I showed a friend of mine the current style of my ancillary work, she said that it was really nice and it was showing great progress but she advised me to not use a landscape image for the front cover as it wouldn't really go well with the back. She said she liked the graffiti'd image at the back, she likes the colourful look so far and she can tell the personality of the duo through the pictures that i have used.
With this feedback I have decided to re think the whole of my front panel. In the beginning my idea was to have a landscape image that covers the whole side, have the duo next to each other with a white outline on top of that and have the album title on the bottom left hand side, now I think I'm going to my my background black so it would make the colours stand out a lot more, Have pictures of the duo's head and shoulders back to back of each other with a white outline and have the graffiti image I have used for the back panel on the front panel but make the opacity low so the main focus is on the image of our duo.
Thursday, 19 December 2013
Front cover of my Digipak
I decided to use this picture as my front cover as it shows the two artist equally and there is good use of our synergy of the sunglasses. Also i likes the contrast of colours used and will reflect this onto the Font.
I used this type of layout to show the artist and the album name. Sticking to a theme of black and orange to reflect a nice contrast with the album cover (photo).
Overall, this is what the front of my cover looks like, I am happy with it as even though it is quite simple, it shows the artist distinctly and the artist name is big and noticeable along with the album name slightly smaller. This sticks to the convention of an album cover as the artist name is the biggest text.
These are the fonts that i have in mind for my ancillary product. I chose these fonts because with my album cover i want a kind of Urban theme and i think that these fonts will be suitable for that.
Colors
Because the majority of Pop albums often use quite bright colors I plan to do the same thing. Although in the list of Do's and donts it stated that you should only use 3 main colors, I plan to use a graffiti'd image that includes a lot of different colors and keep my font white.
Layout
On the back of the Digipak I plan to have the Graffiti image covering the whole space. I then plan on having white or red font which will be the track listing, this will either be on the far left or the center of the back page. On the front will be a skyline of London and a cut out of the duo with a white border placed on the right. The title of the album 'Excuse My Rude' will be placed at the bottom left of the cover and at the top will be the XO banner that appears in the music video, the one with the red background and Transparent text. I also plan to use this for the magazine advert
These are the images that I plan to use. My idea for these images is to outline the figures, separate them from the original background then add a white background to them with a slightly bigger width so they look like scrap book pieces, Im going to use this technique for the images that have the duo in them i.e. the images with just Tina and Zara, individually and together. The image where they are back to back will be the image that is going to cover the whole of the inside of the digipak & the graffiti image is the image that i will use for the back.
Front and back cover of my digipak, displaying the artist, XO and the track list on the back with the company label, barcode and record company rights/agreement.
This is the inside of the Digipak , where there will be a picture going across of the artist shown in a distinct way to show the creative, funky side of the artist. The picture will also go over the cd as a part of it.
A rough layout of the advertisement to show off the artist which will be found in a number of pop magazines.The bottom right hand corner shows a picture of the artist but this is now going to replaced with the actual debut album.
The Genre of music that they specialize in is Pop music which is the Genre of music our artist specialises in, You can see by the digipak that they are appealing to the Pop fans, this is mainly through the colour scheme and mise en scene of images. Pop music is Often listened to by young girls, The albumums colour scheme is Pink and white, two colours that girls really like, to add to this there are pink flowers. Flowers can be seen as something that girls like and again because of the colour scheme they are pink (which appeals to girls). Also the artist reaches out to the audience as well in these Images. She symbolizes what a pop star should look like, pretty with make up and jewelery and long hair wearing a pretty dress, this would appeal to girls because that is what girls want to be like. Lastly the Glow, the glow adds a nice touch to the album and makes it look pretty and that is often what pop albums are supposed to look like, 'Pretty'.
One Direction
One Direction is one of the worlds most known Pop Bands, Just like Selena Gomez, there fans are predominately female. Even though they are a boy band and they have produced a digipak that is boyish to represent themselves, they have also ensured that their album appeals to their core female fans at the same time. The album spells out the pop Genre, The image is Funny and the boys look like they are having fun and that's what pop music is all about, Having fun. Also the bright colours and the font add to this as they work well with the image to create the 'Pop Album' feeling.
A Digipak is important to the music industry because it serves as a Luxury Item for them to sell the artist. They are also used to make an Identity for an Artist, If we take Katy Perry's Digipak for example, It conveys the image that she is trying to portray ' The Candy Girl', we see her lying in a cloud that is supposedly Candy floss and we see 2 CD's, one in the style of a donut and the other a lolly pop.
Although these are exspensive to produce compared to MP3's, there is still a space in the market for them.
Digipak's are also important to the core fans who want an item that is totally related to the artist, it serves as a physical connection to the artist the video below kind of expresses this.
This is the Digipak that I created for the practice summer work we did earlier this year. I think the strengths of this Digipak is the layout, Colour scheme, Font and Image. The two Font's that I chose to use worked really well together, the 'Madonna' font gives the digipak an edgy style whereas the 'Vogue' font makes it slick and smooth and I feel as if they both work well together and represent the artist. I think the layout was strong because of its simplicity, no extra bits were addedand all that you needed to know was clearly shown, and I feel the choice I made to cut out the artist from the original image and add an effect that goes with the colour scheme was a good idea because it makes the digipak look really nice.
