Garth Brooks - In Pieces.
This CD is different to those many people see on a daily basis as Garth Brooks is a country artist residing in Nashville.
Robbie Williams - Greatest Hits. (Left)
This is an example of another males CD back cover which has a list of the track titles.
Gary Barlow - Since I Saw You Last. (Right)
This back CD cover also includes a list of the tracks along with a picture of the artist.
However, the problem with these two CD's covers when comparing them to Garth Brooks, is that although both male artists, they fall under the category of pop artists in the UK.
Taylor Swift - Red.
The back cover of this CD is similar to that of the two above but is still a list of the tracks and a picture of the artist.
Taylor Swift is a better artist to use when comparing to Garth Brooks because although she is female, she is an American artist and is sometimes considered to be a country artist.
Carrie Underwood - Country Christmas.
This CD cover uses the same conventions as many others by using a list of the tracks.
However, this is also a slightly unconventional aspect as it is written in script rather than solid block letters as many other artists use.
Although, this could be recurring so that Nashville production company can help make their artist stand out in the crowd.
This collection of CD covers, shows that one conventional aspect of a CD is that the tracks are listed on the back cover along with a picture of the artist also on the back.
The title of the Garth Brooks album is 'In Pieces' which may be the message shown by the unconventional back cover as it is different and away from people would expect. In the crossword, it also has black spaces, the original reasons for this is the same as a normal crossword which is to show that it is more than one word and to keep to the colour scheme of Black and Red. However, it could link back to the fact that Garth Brooks himself may be 'In Pieces'. The crossword isn't numbered to indicate the order in which the tracks appear on the CD, this is also an unconventional aspect of the back of a CD cover.
The continuity onto the front of the CD cover can be shown through the squares which have been placed on top of Garth Brooks' image, possibly linking to the squares of the crossword. Continuity is also shown through the colour scheme they have chosen, as in the image Garth Brooks is wearing a Black and Red checkered jumper which is replicated into the colour of the squares that surround the main image and carry the red background onto the back of the CD cover.
The colour of Red has many different representations that could be different to every single person whether it be good or bad, but the effects of the colour is almost always the same. It is stimulating to the physical senses and the deeper passions within the individual whether it be; love, courage, hatred or revenge. Due to the overuse of Red to mean danger, most individuals will unknowing release more adrenaline and it may inspire us to take action. The colour, almost demands attention as you are drawn to the colour as it is the universal colour for danger. However, the colour can also be assertive and aggressive which could affect the individual negatively.
When the structure of the wording isn't straight forward, as rather than written words they have placed the letters strategically separated and on first look it could be difficult to read. This could be why the font that has been used is a very simplistic font which is very easy to read. The size of the letters on the front cover are roughly a quarter of the size of the square that they are placed in, this may be because it can show more of the image and so that it doesn't look as though the cover is crowded with information.
The image is placed in the centre of the front cover which shows that Garth Brooks is the obvious focus of this CD cover. This is also shown by the fact that the letters placed around the image as not to obstruct the focus. For example, the A and R of Garth are placed on either side of where his hat sits.
