Digipak Research

This was the first cover for the album that the Arctic Monkeys released “Whatever people say I am, that’s what I’m not” in 2006. It features an ordinary looking man smoking a cigarette. It is a mid close up shot and it is in black and white. This is part of their marketing strategy as they want their fans to feel the image is relatable. The album cover does not show the title. It displays the band name as if it is a sticker placed on the album in a font that is reminiscent of the 70s, the era in which the band grew up. 

The album cover is unconventional. This fits with the branding of the Arctic Monkeys at the time because the audience wanted something different that did not feel manufactured by the music industry. The image is not aspirational, this ties in with the branding of an authentic band that focuses on realism. It also goes against convention as the album cover does not feature a photograph of the band which shows confidence in their fan base and emphasises their brand, that this is all about the music and not their look. The main character smoking gives a rebellious connotation which fits with their brand of being the opposite of being a manufactured boy band. However it does fit with the conventions of an Indie rock album because it is a minimalistic simple style. It is all about what is inside the cover, the music, and not about the look.

We started nothing was the debut studio album by an English indie pop duo the Ting Tings, released on 16 May 2008 by Columbia Records. The group are from Salford, Manchester.  The music has an anti establishment vibe.

The album cover doesn’t feature the band members which suggests that the music is more important than who is performing it.  This fits with the indie genre. The front cover displays two drum sticks which suggests that these are real musicians, that the authenticity of the music matters.  The name of the band is displayed on what resembles a torn label, which suggests a certain rebelliousness.  It is also displayed prominently in the middle of the album cover which means that they do not have a recognisable brand yet. The hands with “we started nothing” written in pen give it an indie look so that it does not look manufactured or over stylised.  The cut out of the hands look like they have been ripped out of a magazine which is also very indie..  The colour scheme is vibrant with red, blue and yellow and will be eye catching for a new band, especially an indie band as they will not be as well known as mainstream big artists and the album would need to stand out in a shop. Overall, the design is simple and its simplicity makes it stand out. 

The back cover has a messy vibe, that adds to the indie non conforming style.  The artists are shown on the back cover, this might be because it is their first album and it promotes them.  It is unconventional. The font used is very indie, it has a hand drawn quality as if someone scribbled the track titles.