Magazine Advert Analysis - Miss Miller

The purpose of a magazine advert is that it allows the artist to get themselves out there. It provides a fast amount of success for the artist as it allows its audience to not only buy the magazine to see them, it acts as a constant reminder to where the albums are out and normally where you can find them. In addition to this it allows to spread there audience further by introducing there new albums to a different audience that may have never heard of them but indeed are intrigued by them just through the use of there album cover and how it was been manipulated to appeal to not just there target audience but anyone that the artist thinks would enjoy there music. I have chosen to analyse an album advert of the indie artists Gabrielle Aplin who I choose to use as my final artist in my music video as well as James Bay. A newer artist on the scene who would rely a lot on advertising his product well. 

Gabrielle Aplin's advert here is for her album 'English Rain' a very dainty way of presenting this album is displayed through many aspects of the actual album cover through the use of the colour, images and more. To begin with the overall representation of Gabrielle Aplin is able to show her as very feminine and fragile. She is able to be seen as being very free as we see her walk barefoot over a sand like setting. The connotations of the artist's album are supported by the calm blue sky, this is to represent the content of the the music involved in the actual album being an indie artist most of her songs are very calming with little going on in them apart from a couple of instruments, stereotypically a guitar or piano and her very soft voice.  In continuation from the connotations we are able to see how the colours contribute to her theme of happiness and peace, as she holds a rainbow coloured umbrella over her. The mix of colours can be connoted as her being protected from bad things being the 'rain' and her colourful umbrella is to show her out look on life that even though she is faced with problems she remains optimistic, the audience will relate to this and be able to transform themselves into the same person by listening to this able. 

The font colour of the important information at the bottom remains to be switching from white to blue. This connotes how her songs in the album may be upbeat but some may have a more 'blue' tone to them being sad and having inner emotions threaded into them, for example 'Salvation' the song we have chosen to use for our music video. The design and layout of the album cover allows the audience to see and focus directly on her at first as she is put in the middle of the album cover. Her name is in larger font above the image of her to really cause the audience's attention to be drawn to her name if they recognise it or in contrast even if they don't, because they are then able to look her up and be able to learn more information about herself as a person, an artist and a product. 

This particular image of the artist allows her to be seen as very delicate. She is seen holding up an umbrella not only playfully but protectively over herself. This connotes what her album is going to be about. Whether it is about her deeper emotions such as how happy or sad her songs are. Her body language in the image can also been seen in a particular way that is rather positive. Her positioning makes her appear as though she is running or skipping one of her legs is kicked playfully up in the air. This portrays the artist as being free and happy. The audience will be intrigued to see how she manages this and overall it will allow them and encourage them to take part in having a more adventurous and free outlook on life. They will be alot more motivated into buying her album due to them imagining a correlation between being happy and buying her album. 

The particular use of typography on the artists magazine advert is quite dainty and girly. The album name 'English Rain' is quite flicked and looks similar to someones handwriting. This gives the album a more real and personal feel. The audience will then see this a a product that is very close to the artists heart and will portray her true emotions through the music overall creating an effect of normality. The audience will be more inclined to buy this album through the iconography as they will connote the font style with the artist, Gabrielle Aplin. To be someone who is very genuine and down to earth. The style of language remains very successful as it enables the audience to see what songs the album has to offer. At the bottom of the advert we are able to see the words '13 May' which will allow the audience to have a clear imagine of what date the album is going to be released. A selection of very popular and successful songs are displayed underneath which relate to the audience as they may recognise some of these more successful songs and want them, which will result in there being more sales of the album. 

The advert is very conventional to the music genre and promotes it in a very positive way through the use of the simplistic theme. The colours used appear as being very natural and neutral which connote the indie genre as it allows the audience to view the music video in a more original and untouched way, which is the theme that most indie artists follow as they like to use real life settings and iconography in the music video. In addition to this the costume that she wears is very floaty and white, this also relates to the indie genre as again it displays her as being very carefree and natural, which are elements the audience do expect to see in the indie genre. The way the artist is represented in this magazine advert is actually very successful and would appeal to her target audience. This is because she is seen as being very playful and fun to be around which will unite the audience into buying the artists album even further. Overall the imagery and styles used in the advert of 'English rain' relate strongly to the codes and conventions of the indie genre, this is something that audience members want to see. There aim is to be able to create something that seems so natural and relateable that anyone can have it. This makes the audience believe that because Gabrielle Aplin is being portrayed as having fun and being happy, that listening and buying her album must mean the same for them. Overall the audience are able to look up to her as friend not a successful artist that is, in reality very different from her target audience.


