EVALUATION TASK 1Media Conventions in our Album Artwork.

COMPARING THE FRONT COVER

Arctic Monkeys The NeighbourhoodOUR COVER

OUR COVER VERSUS ARCTIC MONKEYSCOMPARING THE FRONT COVER

• COLOUR: The front cover for our album artwork is monochromatic which is very stereotypical of an indie-rock album artwork. For example, the cover for Arctic Monkey’s album “AM” is also black and white. We chose to go with this convention for the font cover as we wanted indie-rock fans to know the genre of the album before they listened to the music.

• FACES: We chose to sketch our lead singers face because this is their first album, we don’t want it to be about just the singer but the band as a whole. The sketch we used could easily be any of the band members, not just the lead singer. This is also seen in Arctic Monkey’s album, as not even the lead singer is shown on the cover.

• POSITIONING: We have positioned the sketch of our lead singer slightly off centre to the right. This is because our band members are all equal and as part of the convention for indie-rock bands, the way they are presented to the fans is less important than the music.

• FONT: For the front cover we used two different fonts. This is because we wanted to show off the band’s versatility but in a subtle way. The first font was for the bands name “Nothing to Kings” and was sketched so it looked rushed and blended nicely with the drawing behind it. The second font we used was for the album name. We chose the font “American Typewriter” as we thought that it not only suited the sketches, but the genre and style of the music the band is creating. Arctic Monkeys didn’t need to put their name on the album cover as they are so well known in the music industry, and they tried to put the album’s name a subtly as possible. “AM” is hidden within the design of the cover, which is very clever and is very eye-catching.

• ARTWORK: Obviously our front cover has been sketched by hand. We chose this approach as we thought that it instilled the indie-rock genre in an obvious, yet interesting way. Similarly, “AM” has a graphic design that suits their music style but stands out to consumers in comparison to other bands albums.

OUR COVER VERSUS THE NEIGHBOURHOODCOMPARING THE FRONT COVER

• COLOUR: Yet again, The Neighbourhood have gone with a monochromatic colour scheme, like we have. We followed this common convention within the indie-rock genre as we wanted the bands audience to know what music is was before listening to it.

• FACES: The Neighbourhood hasn’t put the band’s faces on the album cover which accepts the convention that music is more important than portraits. We did use our lead singers portrait, but we sketched it out as opposed to using the original photo. We did this because we wanted an element of mystery that would draw in indie-rock fans.

• POSITIONING: The Neighbourhood has positioned their logo in the centre of the album which is symmetrical which is therefore aesthetically pleasing. We have positioned our sketches off-centre so that it looks artistic.

• FONT: We chose the font “American Typewriter” as we thought that it not only suited the sketches, but the genre and style of the music the band is creating. The Neighbourhood has no writing on the cover of their album, but their images are obviously computer generated and look very professional.

• ARTWORK: The artwork on The Neighbourhood’s album is very fitting with the indie-rock genre as it tells you nothing about the artists, it only gives you a hint towards what type of music has been created. Our sketches also don’t give much away about the artist, only the music. We did this on purpose because we didn't want music fans to judge the band on the way they looked or what they wore, so we sketched them.

OUR COVER Arctic Monkeys The Neighbourhood

OUR COVER VERSUS ARCTIC MONKEYSCOMPARING THE BACK COVER

• COLOUR: In keeping with the monochrome colour scheme, our back cover is black with white font as we wanted to give a larger insight into the emotions but into the album. The back cover the the “AM” album is also black with white font, signifying that we have accepted this convention of indie-rock albums.

• FACES: We have used a still from the music video on the back of the album because we wanted to show some inspiration we had when filming the video. Also the still will spark intrigue with their fans and make them want to listen to the album.

• POSITIONING: We placed the still at the top of the cover as we thought it framed everything else nicely, and it is the first thing you look at which suggests that the image is important (which it is). The reason why the songs are listed and slightly to the right is because we wanted it to look a bit scruffier than if it were central. Arctic Monkeys have only put their logo on the back cover slightly to the left. Their positioning has meant that they are not simplistic but they are being organic.

• FONT: We chose to scan in a written copy of the song titles for the back cover so it reflected the sketches on the front cover. Also, the style of writing matches the laid back, calm vibe of the music. The Arctic Monkeys, however; have chosen the font that they generally use for everything (website, ads, CDs) which means that a fan will recognise it an know who they are listening to.

• ARTWORK: Although we don’t have any artwork on the back cover, we have used a still from our music video and edited the colour slightly so that it fades nicely into a black background. We have mirrored the artwork seen on the front cover by handwriting the song titles which works really well with the rest of the back cover, but also with the genre of music the album is categorised in.

OUR COVER VERSUS THE NEIGHBOURHOODCOMPARING THE BACK COVER

• COLOUR: The image seen on the back cover of The Neighbourhood’s album has obviously been edited to grayscale to enhance the mood of the album, and in extension to keep within the borders of indie-rock music. The image on our album, although not obviously edited has the same effect: the image gives a hint to the type and style of songs within the album. The two album covers are both monochrome, however; The Neighbourhood’s album is lighter than our which suggests the songs are perhaps happier or faster.

• FACES: Despite the fact there are two figures kissing at the top of our album cover, you cannot see their faces. This suggests that it doesn’t matter who is kissing whether it be boy/girl, girl/girl or boy/boy. This open outlook on love/happiness is very fitting with the indie-rock music community, as the artists generally don’t care how you become happy as long as you are happy. This philosophy is seen clearly in The Neighbourhood’s album as its name is “I LOVE YOU”. Their album has no faces, so the audience cannot know who is saying it, and who they are talking to.

• POSITIONING: We placed the still at the top of the cover as we thought it looked more original and organic. The Neighbourhood, on the other hand, have gone for a more regimented, symmetrical look and have a white panel along the bottom of the album with the album name, song titles and legal information in side it. This positioning allows their fans to see the songs on the album, but they can also see the same image that is on the front cover.

• FONT: We chose to scan in a written copy of the song titles for the back cover because the style of writing matches the laid back, calm vibe of indie-rock music in general. Also, it matches the sketches on the front of our cover. The Neighbourhood have chosen a sans-serif font that is easy to read, but also compliments the overall style of the album.

• ARTWORK: We chose to add contrast to our font cover by using a real photo as opposed to sketching because we wanted to show that our band have diversity and that they are all skilled in different ways. However, to show continuity, we kept with the arty style and handwrote the song titles. The Neighbourhood have used the same image on the front and back of their album which works nicely due to the image being mirrored down the centre line. Their lack of logo on the back cover suggests that they want their fans to focus on the music in the album, and not the logo/band name which is very common in the indie-rock genre of music.