Conventions of pop rock album covers

1. Basic Conventions
Name of the artist
Image of the band
Name of the
album
Both of the album spines show the artist
name and the album name.
Barcode
List of the songs on the album
Record label
and other
copyright
information.

2. Paramore – Paramore (Self-titled album)
Camerawork:
A wide mid shot has been
used to show all of the
band members on the
front cover. This is
conveying the message
that all of the members of
the band are
important, rather than
just the lead singer if she
was the only one on the
cover. This is also
promotional for the band
as we are able to see the
band on the front.
Mise-en-scene (costume):
The band are wearing casual clothes which shows how relaxed they are as a band
which is shown through their music. Their clothes are covered in paint which is
similar to the music video to one of their songs, where in the end, the band was
covered in paint.
Design:
Dark colours have been used in the background and lighter colours look as
though they have been painted over it, such as the blue. The font used for the
band name and album title is the same as the font that the song titles have been
written in, giving the target audience a sense that this font belongs to the album.
Performance:
The band have serious
facial expressions which
connotes that even
though they love making
music, they take it very
seriously and their songs
are very meaningful to
them, and carry an
important message about
how they feel. This is
typical for pop rock bands
to show that they are
taking their music
seriously, whilst they are
enjoying making it.

3. Basic Conventions:
Band name
Album name
Image of the band
Image of the band
Band name and album title on both
of the spines.
Bar code List of songs on the album
Record label and
copyright information

4. McFly – Room On The Third Floor
Camerawork:
On both the front and
back covers of the
album cover, long
shots of the band are
used. This shows us
that they are all part of
the band and that they
are equal. This is
different from pop
groups as there is
usually one lead singer
who is more famous
than the other
members or the
backing band.
Mise-en-scene:
The background colours are very bright and colourful
which puts across a happy mood and theme to the
target audience. This mood would be conveyed in the
music that the band make. This is different to the
Paramore album, because instead of being more
rock, McFly made more pop music
Design:
A sans-serif font is used in the titles which
helps to convey the laid-back, fun, casual
mood that the band are trying to put across.
Mise-en-scene – Costume:
The band members are wearing very casual
clothing which shows how casual their music-
making was at that moment in their career. There
is a mixture of dark and light colours which
emphasises the pop rock image.
Performance:
The band members were
performing gestures that
would be common in young
people on the front cover to
make the album cover look
more interesting. On the
back cover, they look more
laid back and relaxed by
sitting in front of the van.

5. Basic Conventions:
Name of the artist
Image of the
artist
Album title
List of the songs on
the album
Spines have the album title and
the name of the artist
Copyright
information
Record label
Barcode

6. Demi Lovato – Don’t Forget
Camerawork:
On both the front
and back covers
of the album, long
shots are used to
show the artist.
This allows us to
see the whole
profile of the
artist, making her
performance on
the album cover
clearer.
Mise-en-scene (costume):
Demi is wearing mostly dark clothing which is contrasted by the white
jacket. This highlights the pop rock genre of music that is on the album. The
clothes that she is wearing makes her look quite hard-core, so people will
take her more seriously when she is making music of the pop rock genre.
Mise-en-scene (props):
Demi is holding instruments such as the
guitar and the microphone whilst sitting
on the speakers. This conveys her pop rock
style of music and makes her look hard-
core.
Design:
The font used for the
album title, artist name
and the song names is
very edgy and looks like
graffiti. This makes Demi’s
music seem more
rebellious and hard-
core, which is typical in
the pop rock genre. This
attracts the target
audience of people who
enjoy pop rock music.
Performance:
The artist is looking very confident by looking straight
at the camera on the front cover. Her stance makes
her look confident and rebellious which is
highlighting the genre of music that she has made.