The artist James Bay is an artist that is very new to the music business, he made is debut with the singles 'hold back the river' and 'let it go'. This is a magazine advert of his new album. As a whole the magazine advert represents James Bay as someone who is very chilled and relaxed, this involves alot of things such as his costume and the lighting of the magazine advert which creates an overall theme for the indie artist. The connotations of the artists advert begins with the wall next to Jame Bay. The colour of the wall is very dark and black. This not only allows the font and writing to stand out but it also connotes that the album may contain elements of darkness. This tells the audience that the songs on this particular album may contain very emotional material, that may cover dark topics at times. He also wears all black which connotes the same idea that he is new to the scene, but not afraid to be very edgy and truthful in his music,maybe unlike other artists in the industry. Behind him seems like the exist of the alley way he stands in. The lighting of this is alot brighter compared to where he stands, This connotes that there is always a 'light at the end of the tunnel' this may represent his journey as an artist and how long it has taken him to get where he is today, but now he has finally achieved his goal and by buying this album gives him the push that he really needed to carry on.

The colours used in this advert remain to be a mix up between, white, gold and black. The white coloured font of his name not only stands out well for the audience to see, but always portrays him as being an artist that is very true to himself. He is an innocent and good person and that is why you should buy his album. This differs to the colour of the album name, being in gold represents how this album is seen as a luxury. The fact that this album is new and unique shows that it is portrayed as something that is seen as a pleasure and and rarity. The fact that James Bay wants this album to appear as something special shows that he values his audience into only giving them the best he can possibly give which intrigues the audience into buying what is on this album In addition to this the gold colours are also valid on the 'itunes radio' this is another way to display that only 'his' album is possible to listen to on an exclusive feature being itunes radio. This again leads the audience into thinking that they are special and that they want to be the only ones to own James Bay's album on this particular feature. The design and layout remains to be very structured on James Bay's album. All the information that you need to know about the album is placed directly on the left of it. This gives the audience an idea of what there actually buying and what needs to be done to create a successful sale of the album. The artist is placed next to the font to also get the audiences attention as they may immediately recognise his face and aim to buy his album as soon as possible.

The choice of image that James Bay has chosen on his magazine advert works very well in encouraging the audience in buying the album as he has used a high angle to make it appear as though the audience are looking down on him. The use of a high angle gives the impression to the audience that they are in control. This kind of authority is very inviting as people like to feel that they are in control of what they buy. In addition to this the artist, James Bay, is looking up at the audience with a rather concerning yet calm look on his face. This type of expression allows the audience to feel as though they are being invited into his world, this relates to them being able to listen to his music and learn almost everything about him. As James Bay is a new artist he has given the audience the reassurance that even though he is new they are on the same journey together which overall enables the audience to be able to look up to him as a friend. In addition to this the location used in the image is very typical to the indie genre. The artist has done this is follow on with the theme of friendship and normality. The setting in the image is very similar to that of a town or city that most of his audience will be familiar with. This implies that he wants the audience to feel at home and comfortable with his music and he has been successful in creating the same emotion and feeling in his magazine advert aswell.

The typography used in this magazine advert is very clear. The font used almost resembles a type writer itself. This relates to the idea that indie genres tend to try and be very vintage and unique in there music videos. In addition to this the letters seem rather spaced out which actually cause audiences attention to be more focused on them. This will allow them to linger on his name and the album name, making it more likely for them to take it in and remember it. The style of the language also relates to the type of music that is portrayed on the artists album. The name of the album is actually 'chaos and the calm' this demonstrates to the audience that the type of music on this album will show real emotions and feelings that they will be able to, but also how to get over them, it portrays the album as containing songs that will be able to really touch the audience in a way that can help them get over any bad emotions that they may be feeling at a particular time. 

