It is first apparent that the Arctic Monkeys poster is in black and white. This is allowing the audience to recognise their brand, heightening their brand identity. With the text being in white and the background being black this creates the text to be the first thing you see when looking at the poster.The use of black is conventional for a indie rock band due to their lyrics being more serious, unlike most boy bands, the serious effect of black and white shows they are going against the stereotypes of a boy band and their target audience isn't young girls. Their target audience is also shown in the background as it shows teenagers and young adults, whom are mostly men. This poster could potentially appeal to other audience members who haven't heard the bands music before due to them feeling as if they would want to be within that crowd and enjoying themselves.
With Alex Turner being in the middle third of the poster this shows the audience that he is the main singer and would be what the audience would see most if they go to the bands concerts. It is again shown that Alex Turner is the main singer due to his head being in front of the text making him stand out even more. This could possibly represent how the other singers are less important and are pushed to the back.
Due to Alex Turner being in the centre of the poster the audience immediately identify that he is wearing all black, this intertwines the colour scheme of the poster with the main focus of the image. The black shirt and jeans represents to the audience that they are just normal men who focus mainly on their music and not their appearance. This could attract an audience who would wear similar clothing due to them feeling as if they can relate to the lead singer. These conventions within the Indie Rock genre when it comes to their appearance is what creates the uses and gratification theory to be applied towards their target audience.
For the Indie Rock genre it is conventional for their visuals promoting their concerts to be animated, this is seen in several indie bands such as Oasis in their poster from 1996. This therefore shows that Arctic Monkeys go against the conventions of the Indie Rock genre when creating their visuals for their concert posters due to the image being a photograph shot at one of their shows. This allows the audience to get a clear representation of what the show would be like. Due to them not sticking to conventions this signifies that the band isn't conforming to the outdated expectations of the Indie Rock genre and they are attempting to set modern trends.
This poster is effective due to the text saying 'Arctic Monkeys' being what takes up most of the visuals. It is also conventional for Indie rock bands to have the special guest being underneath the main bands name, this is also seen in Oasis poster for the 1996 Knebworth concert.
It is expected that the guest band is one who fits within the genre of Indie and Rock. The Strypes fit within the category of Mod Revival and Rock and Roll. This indicates that their music would appeal to the audience members due to their interest in Arctic Monkeys being that of a similar genre.
The font which states the bands name is in the same style as their original logo from their new album at the time 'Suck it and See'. This therefore shows to an active audience that the songs in which they will be singing will be new and lovers of the album would want to attend the concert.
The style and shape of the text being distorted adds an element of 'out of the norms'. This text is not conforming to what would be expected from an urban, pop band for example Westlife who use simple, standard text. This highlights how the Indie Rock genre are expected to be different and set their own conventions. The style of font to the text creates a free flowing, relaxed impression of the band, implying that their band specifically goes against what may people link rock and roll to. Therefore indicating that their band is set apart from the others and are more modernised.
The low angle shot of the lead singer allows space at the bottom of the poster for the tour dates. Due to the lower half of the poster being darker, the white text is clearly seen making it stand out for individuals to read easier. The low angle shot also heightens the focus onto the text and main singer due to it emphasising the scale of Alex Turner and his body language of him pointing, looking as if he is pointing towards the text, drawing more attention to the text.
‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s Exactly What I’m Not' Digipak Analysis
At the front of the digipak it shows a grown man smoking. This could be representing how the band identify themselves. The average, working class man appeals to their target audience as it allows them to feel that they can relate to the band due to the cover showing that the band are still normal people who are faced with problems as it shows the mans facial expression and body language looking as if he's stressed. Due to music being a form of escapism and the individual being shown to be stressed this again used the uses and gratification theory due to it appealing to members of the public who feel in a similar situation and will see the cover and relate to it instantly. With the image of the male being a mid/ close up shot this represents how band wants the emotion and action to be emphasised as this sets the overall atmosphere for the album. A mid/ close up shot is conventional when showing an individual within the indie rock genre due to emotion playing a large factor in the Indie Rock genre. Another factor which makes the mid/ close up shot effective is that it adds a level of mystery as to why the individual is feeling that certain emotion. An example of an Indie band which uses a mid/ close up shot of an individual on their album is 'Jake Bugg' in his self titled album.
Similar to their concert poster, the band uses real life images instead of animations which creates a more relatable album cover which could target other members who may not normally conform to the Indie Rock genre. An example of a band which doesn't show an individual on their album cover is Pink Floyd within their 'The Dark Side of the Moon' album cover released in 1973. This therefore indicates that it has been conventional from the early 70's that animation is what is expected from a rock band. Thus specifying how Arctic Monkeys have taken a modern approach to their album cover by using real life images to create a realistic, raw album cover which more people can relate to. This is effective due to the Indie Rock genre being a subgenre, this is allowing the band to conform to other audience members who listen to other genres of music.The colour scheme of black, grey and white again can represent how fame can be black and white, it could be explaining how fame is a hectic lifestyle and the only time they get by themselves they spend it smoking which again emphasises their rock and roll lifestyle. The different shades of grey, black and white reflect the type of style music they make, dark and deep, something completely different compared to the stereotypical 'boy band'. It is conventional for a Indie/ Rock band to use black and white within their album covers due to it mirroring the type of music they make. An example of a band which uses black and white on their album cover is The Hives within 'The Black and White Album'.
The bands name being in the top left in the style of a stamp can give further information on the individual shown. The blank background could suggest that he is having his passport photo taken and the stamp therefore linking to his many travels. Therefore explaining as to why his body language is as presented as he is tired of it all and no longer cares. This attitudes is what is expected from a rock band member. The font of the text is also something which is conventional within the indie rock genre due to it being something not often seen within mainstream album covers. The alternative style of font is what sets them apart from other bands and fits them within the alternative, indie category.
There is a clear link between the image of the man and the image covering the CD. The use of cigarettes creates the illusion of an ash tray filled with used cigarettes, this could be portraying how the band see their music as reckless and this therefore links to the conventions of the Indie genre. The significance of the alleged ashtray being full up again is emphasising the stresses an individual is faced with. Another aspect of the use of cigarettes is that smoking is addictive and bad for you, possibly like their music as it is stereotypically linked to rebelling and going through a 'phase' which is to go against what is expected from society. The lead singer mentions that the album’s name was named after a line in the novel ‘Saturday Night and Sunday Morning’. He also said "It’s good because the book is called Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and that's kind of what the album is. This quote emphasises how he wants his target audience to link their music to the chilled, harsh reality of a Sunday morning after a night out.
On the back of the album cover holds the copyright information which specifies the name and the address that represents the band as well as some further legal information. The placement of this small text is conventionally seen in many genres to be at the bottom of the album cover. On the bottom left there is also a barcode which is again seen to be kept on either the left or right hand side of the back cover on most album covers. The institution is shown at the bottom left of the album cover. The institution which is representing Arctic Monkeys is 'Domino Records'. Many other Indie artists such as 'Blood Orange' are signed with the label, meaning that an audience member will link the success from one artist to Arctic Monkeys.
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