Influential Websites & Album Covers

Websites

Wilkinson

I really like the simplicity of this website as it makes it incredibly easy to navigate. I also like the aesthetics to the page and the way in which it corresponds to their album 'Lasers Not Included' as well as their latest single. The website is incredibly visual and enticing for the audience. I feel that these things together make the audience more inclined to actually look at all the features on the page, rather than a website that is cluttered and unappealing to the eye. I also really like the way in which their music is integrated into the site so it is easy to listen, share and buy the songs (as shown below).

Alt-J also have a similarly simple and aesthetically pleasing website. In addition, they have some interesting features such as the 'Map' which is an interactive feature, allowing audiences to find where they can buy the latest album. This gets the audience involved in the music, giving it a more personal feel.

I also like Clean Bandit's website as it has the similarly clean feel with a white background, but it is very visual and focused on social media and videos. I think this works really well as it doesn't take focus off of the band and the music they want to promote.

Album Covers  

Album covers are incredibly important part of branding as they create a visual expression for the artist. They are the initial branding image used to raise awareness of the artist and their new music. This means that the album cover should be memorable and where possible, iconic, in order to create a strong image which can be used in all senses of the campaign to create synergy, thus maintaining a successful product.

These are some of my favourite album covers for the type of album I would like to create:

 I really like these album covers as they're very colourful and visually pleasing. They make the CD look interesting and the artist appear creative. Personally I feel that I would be more likely to pick up a CD in a shop if the cover was striking and colourful like these. I also think that they're expressive but it a fun way which makes them appealing to all.

Here is some further research on alternative styles of album covers:

These album covers have simple yet iconic graphics which have made the albums recognizable for years since their release. They are incredibly simplistic yet memorable. I think this type of album cover is best suited to rock artists, usually used for their iconic/most successful albums. The memorable graphic creates an image that can be used on all of the band/artists' merchandise and branding in order to create a synergistic release campaign.

Another style of album cover is the iconic photograph. These are usually photographs of the band/artist and can range from a natural spontaneous photo like The Clash's 'London Calling' to a stylised photograph such as David Bowie's 'Alladin Sane'. These album covers are usually associated with older albums which have been very well known for decades. I really like these album covers but I feel that they only work with very influential artists whose albums create huge impact on music.