MOCK UP: Feedback

MOCK UP: Album inside

MOCK UP: Advert

Target Audience Research

When doing research on what my audience may prefer as a front cover I showed my target audience a list of photo's and they were all extremely keen on this particular photo...

As I was also keen on it too, I changed my decision and went on with this one as any good designer would as it is for the audience in the end...

Video Location

When watching TV keeping my eye out for new video's i stumbled upon a video who used the SAME location as my music video although we thought it was rather exclusive.

This is the video...

Yeah, I agree, my video's way better

Feedback On Mock Up

Digi Pak Mock Up

MOCK UP:Album cover

Research into Digipaks and Magazine ads

Digi Pak Research

Codes And Conventions Of A Digi Pak

Do's

• Use a clear font
• Use appropriate sizes for images and font
• Use clear photos that are in focus
• Use photos that are an appropriate shape for the page
• Use a layout that follows the rule of thirds for composition 
• Use an appropriate type face that follows genre conventions and / or a house style
• Be careful where you place the font as it must follow genre conventions and be clear from a distance
• Have a 3 colour rule and ensure that it's appropriate for images, font and background.
• Think carefully about how you use and integrate font, text / language and image. (The placement of the text next to an image, will anchor a specific meaning.)
• Use appropriate industry logos and conventions, whilst being properly positioned. Including - Barcode, date, copyright, titles and artist name.

Don'ts

• Stretch images. As it will make them out of focus
• Use layer styles
• Use unnecessary effects. Any effects used MUST suit the genre.
• Place text across the artist's face 
• Use a font simply because you 'like it.'
• Feel like you need a separate photo on every panel - be creative!

Digi Pak: Research

Here i looked at some Album front covers to get an idea of what usually goes into them, as i am aware i am establishing my artist i already decided i would use a close up.

Here are some album covers that use close ups nicely..

Research digi pak: Continuity

When constructing a digi-pak it is vital to show continuity by using certain obvious themes or objects in or on dig pak.

I looked at Calvin Harris music video.

From watching the music video I identified what images or icons could be incorporated.

Not to my suprise the use of the girl and disk was incorporated into the artwork.

This is going to help me to incorporate themes from my music video into my digi pak

RESEARCH: Misha B advertisment/album cover

Misha B is a similar artist to Anjay J. Her advertisment and album cover are simplistic but show a clear image of the artist and shows of her style. In this case "HOME RUN" shows her relaxed, urban outfitted style where as the advertisment is trying to portray her as a performer in order to attract an audience.

The Misha B advertisment includes price and location of the gig as well as information on where to buy tickets and who else will be performing. Important information such as age ratings is also shown, in this case 18+.

 The advertisment also highlights the fact that Misha B is an X-Factor finalist something that is well known in the UK, with finalists often attracting plenty attention during the first few months after the show as fans will often follow the singers and performers that watched and voted for.

Front cover digi pak

I took some close ups and will choose from them to use as my CD front cover

MOCK UP: Inside

I decided to play on the name of the album "Alone in the world" and incorparted the earth as the CD as well as using the backdrop of London city scape and London at night from space.

RESEARCH: Album covers

The album cover and advertisements of Delilah mainly users close-up shots of her face, both facing the camera and profile. This is used in order to encourage the association of the music and the new artist's image. This is the same as our new artist Anjay-J.

Alone in the world: Track List

QuarkXPress

The Dan London album cover is imported into quark so a greater range of text fonts can be used, as well as ease of editing and arranging the text.

Plain text is first added in order to realise the location of the initial text box

Searching for font choice that will suit the font already used during the photoshop creation

The final font choice was chosen as it suited the urban style look used in "Tracks"

Practice digi pack

Using photoshop

Different layers of image are used in order to help limit any mistakes. It also helps in being able to alter  and manipulate the image as each fragment that creates the final product can be individually tailored.

New images are imported into photoshop, adding to the layers that we can manipulate.

The near final product after image manipulation. As you can see images were made black and white using a colour correction tool and the lowering of the images saturation.

Dan London: Near finished album cover

This is my album cover for Dan London's debut album, although not complete, the conventions of a new artists album are followed. Such as the use of the artists face in order to allow consumers to become aware of the artist. 

Research: digipaks and magazines

Do's and Don'ts when constructing the digipaks and magazine adverts.

DO

• Use appropriate font and images, making sure they are clear to read and the photos are in focus
• Use a lay our that follows the rule of the thirds for composition
• Use an appropriate type face that allows genre conventions and a house style
• Be careful where you place the font -  follow genre conventions and be clear from a distance
• follow the conventions of the 3 colour rule and use colour that is appropriate for: images, font and background
• Think carefully about how you use and integrate font, text and language and image
• Use appropriate industry logos and conventions, properly positioned: barcode, date, copy right, titles  and artist name. 

DON'T

• Stretch images because it will make them out of focus
• Use layer styles
• Use unnecessary effects. Any effects used must be suit the genre
• Use a font simply because you like it
• Feel you need a separate photo on every panel. 

Photoshop introduction: Dan London Digipak

We were introduced to photoshop today in order to reproduce a Digipak created by Rebecca, the original that we have to reproduce is below standard quality with many Do's and Don'ts of a successful Digipak broken. 

The Original (Dan London)

Font choice is incorrect. Text is in front of face.
Basic information in song listing missing. Gradient colour change is abysmal.

Inside cover should not be used for a personal thank you.
It is basic and the filters used do not work.

Album cover incorrectly placed. Lack of information on Label.
Lack of information on where to buy the album.
Similar to the others it has  distracting and ugly fonts.

Gaining An Analytic Eye

After doing all my research into music video's i am really starting to analyse their camera movement, transition styles and editing skills. When recently watching this rap video i noticed an error in their editing.

As you can see the headlights are blue, this is what happens when u attempt to change the gradient of specific lighting through a colour correction pallet without then finishing it off. I learnt this when i was doing something fairly similar with my cutaway of moving traffic as i attempted to get a more exaggerated look of the car head beams.