Aim: Understand the role of album artwork in music promotion; textual

analysis of an existing CD coverSTARTER: Be prepared to answer the following questions:

- Do you have any original CDs? If so, can you remember the cover or what was on the back?

- What different types of features do you expect to see on an album cover?

From LP to Jpeg?

• Over 50 years the artwork has changed massively from this 12” record sleeve.

Part of the appeal amongst vinyl lovers is the album artwork and many became works of art in themselves.

It allowed designers a big canvas to work on.

But it also gave more to the fans: who played on what, notes from the artist , song lyrics etc!

The gatefold album

The long forgotten cassette album cover

The CD and CD digipackFor A2 task: Front and back cover and 4 page insertFor this task:Front and back page of CD artwork

…and now the itunes/download artwork

Has artwork become less important?

How else may it be used in today’s technological convergent age?

Name the album from the famous cover

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Name the album from the famous cover

Pink Floyd ‘Dark Side of the Moon’

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Daft Punk

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CD art and the world of art

Music is an aural art form (we listen to it!). But the packaging for the recordings—the album

cover—has a distinct aesthetic, one that has evolved along with distribution technologies and formats. It has often been seen as an art form in its own right: it has strong clear links

to the art world.On the next slide…just one example of many!

Franz Ferdinand's cover was inspired by Rodchenko's Poster (1924) and his photograph

of "Lilya Brik" (1924).

• Aleksander Mikhailovich Rodchenko (1891 - 1956) was a Russian artist, sculptor, photographer and graphic designer. He was one of the founders of constructivism and Russian design.

What kind of music does this artist make? Marilyn Manson videos

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ybaiCgOFUQ&feature=related

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypkv0HeUvTc&feature=relmfu

CD covers can be read just like any other media text.

So now try a reading of the representation in the CD cover.

What do we make of the fonts used here?

How might we read this representation of the artist?

How might we read the background?

How do these features match the music made by the artist?What do they suggest about the artist and his attitude?

Discuss your ideas and be prepared to share them with the group

Your turn! On your blog page, complete a textual analysis of a CD cover of your choice. Remember to use your AS knowledge:

- Camera Shots - Mise en Scene- Synergy- Cross Media Convergence

A new term: Typography – choice of font, placement, size, how it works with the imagery etc. Connotations?

Remember: all of this counts towards your marks for next year.

Previous Student work

Previous Student work

Previous Student Work