The advert promotes the music genre as something that people can come to, to really think about life and there feelings involved in this. The indie artist is typically known for being very adventurous with creativity and being able to sweep there audience members up in there relateable story lines, locations and hidden messages this enables them to be able to connote to the indie genre through James Bay's codes and conventions in his magazine advert through the use of unique and dark coloured clothing, the particular high angle that makes him appear alot more friendly and the use of an alleyway which is very realistic location when filming in a city. James Bay himself as an artist appears to be someone that invites there audience along on this journey. The audience are able to see by the way that he looks in the image that he wants them to feel welcomed and 'normal' when listening to his music. This is due to the fact that his location leads out to a bright and more inviting path and by his body language and facial expressions we are able to know that he wants the audience to feel like they are coming with him and it starts by them buying his album. This overall works well at attracting the audience as it makes them feel like they are a huge part of his music career and are necessary in making him successful.

Overall I have learnt by analysing the two magazine adverts that it is crucial to stick to the theme and ideas that you originally have for the album as the audience are able to pick up on slight things which may change sale incredibly. I will incorporate the indie genre in my own magazine advert, by having a very natural or normal setting that will not be artificial. The fact that I have analysed these two magazine adverts have allowed me to think more about what the audience would like to see in an artist.

Digipak Analysis - Miss Miller

Digipaks consists of having a gate fold style. The paperboard and cardboard material makes sure that it provides a stronger material and is of better quality. With the outer binding having one or more plastic trays for the CD. Digipaks are aimed mainly towards the more involved fans of the genre. Usually to promote a new album to the audience, special editions of the album are made and produced in this format. The digipak style was able to create a lot of hype in the early 2000's enabling record labels to support themselves further by creating special editions and copies of the certain album.  These are rather different to the average jewel CD cases that are plastic and have the majority of the detail just on the front and back. Digipaks are overall higher in quality as the images are more professional and planned. There is usually a signature or a letter of thanks from the artist to the audience which immediately makes this a more personal product for the audience to enjoy. Bonus tracks can also be added to digipaks to intrigue the audience further by promising them more music as well as a better quality case, the use of bonus tracks acts as a method that ultimately makes the product alot more personal as people will feel alot more special and selected if only they have access to the bonus tracks that nobody else has. It includes six sides usually which overall include the artwork, information and lyrics. I am going to analyse my chosen artists digipak, Gabrielle Aplin. This is because she is not only my chosen artist but she follows the indie theme which makes this a hugely accessible and successful digipak. I am able to take alot of inspiration from this digipak as it consists of the same theme, colouring and imagery that I want present in my own digipak.

Through this particular digipak of Gabrielle Aplin's album 'English Rain' we are able to witness how her overall representation is very innocent, feminine and in touch with nature. It is a very individual product that seems very personal which would work successfully through the use of the particular colouring and positioning of the artist. As an indie artist, she has done an excellent job at create a particular representation and image by manipulating the photos and the font of the writing on the album to represent herself as more approachable and friendly to her audience, instead of how other artists may introduce. This may be heavily based of there wealth and appearance where here Gabrielle Aplin has not followed the typical mainstream conventions and has decided to take her own approach on what she thinks is artistic and successful. 

The connotations of this digipak support the representation of the artist. She connotes the typical conventions of an indie artist.We are able to see this through the mise-en-scene in her digipak. The artist, Gabrielle Aplin is seen in the location and setting of a field. This is a typical place for an indie artist to be seen. It fits the codes and conventions of the indie artist, overall connoting that the artist is very in touch with natural and remains very genuine like her setting. She is in now way wanting to portray her self as artificial or in a fake background, meaning that she wants everything to remain very simplistic like her particular genre. In addition to this the iconography in the digipak also helps to connote a very vintage and natural style. In particular, the umbrella used in the digipak relates to the natural weather, which may also be something that is picked up on alot in the indie genre, as the weather is usually very particular in the indie genre. The weather is often very natural and kept at its natural element, being either a very bright sunny day or in comparison a very gloomy rainy day, each relating to the ideology of the indie genre and connotative to the artist in a successful way that relates to the indie genre. 

The colours used in this digipak relate well to the artist as it portrays her personality in a particular way which will appeal to the audience. The background of digipak is in complete sepia and black and white effects. The drained colour effect represent the idea that she is in a bad situation. to connotes to the idea that even though we all go through bad times there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. This is seen by the bright multi-coloured effect of the balloons and umbrella it gives the audience hope that her music can help them get through these bad and bland times and make them see the beauty and colour of the world again. In addition to the contrast in colours it may always be a way to teach the audience a very deep message. The fact that Gabrielle stands behind a bland and boring coloured background may connote her representation of the world and society. The fact that she is living in a 'black and white' world. This represents her as someone who encourages the audience to be unique and different and ultimately stand out from the crowd. Through the colouring in this digipak of hers she is able to teach people to never lose hope and always be the best you can be. This will end in the audience feeling like its okay to be different as many of us like to feel individual they will then look up to Gabrielle's digipak as a means of motivation, resulting in them buying the digipak and promoting the artist.

