Step 1 -
• Firstly there are obvious linguistic signs embedded in this cover, one of which is his name, Asher Roth, at the top of the cover and secondly is Asleep in the bread aisle.
• There are also a number of iconic signs included which consists of the photo in general which denotes him lying in the bread aisle of what appears to be a supermarket. His clothing in general is an iconic sign and his facial expression which opposes and challenges the idea of breaking the forth wall and first person mode of address. The font is also included in this and how it is positioned. His name is in the biggest font, followed by the name of the album underneath. This allows you to start at the top of the advert with the image and follow his name down to finish with the album name. The font seems to be of a bold and masculine style which also looks playful and relaxed and is presented in a way that it could have been drawn on and shaded in with pencil.
• There is little non - representational graphic signs however there is a logo in the middle of the 'o' in his name.
Step 2 -
• The overall image combined with the text ‘asleep in the bread aisle’ adds to the stars meta-narrative and adds to his overall star image. The idea of him sleeping in a supermarket connotes his relaxed and lazy outlook on life and possibly his unusual and random nature. This may be look funny and cool to the target audience and consequently present the artist in a positive light. It could also be looked at in a rebellious sense due to the unusual and troublesome antics he is involved in which would surely not be encouraged or allowed in a supermarket.
• The fact that his non-verbal language also support this and confirms his laid back and easy going nature and also opposes the usual idea of first person mode of address and Dyers paradoxes, showing a sense of originality. However, this originality also introduces Dyers second paradox which suggests a stars image is ordinary but at the same time extraordinary. The fact that he is wearing young, casual clothing shows how he could be seen as a typical teenager and therefore similar to many of the target audience, but then the activities he is involved in and the unusual nature of this presents a sense of extraordinary actions, amplifying how different he really is.
Step 3-
• There are certain social myths and ideologies present in the cover that may appear subtle but do connote some meaning. Firstly his clothing is of a relaxed and youthful nature as he is wearing a grey hoody and what looks like red tracksuit bottoms, connoting a sign of relaxation and laziness. This challenges the common ideology of pop stars being wealthy and therefore being able to afford the latest fashion trends whether it is clothing or accessories to add to their star image.
• The colours in the advert also support this with use of greys and blacks and a other dull colours, which again signifies that boring and lazy ‘teenage’ outlook on life. The location used also could be seen and associated with a sign of rebellion as a local place like a supermarket is certainly not a place for people to sleep and would be look at as troublesome and wrong.
Step 4-
• This overall image of ‘coolness’ and rebellion is appealing to many of a particular audience. This image relates to his genre of music which is alternate/original and may encourage people not only to buy in to his music but also to feel like they are buying in to his image when purchasing his album or even buying a poster/advert.
• This creates a strong indexical sign and due to the overall representation of youthfulness, rebellion and originality may encourage audiences to believe that by listening to his music and buying his albums allows the artist and fan to connect and share similar values and beliefs as well as the style and image that is signified.
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