One of its weaknesses was not adding all the labels, usually on the back of an album cover it has a bar code and the logo of the record company and although i remembered the barcarole I forgot about the record label, I also forgot about the serial number that usually goes on the strip in the middle. Another thing is the audience, when i was creating this digipak I was only thinking about weather it looked nice or not, I forgot to think about weather it would appeal to my audience or if I could design something that appealed to all audiences.
Analysing past Digipaks to see what they did successfully and what could of been improved. Also Getting ideas from them which I could use in my own Digipak.
These are the 3 Digipaks I analysed, I thought they all were different and had there own style of display defining the individuality of their artist.
The Do's & Donts Fonts are essential on a Digipak, apart from the image its one of the first things that will be seen and you Want fonts that stand out, link to the Genre and attract your attention (In a good way). Only choose 2 fonts that you will use continuously throughout the digipak, dont over do Text Effects or use text effects that just dont go with the colours and images and make sure that these two fonts go well together and suit the Genre of your music. Also be aware of the placement of the text, make sure that the text isn't directly over the Artist's face. And try not to use fonts because you like them, keep in mind your genre and the theme of the album. Be Aware of the colours you use, Don't get to excited and use too many colours that dont match with your image and dont link with your Genre of music. Stick with a maximum of 3 colours that match and go well with the image that your using Think well and truly about the images that you use, they could be a direct link to the artist and album or a link to the Genre. Ensure that you dont stretch them too wide or too tall (This could loose you marks) and make sure they are in focus. Also be aware of the framing of the images i.e. making the whole image the size of one side of the digipak. Don't over do use of effects, you dont want the album cover to be over bearing, the effects you use should suit the Genre of your album. Lastly it is essential to name and state the people/company's that are associated with the record label and the album. This involves copyright information, title of the album, artist name, record company logo, website, producers etc...
This is practise of A digipak to get a feel of what it would be like to create one for my own artist. Also now I know more how to use photoshop making the whole process easier so when It's time to do my own it should not take too long. This one was not near finished as I wanted to add effect to the girls face making it stand out more.
But this was helpful as I could experiment with the different font styles and colour coordination with both covers.
The Album covers main image focuses on Jessie's face to show and brand her, also when its on the shelves, the face will stand out from the rest of the albums and she will be recognisable as people walk by. This type of framing is common for pop genres. Also the white background allows Jessie to stand out more with the studio setting effect. The back cover shows the back of Jessie's head with her hands on it. The main image is again plain which emphasises the plain theme of the digipak. It also shows off her recently shaved head for red nose day.
Example of framing work on pop albums
The size of the album name 'Alive' is much Bigger then the artist name drawing the audiences attention to the title as everyone knows who Jessie is, the font is black which is unconventional for the pop genre. However it contrasts nice with the white studio background allowing it to stand out.
The advertisements to introduce and sell Jessie's album shows her album itself and is also presented plain and white like her album with black handwriting also like her album font. It shows her album release date, some of her tour dates and featuring singles on the album.
Jessie J's song 'Wild' is perfect to reflect her album, with the whole black and white theme, also the studio spotlight used in her album cover is also the background setting in her music video.
MILEY CYRUS - 'CAN'T BE TAMED'
The front cover shows Miley all grown up from her clothes to the expression on her face. The background is very plain with perhaps a spotlight on her, giving her full attention. The whole album is outlined around dark khaki green and black colours. Also the album name itself shows her being the opposite to innocent along with the rest of her leather look and feisty attitude portrayed through her face and hand positioning The font is very bold in capitals, her name is doubled the album name and is centred on the covert. The font is somewhat rough and seems like it's stamped on it.
The back cover is also very bold. The font looks washed out with the contrasting of black and white to make it stand out. There are no paces, the font is bold, it feels like the songs are screaming off the page.
The music video for 'Can't be tamed' shows the dark bold colours throughout the video as like Miley's album cover. The video also shows her being wild and feisty portraying the attitude she holds on the album cover. The whole music video over emphasises Miley's extravagant look matching her leather wet look on the album cover. RIHANNA - 'LOUD'
The dominant bright colours throughout the whole digipak is warm and hot colours. The used of red shows connotations of love, lust and luck This reflects Rhianna as an artist and portrays her album well " LOUD'. Especially the use of red screams out at you. The close up of her on the album is fierce and very bold with the use of the colour red. The writing being in white calms down the dominate use of red on the album. Also the light use of pastel colours to display the songs on the back cover is very subtle compared to the rest of the album which contrasts nicely and is less important then Rihanna herself. The album
I think the album looks elegant and feminine with the use of the flowers and Rhianna looking flawless and is branded well to be recognisable to fans.
