H409 Artist Research

My artist research is on Ed Sheeran and the brand he has created for himself.

What does he stand for?

Ed Sheeran stands for positivity and supporting others. In the vast majority of his songs, there are lyrics that state how you should help and love people, because it is the right thing to do. He also believes that people shouldn’t worry about image that much, and instead focus on being the best self they can be.

What symbols/icons are synonymous with him?

Ed Sheeran is often associated with maths symbols due to him naming his albums after them, the most popular of these being ‘Divide’. A guitar is also often associated with him because he writes and plays all of his own music; although many artists play the guitar, Ed Sheeran is hardly ever seen without his.

Which products do they endorse and how does this reinforce their brand identity?

Ed Sheeran often promotes other artists’ songs if he enjoys them, but he never does paid promotions; this is because he doesn’t want to encourage people to buy a product if he doesn’t believe in it or just because a famous person said that it is a good product. He promotes other artists’ songs that he enjoys because he believes in supporting people in any way possible.

Which words do you associate with him and why?

‘Romance’, ‘love’ and ‘positivity’ are often associated with Ed Sheeran. This is because he promotes the importance of these things in his music. The word ‘normal’ is also often associated with Ed Sheeran because he is very down-to-earth and humble; he often posts photos of his wife and cats, and he dresses like any normal person would do and all of this contributes to his brand of humility, love and positivity.