Analysing CD covers

By Laura Pearce

Analysis of CD album coversThis is the CD cover to Katy Perry’s album ‘Teenage Dreams’, It has a theme of being in the clouds, which signifies ‘candy floss’ as the whole theme of her tour and CD is ‘candy and sweets’ linked, as in one of her music videos the whole video is her shot in ‘candy land’ which matches the front of this CD cover. The text is also written with a candy theme like ‘Teenage Dreams’ looks likes candy canes and it has a fun and exciting feel to it, which also signifies the artist Katy Perry herself, as she is eccentric and known for her fun outfits, her CD also shows off what her tour is all about. The colours are all light like the light pink clouds ( colour of candy floss) and the blue sky, this then makes Katy Perry stand out as she is wearing little clothing with dark brown hair which again shows off her personality well.

The back of the CD follows the same conventions as the first, with the same background/theme, the title of the songs are all in bubbly red and white font which again portrays the image of candy canes, and it’s a bubbly font which again shows the fun side of Katy Perry. The red font really stands out against the background, which is what Katy Perry is all about, and her music video ‘California Girls’ is about her entering a different world where she does stand out, so this CD cover is all about representing the artist herself.

Analysis of CD album coversThis CD cover is Rihanna’s album ‘Loud’, it doesn't have a lot going on as it is just a close up shot of the artists face, but is very effective. The colours used on the cover are red, which signify the Rihanna as she is now known for her bright red hair, and stands out a lot. The red lipstick also really outlines her lips and catches your eye, the fact she has her eyes closed is also important as her mouth is partially open which gives off a ‘sexual’ appeal to her, which she is known to have. The cover focuses mainly on her facial features, and you can also see her tattoo on her neck which represents her as an individual. I think the cover is really effective as it doesn't have her name on the front as people will automatically know it is her, and the name of the album ‘loud’ is really suttle and thin font which is contradicting the word ‘loud’ but it works, and makes the cover more effective as a whole.

The back of this CD cover is also very effective, it uses light lighting to make it suttle and feminine, and Rihanna looks pretty in a white dress and then her hair stands out making a statement its her, which is what she is known for. The cover also suggest danger, as she is covering half her face in both front and back images, suggesting the content of her album is explicit and dangerous so she is disguising herself as someone else and this reinforces her as an artist.

This CD cover is of the indie band ‘The Wombats’ and their new album. I found the front cover to the CD very interesting, it appears to be a group of people have a picnic on the beach, but instead of their faces they are hiding their identities by holding up a picture of a sausage dog- which is quite peculiar but signifies what The Wombats are all about, they are unpredictable and fun, this cover shows it. The background works as its bright blue sky with a few bird, and the sea and the beach which make it calm and relaxing and then the picnic scene which makes it funny.

The back of the DC cover also follows the same conventions as the front, someone is holding up a sign which covers their face with the song titles numbered on it, this is effective as it is again hiding that persons identity which could be a message the band are trying to give out.