A2 MEDIA STUDIES - GRACE SUITER
Record Labels - 15th September 2015
Island Records signs successful, worldwide artists including Ariana Grande, Hozier, Enrique Iglesias and Nicki Minaj. The simple and black and white colour scheme allows the logo to be easily transferred onto any record without the colours clashing. It also looks very modern and youthful which indiacates that the genre's/artists sign are generally appealing to young people. It is also quite simplistic which means that the logo doesn't distract attention away from the artist its promoting. On the other hand, the logo is effective and attractive to look at. The whole point of a record company is to promote the artist and release their music and having an attractive and appealing record label logo helps this. The main genre for this record label looks like pop, R&B, rap and other genres which appeal to 15-30 year olds.
Universal Music Group signs successful artists including Iggy Azalea, Maroon 5, Lady Gaga and Ellie Goulding. It has quite simplistic colours which allows the logo to be transferred onto any record without the colour scheme being an issue. The 'Universal' element of the logo suggests that the artists they sign are successful around the world and this then indicates that Universal is a successful label. This would then also suggest that they only sign artists who are popular and would make them vast amounts of money. The black sans serif font also looks quite sophisticated and gives the label a formal look, as though it only sings successful artists.
Sony Music is famous worldwide and has signed artists including Shakira, Calvin Harris and Avril Lavigne. These are all famous artists who have been incredibly successful worldwide. The white background allows the red stroke of paint to stand out. The red colour connotes danger and suggests that the record label are used to taking risks which then result in success. The red also stands out against other record labels which may attract the audiences eyes. The black serif font also stands out against the white background and make the record label look sophisticated and official. If the record label is presented as upmarket then they will be taken more seriously and only attract potential, successful artists. The paint stroke also looks unfinished but perfect which suggests that the label is forever improving but is constantly brilliant with the artists it has already signed.
SYCO is a joint record label between Simon Cowell and Sony Music and has a less formal appearance compared to the three previous record labels. I personally prefer the other three because I think this logo looks quite childish and unprofessional due to the bold, sans serif font. However, the white font with the gold outline stands out against the black background however the dark background makes the whole logo look quite dull and boring. The lack of an image also adds to the blandness of the logo, therefore our logo should defintely have an image which will be recognisable for the audience.
Virgin Records is a British record label who has signed succesful artists including Bastille, Ella Eyre, and Corinne Bailey Rae. The freehand sans serif font makes the record label look quite simplistic but still eye catching. The font colour is red and this stands out against the plain, white background. This makes the record label look striking and professional. 'EMI Records' is also in upper case, sans serif and is the second element of the label which is viewed because 'Virgin' has overall priority due to the substantial size difference. The typography is also in the centre of the logo and this highlights the importance of Virgin and additionally 'EMI Records.' There is also no additional image to support the typography which also suggests that the importance of the label is the artists they sign, as opposed to the logo they portray.
Overall, I prefer the more basic record labels with a logo, like the 'Island Records' logo and 'Sony Music.' Eventhough they are relatively simplistic, they still look professional and are eye catching. Out of all the labels I have researched I would definitely remeber Island Records and Sony Music the most, due to the individual logo and minimal amount of text. Therefore when we design our own logo I would like to base it on Sony and Island Records logos because they are the most memorable. Perhaps creating an original logo with an eye catching picture will be the best record label we could create. We want it to look professional but not too sophisticated because music isn't about being sophistiated, it's about being free and enjoying yourself.