MAGAZINE ADVERT AND DIGI-PAK ANALYSIS
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ADELE-21
BEYONCE
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ED SHEERAN
Ed Sheeran uses the conventional technique of the line of vision, this allows the audience to see the most important parts of the magazine advert at a glance. For example the first thing they will see is Ed, this will most likely attract the consumer encouraging them to look down to the middle to see Ed's full name and the name/symbol of the album which is '+', this is an important part of the magazine advert as people will want to know what he is releasing. The next place the consumers eye's will be diverted to is the inset image of the album cover. The positioning of the magazine advert is conventional, however the sepia style image is not, this supports Neale's theory of a genre needing to repeat things but also be different to ensure they continue to be successful. The sepia image is a close up shot of Ed and he is looking down. The closeness of the shot helps to create a connection with the audience as they can clearly see his facial expressions, which is a smiling face. This then encourages the audience to feel happy as they have already connected with Ed, creating a personal relationship (the uses and gratifications theory). Ed's scruffy looking hair helps the audience to relate to him, therefore showing he is ordinary but also extraordinary since he is a star, this supports Dyer's star theory. The high-key lighting on his face connotes that he is a nice guy, encouraging people to want to buy his album since he appears normal and kind to them. The use of orange with the album name/symbol and the information of 'The No1 album' matches teh colour of the album therefore a house style is created. None of the text overlaps Ed's face which is the most important part of the image, which therefore shows he is powerful and superior. The white font connotes innocence and something new, showing that what Ed has to offer is something different and great.
The front cover of the album is in orange, this coincides with the magazien advert, creating a house style. The image of Ed is a close up, unlike his magazine advert, this creates a personal relationship with the audience as it would feel like Ed is really looking at them, therefore feeling like they are present with Ed (Dyer's star theory). Ed's face is faded into the orange background, this shows the audience that Ed is not really there with them, therefore they are absent (Dyer's star theory). The lighting of the image is unclear, however it looks slightly high-key in the middle and low key around the surroundings of his face. This shows that Ed is important and hsi surroundings are not. Ed's facial expression is stern and serious, this is unconventional for a pop music front cover as they usually want the audience to feel that they are kind and happy and therefore are able to make a personal relationship (uses and gratifications theory). The title of the album is a symbol "+", this is small and at the bottom right of the front cover, this is once again unconvetioal for for a pop music artist, however this supports Neale's theory that we need to use repitition and differences so that the audience stays interested. The colour of the album name is in white, this connotes purity and innocence. The artist's name is not on the cover of the album, this is once again unconventional, however it shows that Ed is extraordinary as people still know his name. Instead of ed's name there are names of his songs, this is in a small font, in serif. The CD here is in plain black colour, this connotes professionalism and also power and strength. This shows the audience that Ed is extraordinary, yet also ordinary since he has not included his name. The symbol of the album however is seen, this conventional for a pop music cd. Although it is in an unconventional place, as well as being small. The back cover continues the house style of being orange and white. By using orange again it creates a memorable image for the audience to always recognise. The titles are in the middle of the back cover, the centralising of the text shows that it is the most important information on the page. The white connotes purity and freshness, therefore showing that his new music is new and something to look forward to .The use of serif font makes the writing look hand written, this makes the audience feel connected to the artist (personal relationship-uses and gratifications theory). The barcode is in a conventional place, the right bottom corner. As well as this the logo of the record label is in a conventional place and in a conventional size. The first time we see Ed's name is on the sides of the digipak.
JESSIE J
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MADONNA
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OLLY MURS
This magazine advert is promoting Olly Murs’ newest album at the time ‘Right Place, Right time’
The plain light blue background, connotes calmness and serenity for the audience. The positioning of the magazine advert does not follow the line of vision which is unconventional, however this supports Neale’s theory of ‘differences and repetitions’.
Olly Murs is seen as a mid-long shot, this creates a personal connection with the audience as they can see Olly’s body yet it is still clear enough for them to see Olly’s facial expression. He is seen in smart trousers, braces and a white casual/smart top. This makes him appealing to women as he is dressed smartly (sexual magnetism-Dyer). The white top connotes pure and innocence, allowing the audience to see what Olly’s personality is like. He is looking directly at the camera, making it seem like he is actually looking at the audience, once again creating a personal relationship with the audience (uses and gratifications theory). He has his hands in his pockets making him look casual, relaxed and genuine, this allows the audience to relate to him and also makes them think he is ordinary (extraordinary and ordinary-Dyer).
