Research and planning for cd

1. The image on the front cover is an extreme close up of
Ed Sheeran’s face. His facial expression is blank he’s
not smiling he’s just looking straight at the camera
which is inviting the audience in. The whole image is
orange this is fitting as his trademark look is his ginger
hair also the colour orange adds a warm atmosphere.
Ed Sheeran doesn’t have his name on the album cover
this suggests that he is confident with his audience and
that his fans will recognise his album just by seeing his
face. The cover is very plain and doesn’t use any text
this is different from other album covers. The album
name is plus but only the symbol ‘+’ is used therefore
when audiences see this symbol they will link it back to
his album.

2. The back of the album is consistent in terms of colour scheme which is
orange black and white. The list of songs is in white which continues
the colour scheme. The record labels logo is at the bottom, this is
promoting the record label. The production credits is also placed at
the bottom of the back cover in small black font, this includes
copyright. There are no images of him on the back this may be to
show that Ed Sheeran is about just the music rather than his look unlike
other current artists. The barcode is placed at the bottom; this is
following conventions as most albums also have the bar code placed
in the same place.
The spine of the album also follows the orange colour
scheme. Ed Sheeran’s name is on the spine, it is in white font
which also follows the colour scheme. This also matches she
font of the ‘+’ symbol. On the other end of the spine is the
record labels name which furthermore promotes the record
label.

3. The inside of the album also follows the colour
scheme. This corresponds with the simplistic
theme of the album. The left side of the inside
of the album is all back apart from the text
which is in orange. There is also a paw
underneath the text which is his trademark
symbol he also has this paw tattooed on him.
The simplistic theme may be to show that all
the focus should be on the music rather than
the CD packaging.
The whole CD is black which fits in the
orange, black and white colour
scheme. However this time the ‘+’
symbol is in orange. This is a different
as the ‘+’ symbol is in white at the
front and back of the album.
Moreover this still fits into the orange,
black and white colour scheme.

4. The album is called #3, this may be because that this
is their third album and that’s why it’s called #3 or it
could be because there are three band members.
The main image is interesting and different to the
other album covers which may appeal to audiences.
The three artists seem to be intertwined with each
other this could symbolise the relationship of the
band. Also the artist on the left is the largest therefore
there is more focus on him this may be because he is
the lead singer. The background is clear and in a
neutral colour this maybe to put all the focus on the
image. The colour scheme (black, white, and grey) is
consistent throughout the album cover. The font
used is a distinguishing font as other album tends to
use simple block style texts.

5. The back cover of the album is quite similar to the
front cover as there is another image of the three
band members interlinked with each other; however
this time the lead singer is looking directly at the
camera. Again, the lead singers face is much larger
than the other members which could indicate the
importance of him in the group. The list of songs is
placed at the top corner of the back cover.
Additionally the list is not the main focus yet it still
stands out as the background colour of the list of
songs is in black which is a different colour to the
back cover background. However this still does not
take the main focus away from the image of the
band. The bar code and the label that the album
was distributed by is on the bottom right hand corner
this promotes the label. Along with the bar code and
label name the bands website is also placed there.
This furthermore advertises the band also this will allow
the audience to find out more about the band by
visiting the website.

6. The colour scheme continues inside the album. A
long shot is used of the band on the left hand side
and again the lead singer is the centre of attention.
He is sanding in the middle and looking straight at the
camera while holding three fingers up this furthermore
promotes the album as the album is called #3. Also
the lead singer is dressed in all black while the other
two band members are also dressed in black but with
different colour jeans. This furthermore suggests that
the lead singer is more important. Also while the lead
singer is standing in the middle the other two are
standing beside him which shows leadership this may
appeal to the target audience as the target
audience may be more interested in the lead singer
more than the other band members.

7. The CD does follow the colour scheme as it is in mostly
black and white however it looks quite different from the
front, back cover and the inside of the album. It may
look different as the covers background is neutral colour
which is in contrast to the CD as the CD is in all black
with the text in white. The lyrics of some songs seem to
be all over the CD. Also the album name is in black over
the writing this familiarises the album name.
The spine of the album is similar to the actual CD as the
background is black with white writing. The band’s
name is on one end of the spine white the album name
‘#3’ next to it this furthermore promotes the album and
the band.