The design is very precise in Gabrielle Aplin's digipak. Everything has a particular place and a purpose. The layout is very put together and creative which create a very personal touch on the audience as it shows that you are able to show your true colours and be creative without having to fit to society's standards of beauty and art. The positioning of the artist in the digipak makes it look as if she is hiding away. On the front cover of the digipak we see Gabrielle Aplin hiding behind the colourful umbrella which implies to the audience that this digipak is in fact a place to escape from the real world and feel comfortable. This is something that may indie artists aim to achieve as they want her audience to feel like they can go against the most popular songs and find themselves in much more 'meaningful and powerful' song that connote real life situations. The fact that the two CD's in the digipak both contain the colourful umbrella, which represents somewhere to hide, and the colourful balloons that may represent the audience playing the music and feeling as though all there worries fly away just like balloons would. Ultimately, make this particular layout of the digipak very successful indeed as they continue to create this idea of escapism.

The images in Gabrielle Aplin's digipak relate to her overall representation of the songs on the album. The main image of the digipak is a long shot that shows part of her background and a smaller image of her on the front. This relates to the connotations of looking and concentrating on the good things in life. This is due to the fact that the long shot allows the audience to see her in a beautiful field that contributes to the idea that there is so much more to life, through the imagery and her music the audience are able to listen to the deep songs with hidden messages and look at the picture with her standing in wide spaces and be able to feel free just like Gabrielle Aplin. This is due to the fact that the beautiful, natural fields in her digipak allow the audience to be able to notice the world in more detail and know that there is more to life then what troubles them right now, as an audience it acts as a type of therapy which overall contributes to Gabrielle Aplins relationship with her audience as they appear alot more together and in union through the imagery on her digipak. In additions to this message of not 'sweating the small stuff' We see that the imagery on her two CD discs allow the audience to focus on the ordinary items which are the balloons and the umbrella. The use of these items and the colour of them relate to the idea that Gabrielle wants her audience to focus on the little things that are beautiful like a balloon in the sky or a colourful umbrella that may look special in the pouring rain. Either way the representation of these images encourages the audience to live everyday uniquely just like Gabriella Aplin and through the images on the digipak the audience are inspired to concentrate more on the natural and beautiful things that are often taken for granted.

The typography in this digipack differs on every side of the digipak this means that each font and style choice has a different meaning on the audience that is buying or considering to buy the digipak. On the front cover of the digipak the artists name 'Gabrielle Aplin' is in a larger, type writer effect font. Each letter is also capitalist which make her name stand out above all the rest. This is usual to the artist as it allows the audience to immediately recognise this digipak as hers. This means that loyal and consistent fans will be able to recognise the name of the album and continue on to buy it as they may originally be a fan of her music. In comparison to this if an audience member is not aware of the artist the focus on the artist name may cause them to research up about her resulting in them finding out information about her, if they are intrigued by the artist they may also go onto buying the whole digipak. The way her name is displayed by the typography is overall a great way to advertise as it portrays her as the priority. In addition to this we are able to see the album name 'English rain' directly underneath this italic font which relates to the style of the album name being English rain as it remains very vintage and almost girly. This particular font appeals to the target audience of the younger female age range as the font almost looks like handwriting that may be present in a diary. This appeals to that particular target audience as they are then inspired to read this 'diary' which are actually all Gabrielle Aplin's songs. Through the choice of font colour we are able to know that the songs on the album may have hidden message and contain raw emotions. This is due to the fact that the colour black often connotes the use of 'darker' and 'more depressing' themes which will ultimately relate well to this particular audience as they may relate well to the issues that Gabrielle sings about in her songs, stereotypically being about love and heartbreak, which are common themes in a young teenage girls life. In addition to this there is one slide of the digipak that has Gabrielle Aplin's signature on it, it is presented as 'Gabrielle X' which works well with her audience as they are able to feel apart of something special. The 'kiss' that she has added onto her name also adds to the personal touch that would appeal to the audience and persuade them into buying the digipak over the ordinary CD jewel case.

