Album Cover Lesson Reflection

During class we discussed our findings on our particular album artworks and the typical conventions of an album cover. To summarise:

• Albums can come in many different formats e.g digipack, double CD, special edition etc...
• Typical institutional information featured on the back cover, e.g bar code, copyright info, record label
• All have front & back covers and spine (with text always facing the correct way)
• Consistency of brand can be established through visual signifiers (band logo, particular font, colour scheme)
• 'The front cover sells the artist and the back cover sells the album'-Sam Szczurek
• Differences between compilations and soundtracks to regular albums
• Differences between debuts and established artists (debuts more likely to 'play it safe' unless they are deliberately trying to provoke a certain reaction)
• Cover art dependant on a variety of different things including genre, era, institution, audience...no clear set rules just needs impact and to fulfill its purpose of making a customer want to buy it
• Album covers may have a set FORM (conventions) but it is the STYLE that differentiates them (this is dependant on the things listed in the point above)