and she is in reflective mode. This creates a sense of mystery as to what she is thinking and what message she wants to convey from that still image. The back cover has an image of gloomy grey clouds. This image is ambiguous meaning that the message behind placing an image of clouds can be interpreted in many ways. It adds to the whole ‘reflective’ feeling. Considering there is no other image, I think the clouds are a statement peace and it works. Less is more.
I think the inside over is boring as there is no image no writing just black. Maybe this was purposefully meant to be black highlighting ambiguity.
The layout and font and its effect
I like the connection made with the blinds and her album title which is called ‘side tracked’. I think it’s an interesting way to symbolise side tracking. Even the font style is lined. Her name is printed in white bold and the letter R in her name has a lightening symbol attached to it. The thunder symbol links with the cloud image on the back cover. This immediately makes me connect this font image, with the picture of her staring out with the album name and the gloomy clouds.
The back is very simple with clear and simple fonting. This enables the reader to clearly read the track names without difficulty.
How does the image and style and style sell the artist/band?
From her image on the front cover and the inside booklet, you get the impression that La Roux is an independent artist with hair that is a strong statement piece. People will look at her image and her hair and want to copy it. Her hair could even be a trend for people who like short hair with a quirky quiff. Her hair style stands out and will appeal to many of her target audience because it looks useful and fresh. She also wears a colourful patterned blouse. Patterns are in trend right now it it’s most popular amongst the youth and people in their 20s. This is of course who La Roux is targeting her music at. A mid shot of her was a good choice of shot to use because the audience can see her style in clothing, body language and not just her facial expression.
CALVIN HARRIS
Overall CD cover rating: 7/10
Picture of the Insert cover
Picture of the Inserts
Appropriateness of the digipack to the genre
My initial impression was that the overall CD package looked very conceptual. Calvin Harris is of course a male yet there is a picture of a female on the front cover. The front cover is in black and white. This is ambiguous and fits it with the fact that electro pop and synth genre are generally ambiguous. The image fit is with the album title ‘Ready for the weekend’. This title suggests upbeat party music and you would think that at parties you would wear colour and for girls, to wear make-up. However, for this album cover, the female is naturally ‘glamed’ up with not much make-up on at all. I think the glasses she is wearing is appropriate. It’s a statement piece and the main focus point.
The inside is appropriate as well although it is very simple. I like the image of him folding a speaker projector on the boat. For me, the image symbolised a long hopeful journey. The back is plain with a black background with white streaks.
Mise-en-scene and its meaning/effect
The front cover is of a female wearing gemmed glasses. It gives the impression that the music is upbeat, something you’d put on to play in your bedroom or dance to in a club. The back cover has a plain black background. This can be interpreted as simple and boring considering that the album title suggests getting ready for the weekend and partying. Stereotypically if the theme was about having fun and parties which is what most pop and R’n’B songs are about, you would expect to see flamboyant colours, an image of the performer and a background that reflects that kind of feeling. But Calvin Harris didn’t go for the stereotypical assumption. He went for the ‘less is more’ technique. Electro pop music is for people with open minds. Maybe he wanted the background to be plain and simple so the target audience could see through that and focus on his music and not so much the image.
The layout and font and its effect
The font is very simple with an analogue style font for the title. The song title is on the black are printed in white bold. This stands out against the dark background.
How does the image and style and style sell the artist/band?
There is only one picture of Calvin Harris in this album and it’s not on the front or back cover! This creates a sense of mystery because he is strong and independent yet he puts a picture of a female with glasses on as his front cover. Maybe he doesn’t want himself to be the main focus point but more his music and style. He wants his music to be the centre of attention and not necessarily his appearance. The image of him in the boat will appeal to the target audience because of his fashionable clothing and because he is being himself instead of being a hyped up glamorised version of himself.
THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS
Overall CD cover rating: 6/10
Unfortunately I couldn’t view inside of the CD cover because of the security tag.