The style of language used in the digipak relates mainly to her album name as the overall look of the particular digipak is very organised and structured to appear as simplistic and natural as possible. The wording of the album being 'English Rain' relates to her target audience as she is typically aiming it towards a UK younger audience as she herself is British. This inspires the audience to buy the digipak as they look up to Gabrielle Aplin as someone who is very patriotic to there country, this allows them to idolise her and want to see her talent, just through the fact that she has incorporated her country into the style of the language. In addition to this the typical English weather is an element that will portray Gabrielle Aplin's digipak as alot more natural, supporting and celebrating the typical weather situation in the UK rather them twisting them into this 'perfect' environment. The audience will overall relate to this as they want to look up to an artist that is alot more genuine and truthful about there surroundings. They are also able to relate to her as a person not just as an artist as the weather is something alot of people moan about in the UK, which make the artist appear as though she is having an indirect everyday conversation with her audience. Which will cause them to relate to her more and buy into her music and spend slightly more on her digipak.

The music genre is presented in a particular way through this digipak as it allows an element of beauty to be present. The indie genre is typically seen as one of the most creative and unique genres as it allows artists to be more intimate with the audience through the used of particular shots and scenery in the music videos. This can be seen through Gabrielle Aplin's choice of location for the digipak to be shot in. The use of natural surroundings relate to the indie genre as it enables the audience to feel alot more at home with the setting. It is not somewhere hugely inaccessible to them as most towns do have a field or park to play in. This juxtaposes other genres as they may use very expensive and artificial locations that the audience will be unable to relate to. In addition to this Gabrielle Aplin relates to the music genre in her digipak as she involves pastel colours, they are stereotypical to the indie genre as they are still bright but are alot more gentle which connotes the overall atmosphere of the indie genre. If she was to use neon colours in the digipak it wouldn't have the same effect and relate to the dance genre more as they would use colours like that to try and enhance the clubbing scene. The artist also uses unique, but ordinary objects which relate to the indie genre as many vintage props that may be seen as 'junk' to some people are used heavily to create a more normalised setting in the indie genre. Finally as an audience looking at the digipak the floaty and delicate font relate to the indie genre as it displays the artist as being a lot more personal to there audience. These particular type of font relates to the indie genre as it allows the digipak to appear alot more natural and raw. Which connotes highly to the type of songs indie artists usually create. 

The arist, Gabrielle Aplin is also portrayed in a particular way, just through her digipak alone. The overall use of mise-en-scene in the digipak makes the artist appear alot more fragile. This is because although she is hiding behind the umbrella she is more exposed then every as she is promoting her digipak which contains very personal songs and messages about her private life in them. The audience will admire her for this and grow with her as an artist. The fact that she is displayed in neutral colours and locations allow her as an artist to be portrayed as 'normal' she isn't showing off her money in the digipak or create an unrealistic image of herself. She appears as someone who is down to earth, just through the digipak alone.

The audience can relate to the artist in a very inviting way. This is due to the fact that by Gabrielle Aplin's representation in her digipak the audience are able to see her as someone who is very intriguing. They notice her little quirky elements in the digipak such as the colouring balloons and umbrella and this pulls them in further into buying it as it is different to other artists that usually show themselves in the most attractive and glamorous setting. This results in the audience being able to look up to her as a role model and friend as she comes across 'normal', this is due to the fact that she doesn't express herself in any other way, she uses real life and everyday emotion to accumulate an audience instead of bragging about how much money she earns and how successful she is. Her audience members see themselves on a similar level as her, making it alot better to feel accepted, rather then being jealous of Gabrielle Aplin - the audience admire her normality and simplistic features of the digipak.

After analysing Gabrielle Aplins Digpak I am now more education on how an indie artists digipak should look. I am able to take not of all the codes and conventions that Gabrielle Aplin has used and apply them to my own digipak. These overall allows me to plan my digipak and take into account that typically my chosen artist isn't someone who uses themselves to sell there digipak. They don't use there selg image to appeal to the audience. I know this because after analysing my chosen artists digipak I have learnt that she tends to manipulate the setting, colour, typography and iconography used in the digipak to make it alot more original and individual instead of appearing as very proactive to sell the product. This is something I wish to apply to my own digipak as I will be able to incorporate alot of emotion, which will relate to my target audience as they are younger and heavily influenced on so having an artist which appears to be at the same level and share the same emotions as them will be successful for them and motivate them to buy the digipak.