Typography: Ancillary Task

An important aspect of album artwork, Typography accounts for about 50% of communication of an artist in the small space of an album, provided of course, the potential customer hasn't got a preconceived impression of the artist, which living in our time is practically impossible. Not only does it provide an important first impression (most important with début albums), but must also encapsulate the "feel" of the music whilst in-keeping or moving onto another period in the meta-narrative. 

Typography is the "style and appearance" of print. 

In order to achieve a successful result, typography and iconography must work hand-in-hand. In class today we analysed the relationship between the album cover (specifically typography) and the music being played to us. Below, are my personal examples of a mixture of artists who are both know and unknown to myself.

1.   Martin & James

On a brief viewing I would guess the genre of the artists to be indie/acoustic/country/blues genre. 

Iconography 

Using a vintage filter evokes a vintage feel for the album, perhaps something taking influence from artists of the seventies/sixties. The filter also complements and accentuates the golden/summery hues of the natural area surrounding them. A natural backdrop as opposed to an urban one will connote to something "hippy" for lack of a better word, mirroring the natural and acoustic tone of the album. If I could pick another album reflecting a similar mood, it would be Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Heroes: 

 I also think, the placement of instruments make an artist appear more serious about their music stupid as it sounds. When you get used to identifying your artist with their "instrument" you start to think of the two together. It also makes them seem more involved with the music making process rather than just providing lead vocals or a pretty face. Just as colour, the choice of instruments- guitar and walking drum help reflect the folk/acoustic genre since they are often associated with it. 

The clothing worn on the cover is stylish without being too striking or straying from the down-to-earth feel of the album. The scarf, Joseph-collared shirt, the blazer all look like something folk singers would wear, reflecting a by-gone era and harmonised folksy songs. 

Typography 

The font strangely enough reminds me of smoky pubs with natural acoustic guitar vibrating through a crowded room which, for me, adds to the down-to-earth representation of the band. Perhaps this is due to the dark brown hue of the font as well as the additional embellishments of the "and" for example. I think the the curl of the letters "J" and the "N" soften the sans serif font and make it appear vintage. Had the font been completely block capitals without embellishment the duo wouldn't come across as being folk-y/acoustic-y as much as being simple singer-songwriters. For some odd reason, the fonts used for acoustic guitar companies also come to mind and help create this acoustic/folk vision of the duo in my mind. I'm also not sure why, but I would immediately associate the artists as being British, Irish or Scottish singers. The nature + the folksy clothes + European names + acoustic guitar font and instruments all add up to an Irish/Scottish/British representation. This is perhaps due to the recent (starting 2009) explosion in the UK of seventies/folk bands such as Mumford and Sons, The Lumineers etc..

Well-known guitar companies, mainly known for making acoustic (electric) guitars and used by many folk/acoustic/indie/country artists: