Successful CD Package Analysis
Post in a comment your observations about the CD package you selected to analyze. Please include the artist's name and album title, and a link to Amazon if possible. You do not have to produce a full design plan, but you should demonstrate insight into the package's rhetorical components (sense of purpose, audience, context, strategies, medium, arrangement) like we did for our example in class.
jtirrell's blog
I think this design is successful for several reasons. For one, the photo of the band is on the cover. U2 is widely popular and I think the photo establishes credibility.
"Love, then whatever." -St. Augustine
Linkin Park - Meteora
This is an amazing album package. The overall style is great. The booklet by far, is the best style ive ever seen for a music cd.
This package has a lot of images of graffiti, and the progress of a graphiti compilation that the band and guest artist are working on. Personally, being very into art(graffiti and all) and style, i appreciate the work they put into the cd. The packaging definately goes along with the music too, urban and full of ideas. Very creative, made for creative minds.
http://www.amazon.com/Meteora-Linkin-Park/dp/B00008H2LB/sr=8-1/qid=11721...
Aaron Georges
ageorges@purdue.edu
This is a CD created by the band AFI. AFI has a very unique art style which they were known for at the time of this album. In my opinion this cover shows that this album is about to take it's listeners on a journey. I think that the picture says alot about the journey. The water is dark and choppy making the journey look dark and difficult.
This CD is attracts die hard fans and fans of other punk rock music similar to this.
Appeals to more artistic audience. Audience would most likely be middle class. This album was completed while she still performed music for the sake of the music (and not pop music like her next album). Album cover is a picture of herself in a very relaxed state, much like her music. The track list on the back is easy to read and loosely put together so that the listener feels relaxed. Picture on cd is a small feather on a white background (again, soft sounding). The music on the cd is relaxed, mostly guitar so it goes along with the packaging.
http://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Jewel/dp/B00000F1CY/sr=8-3/qid=1172180695/r...
I love this album cover. I find it to be unique and interesting. If someone has never listened to Jack Johnson then I think that they would be able to figure out that this cd is going to have a lot of guitar music in it because of the person on the cover holding a guitar. Also, the color that is in the background is yellow. When people see the color yellow, they normally associate it with being happy, having fun, good thoughts, etc. When i view this album cover i assume that it's going to be calm chilling music. I think that this album is trying to appeal to a more chill audience. An audience that likes guitars.
http://www.amazon.com/Between-Dreams-Jack-Johnson/dp/B0007GAEVW/sr=1-1/q...
Jimmy Eat World-Futures
This CD album is appealing to younger/college aged youth. The title indicates having a future and making decisions, but the image is of a lonely looking guy that looks like he is thinking about making a phone call. He is also in the middle of nowhere and alone which could describe how many younger people feel.
http://www.amazon.com/Futures-Jimmy-Eat-World/dp/B00061H2JU/sr=1-2/qid=1...
Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here
http://www.amazon.com/Wish-Were-Here-Pink-Floyd/dp/B000024D4S/sr=8-3/qid...
I believe the purpose is of course to sell music, but I think it does it in an interesting way. By presenting a seemingly absurd situation (the man on fire), the packaging can inspire the audience to be curious and think (possibly deeply) about the scene (or even figure out what the artist was thinking). In this sense, the advertising seems to be art itself. It seems as though this music is targeted at older audiences (maybe 18-on) as the packaging does not contain the type of popular "flair" I think would interest younger consumers. The packaging seems to use fire, or the concept of flame to suggest something amazing. For strategy, the backdrop of buildings seem to converge into the horizon onto the point at which the two men are shaking hands, accentuating this event. It seems as though it could be perhaps the partnership of the ordinary and the extraordinary (the shaking of the hands) which the advertiser is hoping to convey. From this it seems as though we will hear some sort of unordinary but very interesting music that will make us think when we listen to the CD.
http://www.amazon.com/Under-Iron-Sea-Keane/dp/B000FBHT1C/sr=8-1/qid=1172...
sense of purpose/strategies - A lot of the packaging conveys a sense of fantasy - the name (as an iron sea proably does not actually exist) and the picture of horses (that have a horn, possibly being a unicorn) in an ocean. This also fits in with the actual songs on the cd having fantasy-referenced names.
audience/arrangement - The cd seems targeted towards people that would enjoy light fantasies. The fantasy part covered above, and the light part covered by the fact that the album has a lot of white and blue, colors associated with purity and calmness.
context - people will probably see this in an album store with lots of albums, so the packaging should try to catch the eye. I think this album does it by having a drawing that would be somewhat unusual and stand out.
