Research into Similar Products - Conventions of CD covers (front)

There will always be a main image on a CD cover, one that is dominant and draws attention. This represents the artists or bands unique image, whether it is an image of themselves or an illustration. Artists that do not use images of themselves on the cover make themselves seem more mysterious and create a deeper atmosphere.


Here are two examples of artists that have used images of themselves on the front cover. This makes it obvious who made the album and gives an indication as to what genre the music is.

Here are two album covers that have used alternative images as oppose to images of themselves. This makes the cover more interesting and eye catching but does not give an accurate representation of the music genre.

There will also be the artists name on the cover. This is to show who's CD it is and allows their target audience to recognise and remember the artist. Some artists may use initials and challenge the convention such as Marilyn Manson's cover.

As well as this, the album name should always be present on the album cover so that the audience can have an indication of what the album is about. The font style may represent the genre, for example - pop is usually a bubbly writing and metal is usually gothic and sharp. You can clearly see the genre of the following album covers: 

  

Many bands have a logo that carries them through their concerts, albums and merchandise so that fans can easily recognise that it is the band they love. 

Some popular and iconic ones are below: