Advert of a similar artist

Advert of a similar artist

 

In this post I will be talking about a similar artist, which is similar to the dance artist, which I am basing my music video on. The artist who I am basing my video on is Swedish House Mafia. I think that a similar artist to my artist is Calvin Harris as I think just like Swedish House Mafia as they all mix dance music in with other genres, and they both present dance music in a unique way.

 

Representation of music artist

I think Calvin Harris is represented as being a very unique artist through the way he resents himself and the devices which he uses to do this. I think that through devices such as colour that Calvin can be portrayed as a quirky and expresses person, I think that this is due to the colour yellow which a bright colour I think that this could is then connote that he wants to be a bright person and that he wants to stand out.   I also think that the use of the iconography which is used on this advert also helps to add to the music genre as sunglasses is something which is worn outside in the hot weather when it is sunny. This could then connote the whole idea of partying in the summer or going to sunny holiday, and party islands, as they could then be worn in the sun there as well. But it is also common to see a lot of artist wear sunglasses in night clubs where it is dark, and sunglasses are not needed but are worn anyway this is a swag which is often carried by a lot of different dance artist it is also very conventional.  

 

Connotations of the advert

Some of the connotations of this advert are, very bright this could show that Calvin Harris wants so stand out from the rest of the artist which are in the dance industry. I think that this is conveyed through the use of the colour yellow as it is so bright, and stands out a lot. This is also a colour which is not used that often, but is still a conventional dance colour. I think that this advert also has quite a modern connotations to it, which is a very digital connotations I think that this is convyed through the use of the font as it is quite futuristic I think that this could then be linked in with the future as well as it is likely that the future could be quite digital, and I think that the use of this font conveys this. I think that this could then be linked in with the idea of a new dimension of music, and technology which has been brought into the music industry, and I think that Calvin Harris is showing that he wants to do that; bring new music into a new world.

       

Colours and connotations

There aren’t really that many colours used on this advert. There are two main colours which are yellow and black. These are used for all of the advert the only other colour which is used is white. The background colour for this advert is yellow, the shade which has been used is a very bright yellow, I think that this has a range of different connation’s some of which being the use of the colour yellow is very bright I think that this then makes the advert stand out more, so that if this was put up on display somewhere then it would attract people to look at the post I think that this is a very good colour to use as traditionally this colour is not used a lot when for posters for artists. I also think that the colour yellow conforms to the dance genre as well, and Calvin Harris is a dance artist, thus I think that this has a large effect on the people which see the poster as they might notice instantly that this is a dance poster through the brightness of the poster. The colour yellow may also be a trademark colour for Calvin Harris, this could be a way of making himself standout more, this could then mean that when people see this brightness they know instantly that the advert may be for Calvin Harris. I think that yellow is a colour which does stand out a lot I think that this could then connote that Calvin Harris wants to stand out in the music and dance industry, and that he wants people to notice his music, I think that he has taken this in a more literal form where he has actually used the bright colour so that people do then notice him, also I think that the colour is so bright that this could then force people to see it even if they didn’t want to, but due to the brightness people are attracted to it. Thus this could lead to people listening to his music. I think that another reason why he may have used the colour yellow may be so that yellow is a colour which is often related to the colour of the sun. I therefore think that this could then be a way of showing that Calvin Harris wants to be the sun of the music industry or at least the sun of the dance music industry. The sun is something which is bigger than all of the other planets and provides light to all of them. I think that this may be something which Calvin Harris may want to do in terms of other artists as he may want to shine some of his musical talents through to other artist. I think that this could be done through collaborations with other artists, in and out of the dance genre. I think that the colour yellow and its connotations of the sun could also mean that Calvin want to have an impact on the rest of the dance industry, I also think that this is further influenced by the use of the sunglasses which Calvin Harris is wearing. Another colour which has also been used is the colour black. This is used for the font which is on the advert and is used for some of the shading on Calvin Harris’s face, and on the glasses as well. The reason why the colour may have been used is because it stands out on the yellow background, and makes his name stand out; it also makes the front look bolder. The colour black also connotes power and darkness; this could then relate back to the idea of Calvin Harris dominating the music industry and dance industry and showing that he has a dominating manner over the industry. I think that this could then relate back to the idea of the sun being the biggest, this shows that Calvin Harris wants to be the biggest and could think that Calvin Harris might want this to be his biggest album out now. The black has also been used for the outline of Calvin Harris’s face, this makes his face stand out on the page, and adds some definition to his face, and make him look bolder. I think that the use of the black on his face could show that this power which he has over the music, and dance industry, conveying that this is a power which is within him and isn’t man made. I think that it is also showing that he has always had this power and this potential to have this dominance in the market has always been there, i think that this is further shown as the use of the black colour is in his hair which shows that this dance and music passion has always been a part of him. Then around his eyes and the lower part of Calvin’s Harris’s face there is the black again this helps to show that this natural power has always been in Calvin Harris. There is also the use of the colour white this is used for the colour of Calvin Harris’s face, i think that this helps to show the light, and the brightness which comes from being apart from of the media. As i think that the use of the white helps to convey the flash of the light which goes off when a camera is used, i think that the use of this helps to convey to the audience that the flash of the camera has just flashed in his face. I think that the use of all of these colours helps the advert to look a little cartoonish and i think that this is then transferred to the audience and makes it look really modern. I think that this helps to reflect the swagger which the Calvin Harris wants to show. I also think that the use of the bright colours also helps to make Calvin Harris stand out, so that people then notice the advert and attracts people, and makes them want to look at the advert.                  

