Imagery

The image used for the front cover is a black and white photograph that depicts Lady Gaga wearing a blond wig and a black jacket. The dark theme of decay also relates to the title of the album (The Fame Monster) which is mostly a representation of how fame alters a person. The fact that the image is in black and white not only denotes class, but also links to the dark aspects of fame which gives the overall result a sense of fear. The artist is also represented as she stares blankly and directly at the audience, her serious look making her seem almost like a doll. Therefore, her emotionless state is directly linked to how stars have to behave in order to be famous, which is to detach from their emotions and devote themselves to their fans. The fact that her mouth is not shown could also mean that fame sometimes controls how you have to behave or talk, which makes the overall result even more frightening.

Lexis and house style

The typography of the CD is presented in a rather simplistic way as the font used is scarcely decorated with anything. The fact that the words are represented with bold not only implies confidence but also encourage people to focus on the music, rather than on anything decorative. The fact that the letter “t” in the word “monster” is in a form of a cross brings religious imagery to the packaging, which could be interpreted as the artists’ fear of sinning, as she experiments the pleasures that fame can bring (alcohol, drugs, sex) .

The back of the CD The back of the CD also includes a picture in the

same style as the one from the front cover with the artist sporting what looks like her natural brown hair. The heavy eyeliner used is also running down her face, which almost makes her look like she is crying with “black tears”. This reinforces the dark aspects of fame mostly because it shows her unable to cry, the eyeliner being the only way to show her true feelings. As in the previous picture, the artist is again, looking directly at the viewer, however with a rather melancholic face. Compared to the cover photo, this image shows the artist looking more human which gives continuity to the picture because both picture represent the ying and yang.

Although the main focus seems to be on the photograph, the back also includes the content of the 2 CD’s from the package, which are clearly represented by a white font. The clarity of the overall image gives the product more value, mainly because it shows respect to customers.

The inserts In terms of the inserts, the album includes a small

booklet which includes various photographs that reinforce the theme of “fame”. The photographs mostly include fashion image shot in a studio in which the singer is dressed in exaggerated garments. Additionally, the booklet also includes the lyrics of every song from the album, this elements being rarely met in albums. Again, this makes the overall product have more quality, mainly because it gives more merchandise to the viewer. The booklet also includes a “thank you” note to various people in her life, this giving the album a personal touch which makes her fans connect with her. Like in the other booklets from other artists, the booklet includes the names of all the people that helped in the making of every song.

The CD is also very simple, as it only represents the house style similar to the one found on the front cover of the album. The house style covers almost the entire surface of the CD which reinforces the fact that the music is much more important to the artist rather than the decorations found on the packaging.