The advertisement for Rihanna's album is also in red, no surprise there. And reflects her album well with the same use of colours. Rihanna pictured on the fields is in resemblance to her music video, 'Only girl in the world' as her whole video is filmed with her running around on fields. It also shows the release date with her name 'RIHANNA' being the biggest text on there to sell the her, the artist.
The music video for 'Only girl in the world' is a perfect representation of the album 'loud' as the music video is her on the album but actually moving. The bright colours are emphasised in the music video with red used in every shot, and the video being all about her like her album cover photo as it is an extreme close up of her face.
Who You are was Jessie J's first album so it was important to get the artists image across to the audience effectively. They have done so by giving Jessie a specific look which we can relate associate with her and her image. It is for this reason that Jessie is the focus of the album cover making her more memorable. This close up image allows us to view Jessie's face directly and see key features such as her iconic haircut, green eyes, exaggerated makeup and funky clothing. Her name stands out as it differentiates from the black and white colour scheme in a bold gold; in a famous font which is usually associated with urban/hip-hop pop culture more specifically necklaces of the same theme which would carry an individuals name or initials (see photo's below) This helps tell the audience what kind of genre of music the album will contain and also keeps true to the artists heritage and background. The back of the Album has the track listing in capital letters making them stand out, it also works well against the white background as the songs become the focus of your attention and are clear to read.
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The advertisement keeps the same colour scheme and album cover. This reacquiring image will now become memorable with the audience when thinking about the artist. Included is the artists labels, website and hit singles. There are noticeably no critic reviews but that not need be necessary given that she already had a number one hit prior to the albums release, this gives the artist enough credibility to go on. The layout is simple and the same font is kept throughout.
Music Video: Do It Like A Dude
Features of the advertisement and album cover all come into play for her debut video Do It Like A Dude. Her hair is a focus in the video as well as her eccentric make-up, she also sports a big gold chain and earrings shaped as J's. The setting of the video in set in a grimy underground dance venue where people are dressed in street wear, this all reflects her urban/pop genre and persona.
Coldplay: Viva La Vida
Digipack
Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends is British band ColdPlay's fourth album. Unlike Jessie J because they are a world renowned band they can afford to not be on the cover of their album because of their high fan base and critical acclaim. The theme of their album was the French Revolution hence the cover being the famous 1830 painting Liberty Leading the people by Eugene Delacroix. Inside you can see black and white images of each of the band members, this keeps in theme with the old fashioned style they put forward for their album. The layout of the track list stands out against the grey background as the colours jump out at you. The songs are separated by a syriac horizontal colon which was used in Victorian and Medieval history by the elite on such things as letters and menus keeping in theme with the albums image.
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Here is an example of one of the advertisements of the album plastered on a London street wall. Again the band is not showcased on the poster just the band name as the headline. The same paint like font is a reacquiring theme and makes the poster appear as graffiti art and slightly informal. This goes fits into the themes of rebellion, love and war which take place in their album. The other noticeable element to the poster is the date, this simple order is very straight forward- band name, album name, date. There is a clear difference between this and Jessie's advertisement showing how much less detail is needed for an established artist compared to a new artist. There is not much revealed about who the people are or what genre of music they play because a fans and sales are already certified.
Music Video: Viva La Vida
The music video is completely in theme with the digipack. The band are edited so it appears they are a moving within the canvas of an 18th century painting. The costumes are styled after soldiers of the French Revolution and a V is placed on all of their clothing as a representative of the album name.
Rihanna: Loud
Digipack
This is Rihanna's 3rd album Loud. Though already an established pop star it was important she still be the focus of the album cover; whilst her face plain her lips and hair are a big vocal point as this was the first time the world was seeing her newly dyed hair so it was important to emphasize this, causing the colour red to be prominent detail in the new albums marketing release hence the theme of red roses and flower petals. The album name and artist name keep the same thin white font and are placed simply across the album not to take away too much attention from the artist. Inside is a picture of Rihanna calmly sleeping of a sea of roses in a white tutu and crop top, this paints the artist as very innocent and feminine telling the audience the theme of the album may be about romance and relationships. The white ensemble makes Rihanna appear pure and lady like, this contrasts against her image in her previous albums and makes her more appealing to a female audience. However the album title and theme of red could be a subliminal hint of themes of danger and raunchiness, the only way for the audience to know would be to listen to the album creating a sense of buzz and anticipation.
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The advertisement keeps the same image as the album cover and same font. On it features the artist name, album name and information on the hit single. Like that of the Jessie J album due to the first single being Number One around the world it's not completely necessary to fill the poster with critics reviews. Underneath is the albums release date. The layout of the poster is simple and straight forward, the theme of red is still very prominent and the poster doesn't tell you much about the genre of the album.
Music Video: Only Girl In The World
The theme of red is very dominant in the music video for the debut single in the album. The whole video is tinted pink which allows the artists hair to pop out of the screen. Throughout most of the video she wears white like that of the picture in the digipack. The song is about a relationship and a dance track so the contradictions of the digipack do come into play. Whilst she is alone in the video dancing in an empty field the outfits are still revealing and the artist still sports her sexy persona.
