Analysing CD Covers

Emily Shufflebottom

UsherFrom the CD covers below, you can certainly tell that Usher uses the same two techniques on his album covers. On some of the covers, he uses a medium shot image of him, but on the rest of them, he uses a close up of his face and he seems to be making the same face. As well as the same images, Usher seems to use the same colour scheme only on a few covers. On most of them, the colours are dark reds etc. If the colours are dark, then the font is either white or bright yellow. However, on the other covers, the images are light and use colours such as white and light blues. After looking at other album and singles covers, I have found that even though the colours are dark, Usher only uses black and white on a rare occasion. The audience can tell that much time has been used on these album covers and every detail has been considered. Even him wearing the small diamond earring in his left ear. This is the only thing that stands out on the dark background. Another point that I spotted whilst analysing the album covers is that Usher never actually has his whole head showing and it is always positioned in the left hand side. The album covers also use similar fonts on each. They are very plain but are used effectively. For example, on the far left album cover, the font is very plain but works because it is big and bold. Also, Usher’s name is in a completely different colour font to make it stand out. This is opposite to the other three album covers because the title is smaller than the image. It is also placed either beside Usher or below him. Because Usher is a well known artist, it will not take much effort to get audience’s to notice the albums because they already know who he is. So all he needs to do is to put an image of him on the front and people will notice it.

Looking at these album covers had given me some ideas of what I can put on my album cover to make audience’s notice it.

Jason DeruloI personally think that Jason Derulo’s videos are really good because the dance routines in them are incredible. Like Usher, Jason Derulo decided to use an image of himself on the front of his albums. This is because audiences will notice the album straight away. I have noticed that the images are only either two ways. They are either a close up of his face or a long shot of his body. The colour scheme is used brilliantly on the album covers. The colour of the clothes that the artist is wearing and the colour of the background and text all link together. For example, on the third cover, the artist is wearing a white shirt, a red tie and a dark jumper. The editors have then made the title to link with his clothing. The title of the name of the artist is red (to match his tie) and the name of the album is white placed onto his dark jumper as a background so that it stands out underneath the main title. I especially admire how he has experimented with the colours. One image is black and white, one is different shades of blue etc. Another thing that the albums all use is the font. Nearly every title uses the exact same font. This would make an audience notice the album because you could say it is his ‘tag’. I also like how the name of the album is always smaller than the name of the artist and is always underneath the name of the artist. The title of the artist is always larger and bolder than the name of the album. This would tell me that the name of the album isn’t as important as the name of the artist. I also like how he has very similar images on two of the album covers. The two end album covers both have an image of him looking to the right (obviously we think he is looking to the left), he is just wearing a different outfit and one image is in colour and the other in black and white.

After looking at these album covers, it has given me the idea of keeping the title plain and simple because it can still be effective and maybe even making the image black and white.

Lady GagaLike Usher and Jason Derulo, Lady Gaga is an immensely popular hip-hop artist. Her album covers are much different to the previous album covers. However, there are some similarities. Because Lady Gaga is female you can obviously expect that there will be pink on the album covers. What surprises me is that she has only used feminine colours on one album. On the other album covers she has used very plain colours and it is still very effective. I also like how she has used different fonts for each cover (unlike the first two artists), which tells the audience that she wants to be different. As for the images she has used, I believe that she uses the same idea with having herself on the cover, but because she is recognised by her unusual outfits, the effects on the cover are different. On each cover, you see her wearing very strange and unusual outfits. This would make audience’s notice the albums in shops and instantly know that it was her album. Another point about the album covers is the font of the titles. On the third image (at the bottom), the actual title of the album is edited into the image of her. The fonts of the titles on two of the albums are quite similar, but the font on the second album is completely different. The font is quite elegant and posh, but this is reflected in the opposite way in the images. She is having a photo taken, but is a actually a mug shot. I personally like the technique of putting two images of herself on the album cover. The other two covers, the fonts are plain and simple and similar colours as the images. There is a disadvantage to the first cover because with the colour of the title being white, it does blend in slightly with the image. I had also noticed that the sizes and the positions of the titles are similar. They all seem to be either placed underneath the image or at the bottom overlapping the image. She has also thought about the images on her album covers. I like the fact that she is looking at the camera in every image, unlike Usher or Jason Derulo, who sometime face away from the camera on their images.

Looking at Lady Gaga’s album covers, it has made me think about the colour scheme to use on my album cover.

Michael JacksonMichael Jackson is referred to as the ‘King of Pop’. Everyone will know what his album looks like, even if its hasn’t got an image of himself on the cover. On three of the album covers he has used an image of himself (just like the other artists) so that audiences will recognise his album. I also like that he has used a medium shot to show the top half of his body. I think the second album cover is fantastic and very effective. The fact that he is sitting on a throne and he is known as the ‘King of Pop’ completely go together. I also admire how he is dressed in the same colours as the throne. Gold's, reds and blacks are the traditional colours of royalty. I like how on each album cover he has used an image that represents him. The third album cover is clever as well because the effects used on the image really stand out. He is known for wearing the black high trousers, the white socks and the black shoes and I like how his socks are lit up. The image on the last album cover is interesting because he is all dressed in white and the lighting is very bright. However, this contrasts with the name of the album ‘Thriller’. You would expect that the cover would have dark colours and him to be wearing dark coloured clothing. On the first album cover he is dressed in black leather and chains. This makes him look ‘bad’. For the titles on the covers, they are completely different. He has used different fonts for each cover but has kept with the colour scheme. On the last cover the title is very elegant and posh. It looks like it has been written on with a fountain pen. Again, you would not expect this on the front of an album cover called ‘Thriller’.

After looking at these album covers, it has made me think that maybe the opposite to the name of the album might work. I will also think about the colour schemes.