The Vaccines- Come of Age This Album cover from The Vaccines is constructed by 3 main layers.

The most prominent of these is the midshot picture of the band, which is also the largest element of the album cover, filling over two thirds of the album cover. However it is not a colour image, which is likely to have been a stylistic choice, somewhat a fashion of the type for the genre, such as this Jake Bugg Album. Furthermore the idea of having the artist at the front shows their importance and that this is the star image- additionally it confirms that this is a star image album cover. Meanwhile the second layer is the only text on the cover, which explains its large size and its positioning at the top of the Album Cover- somewhat like a masthead of a magazine. Furthermore with the star image being black and white, it enabled more development with the text. This development is represented by the use of the text being in a bright red colour, this makes it very clear and stand out. Moreover the fact it is clearer than the image, but is the second layer, allows for neither of these layers to dominate the other. It can also be seen to show that the artists name is just as important as their appearance. It also key to look at how the artist is dressed- what they are wearing and the facial expressions shown are key to matching the target audiences preferences and expectations, and in this case appealing to the Indie genre. In addition the third layer is a very light grey backdrop, created by the use of soft lighting. Its somewhat element of invisibility makes it the ideal backing as it takes none of the spotlight/focus off the image and text layers which are of greater importance. Although a similar colour to the image the third layer is much lighter, so simply compliments the top layer and doesnt take away the image or texts prominence and leaves them to stand out. Meanwhile the 3 layers all consisting of different colours shows how the cover has incorporated the 3 colour rule within its design. Furthermore the use of Black/white, red and Grey is the most traditional 3 colour pattern used in media. Whether this is in magazines, album covers, or traditionally newspapers.

The XX- Coexist The most important thing to say about this particular album cover is that it is without a doubt a minimalistic album cover. Like many album covers it consists of few layers (2 in this case) but even with such album covers, this amount of minimalism is quite unique. It contains no text, no full image and the background is blank- really spotlighting the lack of anything taking place on the cover. Although unique the cover is an alternative copy of their first album. Therefore the continuation of this individual style creates the XX an identity and develops their own unique style. The continuation also gives what is a simple album cover with little information a lot of identity and is clear as to what the audience is likely to be on the album. Although somewhat a copy a slight alteration has been made to the album cover. Instead of just being a reversal of the black and white used on the first album, the X although partly b lack isnt wholly. The white background is a direct substitute for the black on the first album, but the X has a rainbow spectrum going from the top left to the bottom right. It looks like the colour spilt oil creates on the road, or when water picks up the sunlight. Moreover I am unsure of the significance of this particular design feature, nonetheless it looks good and I believe it adds a different dimension to the album cover. Which I feel is important as a direct reversal of the first album would have just been predictable and not very interesting. The impact of no text placed on the album cover has a very significant impact upon the audiences reaction to the album. The lack of information makes the album stand out more, and it is a classic case of Less is more. An intrigue is subsequently created and people are likely to pick it up and look at the back at the track list details. Whilst they might even open up the album to look at the sleeve/book inside. Therefore we see how intrigue can be created and that less detail provides the cover with a different dimension and has a stronger impact upon the audience. Incidentally the genre for this artist is Indie. As a result the unusual style appeals to the audience as they are ready and keen to embrace new ideas and inspiration. It is similar in this sense to the Arctic Monkeys third album AM.

Bruno Mars- Unorthodox Jukebox This album cover is comprised of 4 main layers, with the first 3 of these 4 holding more prominence than the 4 th because of its lesser importance. Although the other 3 layers come before one another, because of the effects placed upon, none of them detract attention from one another and it is up to the audience as to what catches their eye first. In theory the first layer should be the most prominent than those which follow, however the first layer is the text at the bottom of the cover. There are a few things regarding this text which are of note, the first of these being that although the top layer it is quite small text, even though bold and in capital letters. As a result it doesnt draw the eye completely despite being the top layer, something a more vibrant colo ur would perhaps achieve. Also its positioning at the bottom of the cover doesnt attract the eye as instantly as something placed elsewhere. This decision has probably been taken as it is the name of the album UNORTHODOX DUKEBOX and the designers feel the image and other text bear more relevance to the audience. This smaller size of text for the album title is the same design as used for Lana Del Reys first Album BORN TO DIE. The only difference there being that the text is larger and the colour allo ws it to greater draw the audiences eye. The second layer is the star image on the cover and takes up about 50% of the entire album cover. Although only the second layer its importance is highlighted by the space on the cover it accounts for, how it stands out on the cover and how it doesnt clash with the backdrop (the red shirt on the sea blue). Furthermore with it being the star image and the star of the album its size is essential to the album being a success. Whilst with the genre being Pop, for fans seeing their favourite artist can be just as important as listening to the music, quite the opposite to indie. Additionally the third layer possibly stands out the most despite its positioning in terms of layers. Firstly its positioning somewhat like a masthead makes it catch the eye. Something that is only further enhanced by the introduction of a bright red effect to the text and the fact the letters are bold and capitalised. This all helps to draw peoples eye and grab their attention, whilst the font used alters the right hand strand of the letter R. This is unlikely to draw the eye initially but once drawn in by the red effect, the impact of the R will be established by the audience. Now although it might not increase potential customers attraction to the album, it certainly gives the cover an extra dimension. Finally for the 3 rd layer the red text is much like the Vaccines second album Come Of Age, however here I feel another reason is significant for the use of the colour red. Although not the same tone, the artists name and Bruno Mars shirt are both red. It is likely this has been done for people that dont know who Mars is and what he lo oks like. Therefore the shared colour red shows the relationship between the name and the image. Therefore no confusion arises as to whether the artist is called unorthodox jukebox. Last of all the fourth layer is a plain deep sea blue colour that doesnt alter in tone over the whole cover. It also doesnt clash with any of the other colours used, as a result aiding and not hindering the covers aesthetics.