PRINT PRODUCTIONS CASE STUDY- MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS 'ELECTRA HEART'
About Marina and the Diamonds ■Marina and the Diamonds are an indie pop band that originated in Wales due to the lead singer Miranda being Welsh. The band has been active since 2005 and still remains active to this day. Although the band are predominantly constructed as an indie pop band they are also known to be a Pop, Synth-pop, New Wave, Electropop and dance-pop band. They are mainly known in England but in recent years have branched out to America and are gradually becoming an international band.
Information about the Album ■ The album 'Electra Heart' is the second album from the band Marina and the Diamonds. Electra Heart was released on the 27th April 2012 and was released by the record label known as Atlantic Records and 679 people record company. Her second album showed how the band was moving away from one set genre which was displayed in their first album 'The Family Jewels' and into the New Wave genre which is similar to their current genre and recent album. The album Electra Heart album featured singles such as 'Primadonna' and 'How to be a Heartbreaker'. The album debuted at number one in the UK charts and it's sales in the first week recorded at 21,358 copies.
The Album cover for  'Electra Heart' ■Picture 1 is the album cover for Electra Heart by Marina and the Diamonds. As it is demonstrated in the album cover it is very similar to a polaroid picture because of the effects that have been put on it in post production. The font is readable and the picture is clear.
Analysing the front cover ■
The feature of the front cover is the lead sing Miranda using direct non verbal communication to connect with her audience. This could be to draw her audience's attention but also to coax her audience into buying the album. This is a form of promotion for the band by making the audience feel like they have a connection with the band. It could also be seen as a mode of persuasion which would reinforce the idea that they are trying to entice the audience into buying the album and promoting it on social media.
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The camera shot is a slight low angle which opposes the male gaze theory publicised by Laura Mulvey as this makes the males feel oppressed but also it does not conform to a convention of most female album artworks such as Rihanna who uses a low angle camera shot to conform to The male gaze theory therefore oppressing the women and making the males feel dominant. However, Marina and the Diamond's album cover makes the females feel empowered and the men feel weak.
Analysing the text ■ This album cover does not feature a large amount of text on it apart from the necessities making the piece seem slightly minimalistic. The title of the cd cover could potentially foreshadow the type of music that the audience will hear on the album. But it could also suggest how the artist has put her whole heart into the making of the album.The band commented on how Electra heart was actually a character as can be seen by the following quote ' She commented that she was inspired by the "Tumblr generation" to photograph herself in several places across the United States, appearing as a different persona in each picture to mimic the anonymity of the "mini-stars of the internet".[2] The final product became "a cold, ruthless character who wasn't vulnerable",[3] which she later named "Electra Heart" and detailed as a tool to represent a combination of elements associated with the American Dream and Greek tragedy'. ■ The positioning of the title of the album is almost eclipsed by the Band's name which is quite apparently much bigger than the actual title of the album. As well as this the font that the album title is in is not the most obvious font and is also not very readable compared to the Band name at the top center of the album cover. ■ The band's name has connotations of the lead singer being the star but also the noun diamond has connotations of posh and expensiveness which constructs the band to be classy and only suitable for a certain type of person.
Colours displayed in the album cover ■ The colours featured on the album cover for 'Electra Heart' are very monochrome and minimalist which connotes that the band are simple. It could also connote that their music is simplistic and not like other piece of music that are in the charts. ■ The colours of the album cover could potentially make the audience feel calm as there are no vibrant colours featured on the album but this effect could also be induced by the direct non verbal communication that the artist is showing who is also very monochrome due to the key lighting, back lighting and fill lighting which allows for there to be no shadows but it also makes the artists seem very pale skin. ■ The red lipstick that the artist is wearing could be foregrounding to the audience that the character she is playing is dangerous and could be seen as a femme fatale who cause chaos wherever she goes. The colour red normally has negative connotations surrounding it such as danger and warning. This could draw an audience towards the album as they may be curious about the type of music and the tone, themes are But because the rest of the album cover is monochrome, the red makeup stands out due to it being a lot darker then the rest of her such as her skin because it is pale white and de saturated.
Influenced artworks ■ This album cover could be influenced by minimalistic work produced by artists such as Susan Hiller and Ed Ruscha who both part take in creating minimalist art and are well known. Although the artwork isn't directly minimalist it does take different influences from them. ■ This art work could also take influence from other visual styles such as pop art and older visual styles from the Georgian times as the lead singer can be seen sporting a beauty mark.
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