Appendix 9: album poster analysis

By Frankie Veal

This poster continues the house style from its album ‘suck it and see’ (plain white background with black text) so the audience recognise straight away what the poster is about. The positioning of the band name, which is also the bands recognisable logo, is central on the poster so it’s the first thing the audience will see. The members of the band have signed the poster which makes it seem more valuable and personal since the band are so popular and successful. Also it reflects the individual personalities of each band member. The typeface being san serif makes the poster look more serious and ‘straight to the point’ as well as continuing the house style. The plain style of poster reflects the indie genre of the bands music; indie and original. The preferred reading (Stewart Hall) of this poster is that through the simplicity of the poster, they wish to be known more for their music rather than their image. This poster aims to attract their targeted subculture (Dick Hebdige) though the original and plain design layout, connoting the bands ‘individuality’.

The text on this poster take on an illusion type effect of looking like they are cut out of the paper, revealing sections of an image of the music artist. This has connotations that her full personality is not revealed and she has hidden secrets. It creates a sense of mystery about the artist. This could be the preferred reading (Stewart Hall) however the image also has connotations of her innocence as she is such a young new music artist at the age of seventeen, reinforced through her direct stare at the audience breaking the fourth wall. This poster aims to attract the indie subculture (Dick Hebdige) through the ‘down to earth’ brown earthy colours. Lorde can be represented as an Ideal Self (Carl Rogers 1980) to her female audience members because he is a very attractive and young artists – inspirational for many of her audience.The text is very think and bold in a san serif font. It is large enough to take up the majority of the poster as it is the main feature to catch the audiences’ attention. The poster uses two main colours, white and brown. Brown italic text is used to highlight the tour dates in a list down the right hand side.

Lana’s album ‘Born To Die’ has very negative and dark connotations which relate to many of the themes of her songs such as lust and death. Her poster continues this style with a ‘head shot’ style photo in a medium close up which could be related to prison, crime and the law, or a ticket or stamp. This is also foreshadowed by the title as the word ‘die’ connotes a death sentence which links to the prison theme. The preferred reading (Stewart Hall) of this image is the representation of her dark thoughts in her head which are then connoted through her music. This posters aims to attract its indie subculture (Dick Hebdige) through the style and the originality of it. The album title ‘Born To Die’ stands out against the dull background through the use of the white bold font. This helps catch the audiences’ eye and makes a definite statement on the poster. Lana can be viewed as an ideal self (Carl Rogers) by her female members of her audience as she represents a strong, attractive female that they can aspire to be like. To her male fans, she can be viewed as an Ideal Partner (Carl Rogers) for similar reasons. Lana's style of a vintage American 1960’s female is shown in this image by her style of hair. The slick perfected waves in her hair were a common hairstyle in that era. Her indirect mode of address represents she is deep in thought.

Ellie’s poster of electrical bright colours reflect her electronic style of music, being her preferred reading (Stewart Hall). These colours also represent the artists feminine and girly side to her personality, appealing to her female fans. This poster is a tour poster with the sold our dates in a darker colour with less opacity than the available dates. The available dates are in a larger bolder white font. The connotations of this is that it is your last chance to buy the tickets because the popularity of the artist means they are selling fast. Her direct stare in a medium close up shot at the camera breaks the fourth wall and appears as if she is looking directly at the audience and inviting them in. Her hand positions frame her face, in the shape of a triangle, imitating the illuminati sign above her head. This could mean she sees herself as part of this culture, or it could simply be she is using the symbol because it is cool, original and trendy in modern society; also reflecting the indie subculture (Dick Hebdige) she targets her audience towards. Ellie can be viewed as an ideal self (Carl Rogers) by her female members of her audience as she is an attractive female that they can aspire to look like. To her male fans, she can be viewed as an Ideal Partner (Carl Rogers) for similar reasons.

Bastille’s tour poster conveys a similar preferred reading (Stewart Hall) to their album which keeps the continuity of the house style. The long shot image of the ongoing road could suggest the journey the band have been on to get where they are today. The tinted effects on the image attract their targeted indie subculture (Dick Hebdige) and looks similar to a popular indie networking site, Instagram. It makes the image and band look vintage and ‘down to earth’; as if their music is the classic, the greatest and the most up-to-the-minute. The main masthead is the name of the band ‘Bastille’ however the ‘a’ is a triangle. This shape has significant connections to the illuminati culture/theory which is seen to be interesting and original; connecting to the background ideology of the indie subculture being individualistic and unique ultimately attracting them. The poster has no image of the actual band members which suggests the band wish to be known more for their music rather than their image. The text is very simple in a san serif font, listing the dates of the tour. The popularity of the band is shown through the bright ‘sold out’ stamps over the majority of the text, making the audience feel urged to book tickets quickly for the remaining dates available.