R+P Post 10: Album covers that have inspired and influenced my ideas

Album covers are a vital part of the promotion and marketing of any artist as this is what a consumer will first see and it therefore needs to catch the eye. A debut album cover for an artist must ensure it:

• has an easily identifiable genre
• has a clear artist identity
• introduces the artist and the image they want to have
• works in synergy with any other platforms, such as the website
• contains the necessary institutional information, i.e. the record label, copyright, year of release, distributor, bar code, website information and track names
• Stands out and attracts the attention of its audience

I looked at a number of different album covers but there we two which really influenced my ideas the most.

JLS- debut album

What I like about this album cover is how it clearly shows off the group in the focal image. This immediately shows the audience who this band is and what they are about, i.e. through their clothes and accessories. As well as that I would love to incorporate having the name of the band/artist large and in bold- this makes it stand out and help grab the attention of the audience.

Usher- Confessions album

The actual focal image of this album really inspired my ideas in terms of album art and what poses I want. By looking away from the camera and having a dark colour scheme around him, the artist, Usher, becomes a more mysterious figure; this will intrigue the audience. Also, in the background there is seemingly a window which is blurred out, this suggests a shallow depth of field which in turn brings out more details on Usher's face and overall makes his head the focus of the cover.

Overall, after looking at these two album covers I want to include the following conventions when designing my four panel digi-pack album cover:

• A large focal image of the artist- with artist possibly gazing away from camera
• Artist name and album name in bold and in same/similar font (to also be repeated on spine of album)
• Clearly stylised font which is easily readable and identifiable
• A clear artist image
• A clear colour scheme
• Contact Information, i.e. website
• Record label and distributor logo