We discussed the ways in which album covers meet certain conventions. In this case the conventions we expect to see on the front cover of an album are the name of the artist, the title of the album and an image of some description.
We also started to think about the codes that are contained within these elements of an album cover. The codes relate to how meaning is created or implied by deliberate choices made in the design process.
I asked you to look through the album covers and choose 3 that you are drawn to for some reason.
Your task was to take a screenshot of the contextual information about the album and download the image of the album cover itself. I then asked you to state whether or not the expected conventions of an album cover are adhered to before moving on to explain how the codes create meaning.
Here is an example for you using the Nirvana album ''Nevermind"
Nirvana "Nevermind"
'Nevermind" conforms to the expected conventions of an album cover as we can see the name of the band, the title of the album and an image.
Taking each of these elements in turn, we can deconstruct the codes to create meaning.
The most dominant element of the cover is the image of a baby boy swimming through water, apparently chasing after a dollar bill that is being pulled in front of him.
The baby could be seen to symbolise innocence and the dollar bill, grubby temptation. The image of an innocent baby swimming underwater greedily grasping after a one dollar bill on a fish-hook is quite a shocking one. The dollar bill on a hook is a fishing image but there is also an element of social commentary here. Once the baby is hooked on the concept of 'money' and 'wealth' will he be reeled in and caught up in a world of money and greed and readily accept the values of capitalism? Only a few years before "Greed is good!" was the motto of Gordon Gekko, the greedy capitalist from Oliver Stone's film, Wall Street from 1987.
Of course, the baby swimming underwater with its mouth open is not the only symbol of innocence on the cover: blue is associated with purity and water with baptism. Another interpretation is that the hook with the dollar bill on it may be periodically whipped away from the baby's reach.
The title of the album is typographically written in dark blue as if it is shimmering water; the album's name, Nevermind may well be setting up the teased baby's impending frustration at perhaps never being able to quite reach the wealth he will be taught to desire.
The positioning of the band's name and the album title in the bottom left hand is significant in that this allows the image to dominate the cover. The positioning also, of course, allows potential consumers to see the black text clearly against the blue background.
Ultimately, there is a greater irony at work here: the singer and his band still wanted their album to sell well - and make money for themselves.
