Think of things past…think of things present..

And all that you can’t leave behind in your life.

Visual RhetoricCorie Beth McClusky

7th period

Corie Beth McClusky

7th period

•What do you notice first about the album cover?

•What is interesting about the cover?

What do you think you would see if the image expanded?

•Does the album seem

appealing to you? Why?

The first thing I notice in the picture are the four men. All of them have luggage that appear to be instrument cases.

The interesting thing about the cover is that the men are in an airplane terminal. You do not know what brings them there or anything.

I think that if the image was to expand and you could see further into the picture, one could see a busy town filled with cars and populated streets, houses, buildings, etc.

Yes, the album cover is appealing to me. It makes me wonder about the group of men. Why are they at the terminal? Where are they going? Many questions come to mind.

BackgroundU2 is a popular Irish band. They formed in 1976 in Dublin, Ireland. The four men that make up the band are Bono (vocals), The Edge (guitar and vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums and percussion).

Background (cont.)They have had several successful albums, such as The Joshua Tree (1987) and many more. The picture is for the album, “All That You Can’t Leave Behind.” It came out in 2000. This was their first CD since 1997. This CD was the complete opposite of U2’s recent music, but they left some of

Background (cont.)

Their old trends of music, hence the name.

Album Covers:

Every CD ever made has always had an album cover. Album covers help the consumer decide whether or not the CD in something they would be interesting in purchasing. Like book covers, an album cover is meant to catch the persons eye with its unique designs.

Point of View

The cover art of the album was taken by Anton Corbjin in the Charles de Gaulle International Airport of Paris, France. The focus is of the three men in the terminal. The foreground also covers the men, as well as their luggage. The background spans the top of the terminal and the woman with her child beside the reception desk.

AppealThe appeal can be best represented as pathos (emotional appeal). The picture is taken in black and white; the title helps to describe a moment in time that is memorable to you because you cannot forget it. Most black and white photos are from the past and have an impact in the future that the cover

explains.

Audience

Who does the title of the CD, “All That You Can’t Leave Behind,” pertain to?

All people.

Everyone has things that are part of their lives that can’t be forgotten because they are parts of them.

Technique; CompositionColor:

Black and white are mostly used.

These colors represent memories. You see old photographs taken in black and white. They are viewed by people today as highly memorable, which may be the purpose of why the album was taken in this color, not so many years ago, but still not recently.

Composition (cont.)

Framing:

The four men are framed by the large empty space around them.

Balance:

The men dressed in black are balanced with the white light in the back of the picture.

Technique; Detail Omission:

You see a terminal and in the background of the cover, there is a white light. I assume that to be the outside, or another part of the terminal where more light can be let in from the outside. This gives you more wonder of what is out there.

Detail (cont.)

Emphasis:

For me, the emphasis was of the men in the front. But for some of you, it may have also been the instrument cases on the floor, or even the title of the CD.

Font SizeThe largest font is at the top; the title of the CD.

The smallest font is in the background to the left. It looks like information to one of the terminal hangars.

Image source

www.hitfm.cri.cn/hitfm/artist/u/u2/image/02.jpg

Album Cover ArtCopyright: Anton Corbjin, 2000; Charles de Gaulle International Airport; Paris, France.