Appropriateness of the digipack to the genre
The chemical brothers are a band yet the image on the front cover is of a female in the water diving downwards. The image matches the title ‘further’ as the female is just diving. The cover has a black and white colour scheme. There is not much effort that has been put into the back cover as it is just a black background. As people who generally listen to synth/electro-pop music have open minds, maybe this was meant to be interpreted as the end of the road, through the darkness heading further. The digipack isn’t very attractive. For starters they use quite standard colours and there isn’t a visual image of the band.
Mise-en-scene and its meaning/effect
Either the woman is in paradise or a distant world where everything is pure or she’s in water and in that case the background should be blue and not black. The woman is a statement piece because the white glow stands out against the black background. The whiteness and the bubbles create a sense of ambiguity. Maybe she symbolises light and the black symbolises a mystery.
The layout and font and its effect
The layout and font is very simple and not complicated at all. The font is in a white bold Chinese/comic sans like print which makes the tracks easy to read against the dark background. The layout didn’t look dangerous or science related; I thought they would have taken on a twist with their name being ‘Chemical..’ The font on the back cover is plain and simple though the tracks are not numbered. The image is basically the female in a ‘release me’ position and the band name. From a look at the front cover, all I get is a sense of mystery and not anything to do with character, style or visual image of the band.
The layout is pretty much to the point. The female is positioned in the centre of the front CD cover and her face is ‘masked’ by the dark background. This implies that the music draws you in.
How does the image and style and style sell the artist/band?
The female on the front cover is like a symbolism and a centre statement piece. The figure can be open to interpretation by the target audience who listens to this genre of music. The colour scheme is not over the top-it’s simple and to the point. The title ‘Further’ says it all therefore there is no need to complicate things. I think the Chemical Brothers aim to concentrate more on the electro sound than the image portrayed. Perhaps that’s why they have decided to design the cover that way so the audience will understand that to.
MASSIVE ATTACK
Overall CD cover rating: 7/10
Picture of the front cover
Picture of the back cover
This is a picture of two albums by the band. I thought the covers were quite interesting. I've noticed that they don't actual put pictures of themselves on the cover; they usually put an image on that symbolises the band or a message they want to convey instead.
Unfortunately I couldn’t view inside of the CD cover because it was wrapped with packaging.
Appropriateness of the digipack to the genre
This album cover is open to interpretations. It’s one of those covers where your gut reaction is either loving it or hating it. The cover will appeal to people with open minds, you need to be able to read underneath the picture and to understand what the message behind it is meant to convey. Those who hate the cover will probably take one look at it and think it is ‘weird’ and conceptual but they don’t think why they have decided to create that particular effect. That’s why it will appeal to open minded people. I think it is surprisingly appropriate for this genre for that reason. It’s colourful, it grabs your attention and it makes you think. It’s strangely weird, different and unusual. I say unusual because it looks like they’ve made a mess of the image whilst editing using PhotoShop.
Mise-en-scene and its meaning/effect
The rainbow effect above the persons head with the robot eye is quite eye catching. Every detail is smudged and blurred. It looks unprofessional and unfinished like a piece of untidy graffiti work. On the back, there is an image of a colourful heart with four arteries. The colours are all slurred but the heart is the main focus point on the back cover. I can’t think of why they chose an image of a heart; it seems ambiguous in a way.
The layout and font and its effect
The layout is the title at the top and bottom and the font itself is clear; it’s just the fact that there is spaces in between the letters that make it really confusing. Massive Attack is a band yet they put an image of someone with a robot eye on the front cover. Maybe it is meant to be a symbolism of the group. The song titles are also space out and not numbered. This is very confusing especially if I bought the album and wanted to know the song of a particular track. It seems like everything is the reverse of what we expect. Maybe Massive Attack is playing with our minds in a mysteryical way.
How does the image and style and style sell the artist/band?
The image draws you in because it is different and unusual in a strange way. You either love it, get it or hate it. Those who love it and get it will appreciate their music and the message they try to portray. I get the feeling that Massive Attack like to be implicit and conceptual. I think it will appeal to the target audience because it can be interpreted as weird in a fascinating way.
Ashleigh Bossman
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