Analysing Album Artwork

Analysing Album ArtworkBy Arielle Ben-Itzhak

IntroductionThough designer Peter Saville, who created album covers for New Order and Roxy Music, declared that ‘the album cover is dead’, the album cover and physical CD is still hugely important for an artist in the industry, acting as the first indicator to a consumer for what they might find inside a CD. Physical CDs and vinyl records still account for 57% of sales, and some artists don’t even release their music digitally. So despite common belief with the rise of digital copies of music widely available through iTunes and Spotify, the CD is here to stay, and so is album artwork.

it’s turning me on e.p.marlowe – debut EP

Do you think the album work is for a band or for an artist and why?

I think that this album artwork is for an artist because it depicts only a single person in the design.

This leads me to assume that the drawing is of the music artist, as this woman is the only person being portrayed and is the focus of the design.

Do you think they are synthetic or organic? I think that this artist is organic in terms of Keith Negus’s theory of

organic ideology within creativity. I think that this artist is organic because the album artwork is very

understated. Although the picture is of who I assume is the artist, the image lacks the bold colours and harsh, loud designs that are typical of manufactured, synthetic artists, as these artists and their producers market by emphasising the artists’ image.

What kind of music genre is it and why? I think that this album is of the indie or alternative rock music

genre, as the minimalist design is very understated unlike most pop album covers.

The genre is not extremely clear from the album, but the clean design is a convention of indie singers, and the red and black colours used are conventions of rock.

What do you think overall about the artwork?

Overall I like this album, as I find the drawing very beautiful in all of its minimalism. I also like the muted, understated colour palette.

However, I don’t think that the artwork reveals a great deal about the type of music that the artist creates, and I am not sure if this is the best approach for their first public release of music.

Still, it would make me interested in finding out more about their music.

If you could ask the designer any questions about their choice of artwork what would it be?

Why did you choose the colour red? Does it symbolise anything? Why such a dark, muted shade?

Who is the girl in the drawing? Why did you choose to use a drawing of this person instead of a photograph?

What influenced your font decision? Why did you choose not to use any capital letters?

darksparklecornermarlowe – debut album

Do you think the album work is for a band or for an artist and why? I think that this album artwork is for a band because

the design is a photograph of a baby, and the identity of this baby is unknown to the consumer. Often with solo artists, the album design will give at least a hint about the artist’s identity as an individual, but this photograph is vague. It could be anyone in relation to the band, but we don’t learn anything about the musician/s through it.

Do you think they are synthetic or organic? According to Negus’s theory, I think that this band is

organic. The album cover has a very amateur, personal feel to it,

and synthetic artists lose this personal touch once they become a manufactured product.

What kind of music genre is it and why? I think that this music is of the indie rock genre. I think it is indie because of the amateur, independent

appearance of the cover. I think it is rock because of the overexposed photograph

used, giving the band a more gritty, grungy appearance.


I like this album cover because I feel like it reveals a lot about the band and their ideology.

The personal photograph used expresses the fact that this band is indie and relatable to a consumer.

I also like the fact that the photograph has a bizarre and worn, old-fashioned appearance that makes it appear like it was not intended to be an album cover, as this brings the consumer closer to the band.

However, I also think that the simplicity of the cover may have made it more suitable as a cover for an EP. Still, perhaps this just reinforces the amateur, DIY ethic that the band clearly emphasises as its ideology.


Who is the child in the photograph? Did you like the idea of it clearly being a personal

photo? Did you intend to use this photograph as soon as you

saw the picture/did you have it in mind? Did you intend to have this album design give amateur

connotations to the audience?

a day in julymarlowe – second album

Do you think the album work is for a band or for an artist and why? I think that the album work is for a band because it presents

several people in the design, none of which have a clear identity to the consumer. Again, there is no single figure that is the focus of the design.

This leads me to the assumption that the album belongs to a band, regardless of whether the people photographed are the band members or not.

Do you think they are synthetic or organic? I think they are organic because of how naturalistic and

understated the artwork is. Even the outdoor imagery connotes a more genuine, organic artist rather than a fake, synthetic, manufactured artist.

What kind of music genre is it and why?

I think the genre is indie folk because wilderness and woods are typical conventions of the folk genre.


I think it is intriguing and looks very nice, and it would gain my attention as a consumer.

I like the relaxed, outdoorsy feel coming from the imagery of the wilderness.

I like that there is more detail and depth to the picture than to the previous album designs.

I also like that the image looks quite old-fashioned, maintaining the same indie feel that is the band’s ideology.


Why did you decide to choose the colour red again? It links back to the colours used in the other albums and also to the hat.

Why did you settle on this picture in particular? What does the title signify? Why is this so different to the albums before (outdoor

wide shot)?

deep breathe fake airmarlowe – third album

Do you think the album work is for a band or for an artist and why? I think that this album cover is for a band, as it gives

no sense of an individual identity. The drawing of the person on the album cover is left

ambiguous, so it is clearly not an artist.

Do you think they are synthetic or organic? Still following Negus’s theory, I actually think that this creates a synthetic

connotation, and it contrasts the band’s previous album covers. The album artwork looks like it was created by a professional designer, and it

is much more refined than the previous album covers. This creates the connotation that their music and image is also more refined

now, creating a synthetic star image. It is reminiscent of Coldplay’s album artwork, a popular synthetic band that retains genuineness in their music.

What kind of music genre is it and why? I think that their music is alternative rock.

The album cover parallels the more refined, processed sound of alternative music, and it has lost its indie appearance.


I think the entire album looks very cool I like the brick red that links back to all of their

other album covers It looks more refined than the previous three, and I like the clever arrangement of the album cover linking back to the album title.

I also like how despite two contrasting primary colours are used, the album cover is still quite muted, which reflects the previous covers despite the more refined look.

However, I also wish that some of the band’s personal touch was retained.


Does this more striking, refined cover reflect a change in music or ideology (becoming more polished)?

What do the scattered letters in the drawing mean? Is there any link to your first album? Why are there no eyes in the drawing? What does the use of arrows mean? Why does the person in the drawing have no

identity?

TESTCARDLINES – debut album

Do you think the album work is for a band or for an artist and why? I think that this artwork is for a band, as it is similar to

the other band artwork in that there is no single person portrayed.

It also gives a very impersonal feeling to the consumer, giving no hint of an artist behind the album cover.

Do you think they are synthetic or organic? I think that this band has an organic image because the

cover has a very DIY appearance and ethic. This contrasts the previous album cover, which looks very

professional.

What kind of music genre is it and why?

I think that the album is indie rock or folk. This is because the album has a very simplistic, clean,

minimalist appearance.


The artwork is simple but artistic, and the lines of the artwork reflect the album title very literally

The monochromatic colour scheme and simple line work also reflect a DIY ethic.

However, I am not a fan of this artwork like I was of all the previous designs. I don’t think that the artwork gives a clear hint of the music contained within the album, and it is simplistic in an impersonal way rather than in an amateur, relatable way.


What do the lines represent? Why choose a monochromatic colour scheme

compared to red? Does this sudden change in album design have

anything to do with the new band name? How does this represent your band’s ideology or a

change in ideology?

Promises I should have keptROJA – debut album


Why is there Mexican influence in the artwork? Why choose for the band name to stand out now? Why have a storybook, childlike feel to the artwork? What is the significance of the more personal feel of

the album title?

Education

Analysing Album Artwork