The cover of this album has three wet people wearing garbage bags standing on top of a dumpster in New Jersey screaming/singing. Songs on this CD have titles like "Don't Panic," "Caring in Creepy," "In the Waiting Line," "Let Go," and "I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You." Quotes on the inside cover say things like "You gotta hear this one song, it'll change your life I promise you," "Maybe that's all a family really is; a group of poeople who miss the same imaginary place," and "Good luck exploring the infinite abyss!"
Based on looking at the packaging, I would say that this album is targeted towards younger people who are a little bit sad but that want to be happier. I say this because of quotes suggesting that this will change one's life. It also would appeal to people who are or have been heart broken, because of songs like "I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You." I would say the audience would roughly be for 20-somethings. The purpose seems to be to let other people know that they aren't alone and to show how others have delt with similar feelings. The arrangement is that quotes are on the inside of the CD and the 3 screaming people on the dumpster are centered on the front cover. The list of music on the back is cenetered and easy to read, black text on an orange background. Also, the packaging is very colorful, orange back, with a lot of white, blue, orange, and green on the front.
http://www.amazon.com/Hybrid-Theory-Linkin-Park/dp/B00004Z459/sr=1-2/qid...
The cover image has a graffiti look to it showing it is geared toward a more teenage audience and those who like to express themselves. It has an artistic feel to it which goes with strategy with incorporating the idea of music as an art form.
The title Hybrid Theory demostrates the kind of music it is since it is a rock/rap kind of music instead of just one type. And the image of the soldier goes with that idea of combining two different things to create something new and different.
I find that the art on this CD depicts the Foo Fighters personality quite well. The background is flashy and vibrant while the foreground is very traditional. Although the art is vibrant and traditional, the faces of the members of the band are all plain and unsmiling suggesting that they are unimpressed by what is "supposed" to impress the consumer. It appears that the purpose is to provide a satirical envrionment in which the music is meant to be listened to. If anyone is looking for a great example of what I am talking about you should watch the music video "Low". It is definatly a satire.(starring Jack Black)
http://www.amazon.com/Your-Honor-Foo-Fighters/dp/B0009HLDFU/sr=8-1/qid=1...
This CD is targeted at young adults (mostly college students) who appreciate inappropriate and somewhat dirty humor. Which just about describes most college students to a T. The songs take scenarios from everyday life, the news, and other sources, and presents them in an amusing, and entertaining new light. For example, Priest, which is in response to all the trouble that happened in various Catholic churches a while back.
Many albums today use one of the actual tracks as the album title to make it more appealing to people. I know that is why I bought this particular album and not one of his others. In my opinion, Superhero is a VERY funny song, and having it as the album title made it easier for me find and buy the album I wanted.
The colors and graphics for the CD are very simple, just a picture of the artist himself against a light blue-green background. This could make it easier to identify the CD. Both the insert and the back of the CD have a track list, though on the insert some of the song titles are in larger font than the others. This appears to be used to highlight the more popular songs (the song that I bought the CD for is one of these songs). The insert also contains the lyrics to each song. This is useful because you could be laughing so hard that you miss parts of the song, or you could want to sing along.
Lastly, I bought this CD after listening to Stephen Lynch live. It was probably sold at a discounted price, and people could have Stephen Lynch sign the album as well. So I was able to sample more of Stephen Lynch's work and even preview much of what is on the CD before I bought it. The discounted price and signature were an added bonus as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Superhero-Stephen-Lynch/dp/B00007EL9P/sr=1-2/qid=1...
The title of this album shows me that this music is targeted towards the younger generation who enjoy loud music. Not only is it loud, now its louder. Although there is a vintage movie theater with cheap rates, you know the targeted audience is younger and haven't lost thier hearing yet. Movies tend to be a weekly/monthly activity for high school
or college students which enforces my hypothesis. Lastly, this album is featuring "Make Damn Sure" which is targeted to all of those rebellious teenagers out there.
http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000F0UV0Y.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_.j...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-images/B000F0UV0Y/ref=cm_ciu_p...
The album I chose was Soviet Kitsch by Regina Spektor: http://www.amazon.com/Soviet-Kitsch-Regina-Spektor/dp/B0002XEDXU/sr=1-3/...
