Album Cover Research- Blondie's 'Denis'

Blondie: Denis




























FRONT


Image:

• Picture of Debbie Harry


• Close up/beauty shot


• Takes up muh of total area; shoulders stretch entire width of cover


• Direct address, with face turned very slightly to (her) right


• hand on neck


• lips falling apart a little bit


• bleached blonde hair (can tell by darker roots, barely visible)


• very enigmatic expression


• make-up is classic, 80s-style with red lipstick, purple eyeshadow and eyeshadow even on brow bone and strong, solid eyebrows.


• She is wearing a black t-shirt


• it is shot in soft, slightly orange-toned lighting


• set against a similarly orange background

Text:

'BLONDIE' (name of band/group)

• in thick block capitals


• across entire top width


• takes up approx. a fifth of vertical space


• no background/transparent


• solid white

'DENIS' (title of album)

• smaller font


• solid black


• same font as band name


• set approx. a quarter of way across width of cover, to the left.

In botton of right corner names of 5 singles/tracks included on the album:

• same font as other text


• alternating white & black in colour


• all set in slightly different horizontal positions on cover

BACK

Image:

• background is same image as cover shot but blown up (approx. 200%), framed to include (her) right hand side of face up to just over centre of face, and to middle of forehead and imbetween lips and chin.

band shot:

• in bottom left/centre, reaching up to half way up cover


• men dressed in suits


• direct address


• posed, almost al members are smiling

Text:

Track list:

• on left


• takes up approx. half width


• black


• same font as title and band name


• black


• number of track, then song title (first letter capitalised only)

Interesting Album Covers + Some Analysis

CD Album Covers
System Of A Down: Steal this album!
Manic Street Preachers: The holy bible
Manic Street Preachers: This is my truth tell me yours
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Show your bones

Highly colourful, vibrant: simple and eyecatching but also with engaging textures that add depth to image- looks textures and tactile and makes you want to touch/grab it. The vertical pattern makes up 'YYY' which is really nice and subtle branding for the band and also could represent a ribcage-shape to complement the title 'show your bones'.

Clashing colour combinations of orange, yellow and orange add to the 'eye-catchability' of the cover also.

On further investigation, it appears that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs ran a competition for fans to design a flag that may be incorporated into the cover or the artwork. They then decided to go with the artwork of a professional; Julian Gross from 'The Liars' instead, and this image is a small section of a flag designed by him. Some of the fans' artwork is included on the artwork in the accompanying booklet. Interview: http://www.prefixmag.com/features/Y/yeah-yeah-yeahs/393.

This is a very interesting way of making the fans feel involved with the band, however, and promote the image of the band as being close to their fans.

Spandau Ballet: Gold (the best of..)
Marilyn Manson: Mechanical animals

Very androgenous and alien figure (nipples apparently originally used but decided against in order to emphasise this androgeny and alien-ness) which fits entirely with Marilyn Manson's self-branding. With his videos, and to some extent music, it seems he intentionally tries to create disturbing/futuristic imagery and also create controversy. In that respect, this cover-image of him in full-body latex, including prosthetic breasts, with crazy makeup, certainly fits the MM brand and sells this aspect of him well.

The plain, enigmatic background serves to displace the figure from any particular place or time, which further adds to the way it makes up question the gender and species of the image, as there are few other aspects that we could connote meaning from in the image. The sterile and grey nature of the background, as well as the cold, slightly harsh lighting also add to the futuristic and disturbing atmosphere of the image. It also ties in with the sterile 'mechanical' theme of the title.

Pink Floyd: Meddle

Duran Duran: Rio

Placebo: Sleeping with ghosts

Johnny Cash: The man comes around: American IV

Released in 2002, and the last album released by cash during his lifetime, the simplicity and understatement of the big 'CASH' at the top and a relatively small image is made effective by the sheer icon-status of the man. This album does not need even his full name, and this is clear by the impact of the only four letters on the cover. Anyone that matters, upon seeing this cover, would know who the artist was, and probably by now a large proportion would know the name of the album, despite it not explicitly being stated on the cover.

The image, being highly shadowed and in black and white, almost blends in the the plain black background. However, largely owing to his icon-ishness and the respect felt towards him by almost all fans of [good] music, and given the proximity to inevitable death that this was released, it is a very powerful image. An almost indiscernable, enigmatic expression rhetorates Johnny Cash's effortless impact and permanent importance.

HIM: Deep shadows and brilliant highlights
Mr Bungle: Disco volante

Faith No More: Angel dust

David Bowie: Aladdin Sane