Beyoncé's album '4' is her 4th studio album initially released worldwide on June 24th 2011 by Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. In this fourth album, Beyoncé wanted to diverge away from her usual genre, contemporary popular music and so wanted to create an album in which she could fully express herself therefore recording and releasing songs in the rhythm and blues genre.
The image on the front of the album subverts the generic conventions of what is expected top be on the cover of a rhythm and blues album. Typically, on the cover of a blues album we expect to see some soulful singers and perhaps an instrument of some kind. Whereas on Beyoncé's album '4', she looks mildly sexually provocative in the sense that she seems empowering and fearless. This juxtaposes the genre and overall feel of the album but increases the overall appeal to the vast audience.
The cover for Beyonce’s album is striking and is clearly used to eccentuate her beauty. This is a typical convention of Beyonce's image she has created for herself. The striking image of Beyonce connotes that she is a strong and powerful woman which subverts the dominant ideologies that women are weak and vulnerable. Beyonce's edgy look and consistent sex appeal signifies that she appeals to both men and women. This is not just due to her amazing musical talents, but to her sex appeal. However, both of the images on the front and back of the album are rather fetishistic as several body parts are exposed and large proportion of her body is left uncovered.
The overall style of the album is simplistic, it uses basic images of the artist which creates an overall artistic feel. The background of the album is a pale pastel colour which connotes that Beyonce is pure and angelic which contradicts the image of her placed in front of the background. This is because she looks edgy and fairly raunchy. However, as the colours of her outfit stand out (deep purples and blues), it creates a feeling that she is in a way 'pulsating' off of the album as the two sections of the cover clash. This can be seen as a reflection of what type of music Beyonce creates, strong and beautiful.
Beyonce's album follows the typical conventions of what is expected to be on the cover of an album. For example, it has a barcode and has a spine. The spine contains the name of the album and the artists name. The back panel of the cover also includes the track names, how many tracks there are, the running order of the tracks, a large striking image, bold vibrant colours and Beyonce's logo.
The font style on both the front and back of the album is bold and striking, yet has an essence of beauty and a feminine appeal to it. The use of serifs reflects the genre of music the album is based around, soulful and meaningful. The overall typography of the album is the text is written in block capitals which diverges the listener away from focusing on Beyonce's sex appeal, and reinstates Beyonce's reputation as a strong and powerful woman.
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