 

Choice of images

There is only one main image which is used on this advert. This is the image of Calvin Harris’s face. I think that this is used to make the advert look really simple and make it obvious that the advert is about him and could be promoting his new album. I think that the use of only one image helps to convey the whole idea of Calvin Harris being a powerful artist and is therefore showing his face to the audience. I think that dance artist don’t tend to show themselves during their own music videos, so I think that buy having a large image of the artist on the front on the advert could immediately attract the audience to look at the poster. As sometimes when dance artist do star in their videos they are not the main person in the videos they more often or not play a cameo in their own music video. So I think that by having Calvin Harris on the front of the advert then makes him stand out more, as I think it makes Calvin Harris more of a statement, as he looks bolder. I also think that this plays into the idea of the artist (Calvin Harris) being the face of this album, I also think that this is a really simple way of just showing that this is his album. Also a lot of artists convey themselves in more of a sexual way on the front of their album covers to help to look a like more desirable and attract people to buy the album. But I think here Calvin Harris has kind of played on the idea of this, and instead of having a really sexual and attractive image of himself on the front cover, or use the notion of looking to make it look like it is a natural picture which has been taken, Calvin Harris has decided to do this differently. But applying more of a comic feel to his album and by looking directly into the camera, this could show that is then addressing the audience and is connecting with him. I think that this could then show that he is different artist, in a sense that he hasn’t gone for the conventional dance genre, which usually has different graphics on the front of their albums, or themselves. This image is also not a natural image, it is picture of his face but it has been manipulated and made to look a little like a quirky, and cartoon like. I think that this then makes his face look a little bit more modern, and convey that the type of music, which he is producing, is fresh. I the picture Calvin Harris is also wearing these glasses, I think that this is good iconography as these are a pair of sunglasses which have been worn in more than one of his music videos, and are often associated with Calvin Harris. He is wearing them in this image of himself. I think that this shows his unique style, and how he likes to stand out from other artist, which is also in the industry. They have also been manipulated I think that this is done to show that the glasses are apart of Calvin Harris, hence why they have been changed as well. 

 

Typography 

The use of the font which has been used on this advert is used to reflect Calvin Harris and the album. The largest font which is used is almost like a digital front, which is something which is often used on digital alarm clocks. Where the front is all made up of lines to made the words. I think that Calvin Harris has used this to convey the digital world which is music comes from. I think that this could show off some Calvin Harris’s personality, by conveying him to be someone who love technology. I also think that this could also connote that a lot of his music is generated by using other elements and a lot of technology to get his music up to a good standard which people enjoy and listen to. I think that by having this as the largest font and also having Calvin Harris’s name in this font could then reflect him as a person showing that he likes the whole digital theme. I also think that the use of the capital letters and the hard lines could also bring the seriousness to the album, as the artwork which has been used on the front is quite comic, I think that the front then brings back that seriousness to the album, that this is the release to his new album, this is his name, and his music. But then I think that the use of the cut off edges at the end of the letters which help to create the curved lines for some of the words. I think that this could then connote the idea of people dancing, and the curved edges showing the flexibility which someone moves as when someone is dancing they wouldn’t just move straight. I think that the use of this front could also suggest that conform and further enhance the idea of the electro dance genre which Calvin Harris produces a lot of music for. So I think that there is a connection there between the electronic music and then electronic appliances where that same style of font is used. There is then another front which is used again this very much conforms to the same electronic genre and theme again. But this front uses a lot of little squares, like tiny ones, which have all been joined together, to make the font. This font is a lot more curved, but still looks very digital, the font is also a lot thicker and bolder compared to the front which has been used for Calvin Harris’s name. This front is used to give the audience information about the name of the new album and the date which the album will be coming out. This font gives the impression that this font has also been taken from a digital appliance. Again just like the name of the artist all of the words and the fonts are all in upper case, so capital letters. I think this is so that it makes the writing easier to read for the audience, I also think that this makes the writing stand out a lot more, this could then catch the eye of the audience. For example if this was a poster which was up at tube station and someone was about to get on a train then they may see this ad, and be able to read it even if they are in a rush. There is not a lot of information on the font of this advert, just the necessary information which the audience would need to know like when the album is coming out. I think that the idea of Calvin Harris having so much power and such a presence in the music industry is enhanced where is says ‘I CREATED DISCO’ Then in a slightly smaller font there         

