Michael Jackson was a perfect example of this. As can be seen in this image, he is in his usual attire - a single white sparkly glove, his trademark sunglasses and his snazzy jacket. This look was associated with him while he was alive and is a part of what he is remembered for - this is his own image ('the Michael Jackson brand').
Branding also presents artists' image through music videos and/or album covers. One example of this is Iron Maiden's music video for 'The Number of the Beast'. In the opening of the video, grainy black and white footage of monsters are shown whilst the singer and the rest of the band are seen playing their instruments. Low-key lighting is used, as well as dry ice to show the 'creepy' feel of the song and video. However, once the song kicks in, the video becomes performance-based for the most part - with the only other references to the narrative coming from ballroom dancers (a contrapuntal reference to typical music video elements) and the appearance of the band's intimidating mascot (who is mostly present during the last part of the video). Grainy footage of fire and destruction is also present at certain points throughout the band's performance.
The image of an artist can also be shown by an album cover. An example is 'Sinner' by Drowning Pool. The cover depicts a woman with her eyes closed and her tattooed hand covering her face. This could connote her as the proverbial 'sinner' that the album is referring to - she has rebellious tattoos of fire on her wrist and may be under the influence of drugs. This may describe the genre and attitude of the band - heavy metal music (anti-authority) and stereotypical drug-users.
------Chris.
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