I think this is a good design because, just like Regina's music, it's eclectic - full of somewhat random colors. Clearly, the Soviet hat and the bottle (presumably of alcohol) have a connection with the title. The similar analysis is true for the red, eroded font face. Regina is in black and white, giving weight to the term homo-soveticus. The album is trying to target an audience that isn’t afraid to reexamine social issues and give some thought to the multi-dimensional lyrics. Hence, the target audience is old enough to think about complex issues, but still young enough to care. The audience is probably middle class, since the ‘strugglers’ have more important things to worry about. Since Regina’s picture takes up the majority of the album front, we can infer that the lyrics are going to be largely personal or from her perspective.
The first impressions of this CD is dark and mysterious. This CD targets teenagers and and college students. The title indicates the group has messages for listeners thorugh their songs. Fans can relate to this since most teenagers think their parents or others don't understand them. Most of the songs also insist that their following are considered a part of a group and that the group understands their pains and struggles.
This cover is very interesting and is very consistent with the title of the album. And the overall package in my opinion acts like a person's head, the front shows maybe what they are thinking and their expression while the back of the album shows an opening as like an entrance into the minds of the group or the listeners.
http://www.amazon.com/Vol-3-Subliminal-Verses-Slipknot/dp/B0001NBMBC/sr=...
A New Journey by Celtic Woman
http://www.amazon.com/New-Journey-Celtic-Woman/dp/B000KRNCYY/sr=1-1/qid=...
Their packaging for this CD is very effective.
1) On their first CD they used an image of woman and that was it besides their name. On this CD they used what appears to be the same image as the first CD just flipped. They also used a castle to represent their songs and live performance.
2) They use a blocky old world font for their name and a regular serif font for the title of the album.
3) On the back they clearly list all of the songs and running times. They also show small portraits of the six women who make up the group.
4)Inside the booklet they have listed the lyrics for every song.
I didn't like how small the font was or their color choice for the text and backgroud color inside the booklet. It can be difficult to read the lyrics.
Melissa Grider
The CD I chose is "The Disco Before the Breakdown" by Against Me! By looking at the cover of the CD you can tell that it is going to be loud music because there are a bunch of kids jumping around.
The name of the album that I chose is "Dog Problems," by a band called The Format.
http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Problems-Format/dp/B000FVBLGQ/sr=1-1/qid=11726...
The packaging of this CD immediately catches one's eye with its variety of bright colors. In addition, although you can't tell by the picture online, the cover has different "layers" to it, which is something that I have never seen before. Their creative and very different cover conveys their sense of purpose - to attract the audience and make them curious to look beyond the cover.
I believe the audience they are targeting is a younger one (high school through 20's), an age that I feel tends to be more curious and open to trying new things.
Furthermore, their unique cover carries over to their music, which on this album ranges from anywhere from folk to pop to even a little country. Inside the cover, the lyrics are displayed against a solid background, with each page a different color. The lyrics are easy to read, showing that the band desires the audience to enjoy and analyze their lyrics, not just the music itself.
The design of this CD package is different. On the front cover of the CD booklet has the simple image of a mischievous smiley face. The image has two colors red and black. The title of the band is along the left side of the smiley face. The name Bon Jovi is in white text and the title of the album, Have A Nice Day is in red text; both have a simple typeface set on a black background. On the back insert of the CD case is a black and white picture of Bon Jovi and his band, also with a list of the song titles on the CD in red font.
The design of this CD is geared toward an audience that likes things that are simple. The mischievous smile on the cover catches the eye of a person walking by. It makes the person stop, look, and pick up the CD to see the reason for the mischievous smile. The red also helps to grab attention because red is a bold color. The color red translates caution, danger, and passion and to have red as the dominant color of the package combined with the mischievous smile entails they know something that you don't, something that holds passion in what they believe stated in a bold way.
System of a Down
Steal This Album!
http://www.amazon.com/Steal-This-Album-System-Down/dp/B00007E8V4/sr=1-5/...
I liked the choices made for this album's cover and its end result. Basically, it resembles a ripped CD that someone has burned on their home computer. SOAD listeners are very much in the teenage and college level and so they can very easily identify with the supposedly burned CD. the name of the album also helps promote the idea of stealing music. A typical burned disc is simply put in an empty jewel case without any packaging (occasionally, if one wants to sell this product, they add some album art, especially if they want to make it look genuine) However, this cover does have some legal parts like the parental advisory sticker and copyright logos which are written in small print around the middle of the CD.
--- Anuttam Mahapatra