 

Style of language

The style of language which has been used is very simple and direct. One of the reason why this is an advert so people don’t usually spend that much time looking at the adverts as it is just something they tend to just see while on the move or while traveling as it is something which they would walk past. Therefore the purpose of the advert as to be simple and bold so that it can then stand out more. So that people can the messages straight away without them have to read the whole advert. Another reason why there might be the use of minimal writing might be to convey the message to mas many people as possible, for example if this was an advert which was up at a train station or a bus stop and someone was to see it and they didn’t really speak that much English then it might be likely that they would be able to work out what the advert is about, and what it is promoting, through the use of simple wording, and bold lettering. I think that this is made the most clear from the words ‘The Album’ and then the date which is next to it. I think that this couldn’t have made is simpler what the advert is about. There is other text which is on the advert but again this is just simple text, just the name of the artist which tells the audience who the album is for and then the name of the album, so that people know the name of it if they wanted to go and buy it, and the date which it comes out, again making it clear when the audience is able to go out and buy the album themselves. Below this there is other text, but this is quite small. This could show that it is not as important and is not immediate information which people need to know. This is just the name of some of the songs which are on the album, this could come in handy as just a little reminder to tell people what is on the album, this could also help as if someone knew the name of a song which they liked but didn’t know the artist, but then saw this advert with the song on it and saw the name of the artist then this could then see who sings the song which could then encourage them to buy the album. I think this is just a good little remind to tell the audience what songs are on this album, and then number one hits and the most popular. I think that this is again for people who may have a little more time to read the advert, this will give them a little more to entertain them and keep them company, it is also just a little more for them to read.  

 

How does the advert promote the artist?

One way which I think that the advert promotes the artist is by having an image of the artist on the front of the advert as this helps the audience see the artist and see him in a different light. I think that this then shows the audience what the artist looks like and could then encourage them to want to buy the album. I also think that through the use of the colours and the text, which helps to convey the style and the swag of Calvin Harris this then helps to show the audience he looks likes and the type of style and artist which he is. I think that the use of the design also helps to convey the dance, electro theme which Calvin Harris is a part of.

 

How does it promote the music genre?

I think that one of the main ways which this advert promotes the music genre is through the use of the colours and the use of the front which has been used on the advert. As it makes it clear that this is an advert for a dance genre, as the front is one which is commonly associated with the dance genre. I also think that this also makes it obvious that this is for the electro genre, through the use of the square front which conveys that type of dance and electro genre. I also think that the use of the sunglasses which Calvin Harris is wearing illustrates the dance and electro genre, as it is common in dance and electro music videos to see a lot of the artist wearing sunglasses even though they are inside. I think that this could then further enforce that idea of the dance genre which this music advert is for.

 

How does it attract target audience?

I think that one of the main ways which this music advert attracts its artist is through the simplicity. As it makes it look like the audience want to know what the poster is about, and could therefore attract them to want to find out what the advert is about. As all that is on the advert is the name of the artist and an image of Calvin Harris’s face, then there is also the name of the album and the date of the release. I also think that the use of mise-en-scene also attracts the audience, through the use of iconography. This is through the glasses which Calvin Harris is wearing, as these are glasses which have been used in more than one of Calvin Harris’s music video’s therefore I think that this could then attract the audience as they could want to know more about the poster and what it is about. It could also encourage then to look at the poster, as he is wearing those iconic glasses and may want to know why. I also think that this could then encourage the audience to want to know why his eyes are covered. I also think that because DJ artist don’t tend to feature themselves in their own music video therefore Calvin Harris could then stand out more because his face is so big on the front of the advert, therefore people could then notice the advert more and could encourage them to look and read the advert more.    

 

This is just one example of a similar artist to Swedish House Mafia. I have looked at a whole range of different aspects to analyse the advert and the graphics which have been used on the advert, the reasons why they may have been used and the what affect this then has on the advert, in terms of if it serves its purpose.