The artist’s name ‘Olly Murs’ is written in serif font, in a dark red colour, this connotes strength and energy, showing Olly’s album will be good and full of great songs. The artist’s name is the biggest piece on the advert apart from Olly himself, therefore this shows that he is the most important thing, more important than the audience showing he is in fact extraordinary (dyer’s star theory). The album title is in a thick, serif font, and has a hand written effect to it. Therefore creating a connection with the audience, allowing them to feel like they are with Olly at the time. The colour black connotes professionalism and power, showing Olly that Olly is both of these things. It is positioned next to Olly but does not over lap him, therefore showing he is significant.
‘Out Now’ is written in capitals in a thin, stick, sans serif font. This is a lot smaller than the texts above it, showing that this part is not as significant as the rest. However it is still in capital letters so shows that to some people it will be important as they will definitely want to buy it.
The other words included are short, simple sentence, showing that the audience will not want to read much and want to know the most important parts about the album. This is in serif font and in lower case, therefore showing it is less important than Olly.
Something else that is included is Olly’s website. This is also in black font, showing it is professional ad also important to his fans.
The main image is the same as the magazine advert, this ensures that a house style is remained throughout, and therefore ensures that the consumer will recognise the album easily. The use of the colour blue/gray creates a calming effect, allowing the audience to feel happy and relaxed when looking at the front cover of the album. Unlike the magazine advert the image of Olly is in the middle of the front cover, this ensures that he is literally centre of attention. 'Olly Murs' is once again written in serif font in lower case letters, this makes it look professional. It is also the largest piece of writing on the front cover, this once again shows that Olly is the most important and siginificant person, when compared to the consumer. This supports Dyer's star theory of the star being both extraordinary and ordinary since Olly is wearing casual/smart clothes that anyone could wear. The title of the album and 'Olly Murs' are both in the same colour red, of which connotes strength and energy. The album title is printed multiple times on the front cover and fills almost every space there is to fill. This shows that Olly wants his audience to remember the album. The use of white connotes something new and a fresh start of which his album is. The text does not overlap Olly, this shows his superiority once again supporting Dyer's star theory.
The back cover is also in the same colour of the front cover and magazine advert, once again reinforcing the house style, which therefore creates a harmonious feeling for the audience. The barcode is the least important part of the back cover and is therefore put at the bottom right corner as this is a space that needed to be filled. The logo's of the record labels are in black, this is professional and this therefore implies that Olly is professional encouraging his fans to buy his album as well as new people to buy it. The logos are small as they are not what the consumer wants to read about, however they are visibly easy to see and are well known companies so therefore show that Olly is good. The names of the songs are in black, thick writing which looks slightly hand written, this creates a relationship with the audience as it seems authentic and something that Olly chose himself. The background is covered in white writing of Olly's songs, this shows he is proud of his music and therefore wants everyone to remember and recognise his songs. This would also help him to sell more songs.
RIHANNA
Rihanna uses the line of vision so that the audience can see clearly what the most important parts of the magazine advert are. For example the consumer would firstly look at the top of the artists head to identify the artist. The close up image of Rihanna is in black and white, which is unconvnetional for a pop artist, however by using the convention of line of vision it supports Neale's theory of needing repitition and difference in genres so that the audience does not get bored of the same thing every time. The close up image shows Rihanna looking at the camera, the eye contact makes the audience feel like Rihanna is actually involving them in the magazine advert, however she is also covering one eye with her hand which makes the audience feel absent from the magazine advert which supports Dyer's star theory. Rihanna is wearing extravagant make up and lots of jewellery. This makes a bold statement, showing the audience that she is extraordinary However no part of the magazine advert shows that Rihanna is ordinary, therefore not supporting Dyer's star theory of the star needing to be extraordinary and ordinary. The audience would next look at the 'R' this is in a sharp font, this creates an unsettling atmosphere for the audience. The audiences eyes would be diverted to the name of the artist next when using the line of vision.
