Research - CD Cover (5)

This is the CD cover for Scooter's album 'Jumping All Over The World'.

The paramount colours involved in this cover are blue, white and black, which seems to be reasonably common, as some of the previous covers I have analysed use the same colour scheme. The darker background colour connotes a night-time setting behind the three artists, as the dance genre is more poignant at night, and is is chosen genre in nightclubs. The white light behind the central male could represent white smoke, which occurs usually in nightclubs where the dance genre positively strives; therefore allowing the target audience to be able to relate to the cover, as they may have witnessed smoke like this in their time at settings where the dance genre is popular. The circle insert positioned to the top left of the cover is a deep red colour, therefore making it stand out from the initial colour scheme of the album. The insert contains some informative news about the album; that is why the colour of the insert is red, so it grabs the audience's attention.

The three male's costumes are all black and seem to be heavy items of clothing, usually connoting a sense of mystery. Personally I believe that these costumes challenge the stereotypical dance genre, as they look like they fit the winter season, rather than the summer season, where the dance genre is more influential and more powerful. This challenging of the dance genre is possibly involved to create an enigma for the audience.

Also, the three males are positioned to look directly at the audience, possibly in order for the audience to be able to identify in the males and relate to them, whilst inviting the audience towards the product. Also, all of the males (artists) are framed together, with one male more forward than the other two, whilst also wearing a large gold necklace, representing his dominance, but also suggesting the unity between the three males. In addition, the males are framed using medium shots, which will intensify the link between audience and cover, so the audience can see the artists' clothing and facial features.

The album does reinforce the dance genre in certain ways, such as the chosen background colour which represents a night-life setting, and the edited smoke and strobe lighting involved behind the three males. These edits also represent the technological influence that is applied to the dance genre, connoting a quickness about the genre. Following this, the males' costumes challenge the stereotypical views of the dance genre, as they are not light or eccentric like the genre itself. This cover does seem to appeal to a mixed gender audience, rather than a more female orientated audience who have a more larger audience than the male gender for the specific genre. The cover may involve the male artists' simply to show that they are capable of producing the music within the CD cover, but they may be framed on the cover in an appeal to the female audience.

The font which has been applied to the cover for the artist's name is made up of rounded, capital lettering. The capitals illustrate the emphasis and significance of the name of the artist, suggesting that the name of the artist will sell the CD album. The font of the artist's name is also a fade colour, from light blue to white, suggesting the transition from day to night, and the continuation of the dance genre throughout the day and night. It also looks bright upon a dark background, making it eye catching and grabbing the attention of the target audience. The name of the artist is also positioned at the top of the cover, so that the audience take note of this first, then follow the cover downwards, until they see the album name. The font used for the album name is white, upon a black background so that it stands out very well. Also the font used for the album name is smaller than the font used for the artist's name. The idea that the artist's name is of a larger font than the album name suggests that it is the name of that artists that will attract the correct target audience rather than the album name.