Firstly, I have chosen to analyse this magazine advert for a Mumford and Sons album. I found this one unusual because the images used aren't the same as the image used on the actual album, which is what is usually seen, allowing the audience to recognise the cover, so they can easily find it in shops, online etc. However, I feel these images are a lot more interesting than the album cover, which is a picture of a house. These images show the band members which is more personal and you can see the people who make the music. I like the old fashioned, analogue style borders for the images and how they are arranged messily on the advert. This gives goes well with the folk genre of the band, which is a very old style of music. I also noticed that the images have double exposures, creating a dreamlike, free spirited look, which I think I have tried to achieve in my coursework. The colours are warm, due to the look of a sunset as well as the editing, giving it a warming and summery quality. The black background works well with the light images and off white text. I like the layout of the four images, as there are four band members and looks a bit like a window, maybe linking to their album cover, the image of the house, and is also as if the audience is 'looking in' at the band. The band name is positioned at the op of the page, is the biggest text and is the most attractive piece of text, so people will see the name first, recognise it and then see the name of the album below it. Below the images, a quote has been included from NME magazine, praising the band, which encourages people to buy it. Below this is a sample list of songs on the album, that people might already have heard before, and if they like one of them, will be encouraged to by the whole album. This has been put into a box, making it stand out. I like the use of the small graphic lines above and below the images, which as slight bit of decoration and again, an old fashioned feel, linking to the folk music. The fonts are quite simple, yet have been made upper case and bold, making them more eyecatching. I like the use of the '&' in the band name at the top. I like that it is used both for a decorative feel, as well instead of the word 'and', so takes up less space.
Next, I have chosen to analyse this advert promoting a Florence and the Machine album. I noticed straight away the name of the album, 'Lungs', Which is a lot bigger than the artist's name at the top. This is because the band is very well known, and people would instantly recognise the artists just by looking at the image of Florence. I like how the word 'Lungs' is positioned right below the image of Florence, who is wearing an unusual neckpiece that is shapes like lungs, hence, the name of the album. I also like the feminine style of the image, with flowing lines, and roses in the background. You can tell the artist is quite bold in her style, as well as her music, due to the unusual costume, which adds a unique quality to the cover. The colours in the image are quite natural, with lots of greens, which suggests she is a someone who is 'one with nature' and is inspired by nature, a very similar characteristic to the artist I am promoting. She may be interested in the way the human lungs work, which gave her inspiration for her music. The font of the artist name, is like thick handwriting, which adds a youthful feel. Whereas the font of the album title is contrasted with this, and is quite formal looking. This may be because, generally artist keep the font and style of their name consistent throughout their different albums, but used a different font for the album titles to shows how the artist has grown or matured. It may have been used to reflect the complexity and seriousness of the human lungs, that they are not simple. Also, lungs are used to shout or to sing loudly, hence the large size, which really reflects this. I have noticed the majority of artists have used a black background behind white or pale text, this may be because this stands out a lot more than black text on a white background, and is something I should consider when making my digipak and advert. At the bottom f the page, the date of release, sample songs included in the album, the different platforms that the album can be bought on and the bands website are shown. All of this these are conventions of album adverts, however, I don't often see a list of platforms, such as CD, vinyl etc. Generally people just know albums are available on CD and download, but in this case, vinyl is available, which is unusual in this age, due to new technology being introduced. This, however, could attract people interested in old process and technology, such as vinyl records. They have also included Deluxe CD, which may interest more serious fans who want extra songs, features from the album.
Lastly, I have chosen to analyse an album advert for a Kings of Leon album. The thing that attracted my eye first was the bold image. This, like the Mumford and Sons advert, has four square images of each band member put together to form one image. However, this image has been made really unique with the addition of the eagles face. This gives contrast, as well as similarities between their eyes, and represents them as being wild and free. The colour of the image is a green/sepia tone which gives it a natural look, as well as standing out more than if it were black and white or in its original colours. I like the layout in which the image takes up most of the space, working in a very similar way to an album cover. I love the unique way of laying out the text, which uses '_' instead of spaces, giving it a spy/ secretive feel, and goes with he title 'only by the night'. The colour reminds be of night vision, hence the night theme. The font also has a very secretive, technological feel to it, despite being very bold and eye catching. The advert includes a sample list of songs in a smaller font and also has included the words' OUT NOW' in a larger font, in a red colour, which makes in stands out and compliments the greens in the rest of the advert.