8. Olly Murs front cover is bright and bold as bright
colours are used. The colour scheme for this album
cover seems to be Blue, Black and White. A mid shot is
used of Olly, which shows his clothes. He is dressed
smart and flashy which is his trademark look, therefore
this will attract his usual audience as they will be
familiar with this. He is looking straight at the camera
which invites the audience in. Around the image of
Olly the front cover is filled with the albums name
which is the ‘right place, right time’ this familiarises the
audience with the albums name as it is repeated
several times. The text is in either black or white which
continues the colour scheme.

9. The back cover of the album is similar to the front cover.
However there is no image used at the back cover. The list
of songs that feature in the album is the main focus of the
back of the album. The list is in black which makes it stand
out as it is in contrast with the background colour which is a
pale blue. The production credits is also placed at the
bottom of the back cover in small black font which is in
black, this includes copyright. On top of this the labels logo
that the album was distributed is in black this promotes the
label. The barcode is placed at the bottom; this is following
conventions as most albums also have the bar code
placed in the same place.
The spine of the album is similar to all the other spines
with the artists name and album name at the top end.

10. The inside of the album continues the colour scheme which is blue
black and white. The left side uses interesting font; the font is in a
sort of bubbly form. The text on the left side seems to be songs from
the album. Underneath this the artists website is promoted this may
be so the audience can visit the website to find out more
information about the artist and the album. The CD also follows the
colour scheme; the background colour of the CD is pale blue.
Again the album name and the artists name is on the cd this is
similar to other CD’s. The font on the CD is the same font used
throughout the album also it is in black this also follows the colour
scheme. The text on the right side is in the same font however it is
on black this is different to the colour of the text on the left side.

11. The picture used in this advert is different from the one used in his
album cover. In this image he is smiling and looking down away from
the camera which is in contrast to his album cover. The colour
scheme (orange, black and white) from the album is continued in the
magazine advert. His name is quite large and it is placed in the
centre of the page also it is in white which makes it stand out as it is
contrasted to the black background also his name is placed cleverly
so it doesn’t cover his face. The album name ‘+’ is underneath his
name; it is in orange which makes it stand out as most of the
magazine advert is in black and white this promotes the album.
Underneath this there are mentions of his hit singles from the album
therefore this implies that there are similar songs on the album.
Moreover the mentions of the songs create familiarity with his popular
songs and music videos which furthermore promotes the album.
There is an image of his album at the bottom of the page this also
promotes his album likewise it creates a visual link to the actual
album. Additionally there is a quote from Q magazine placed at the
bottom of the magazine advert. This brings status to his album as Q is
a very popular and famous magazine. Moreover at the bottom
advert there is an orange boarder. This continues with the colour
scheme also his website and the labels name is placed in the
boarder which furthermore promotes the artist and the label.

12. This advert of the album is very bold and
vibrant, mainly because of the colour
scheme which is red, black and white. The
artists name is placed at the top of the
advert and is very large this is so the
audience will automatically know who the
advert is about. The image used is an
interesting one. A long shot is used
moreover in the image shows Olly doing six
different poses. This is different from other
magazine adverts. Also the image of Olly is
mainly black which contrasts with the
white background; the artist sounds out
more.

13. This magazine advert is for Ellie Goulding’s first album.
The image used is a close up of the artist; she is
looking way from the camera. Also in this image the
artist doesn’t have heavy make up like other female
artist this suggests that she kept it simple to show that
it’s all about the music. The artist’s hair is gold and
shiny this links to the song ‘Starry Eyed’ which is from
this album. The artists name is really big this may be
because that was her first album therefore audiences
may not have been familiar with her name or who
she is at that time. Also her name and the album
name are in gold which all fits in with the colour
scheme which is Gold, Black and White. Additionally
at the bottom of the album advert there are four stars
next to ‘independent’ and ‘Q magazine’ this suggests
that these magazine rated the album four stars, this
promotes the album as those magazines are popular
magazines which rated the album good.