Digipack and aap analysis

Digipack and Album Advert

Analysis

Final Designs

Album Advert Analysis

Our Aims

The final design of our digipack and album advert had to be accordant with:

Our music video- This could be in terms of the narrative and the binary opposites seen such as black and white and

happiness and sadness. The pop genre- This means being bold and creative with

the designs and dramatic. But also for the design to still be simple by having a consistent theme

Promote the star image- This is one of Goodwin’s conventions for a music video. Which is why keeping this in mind, for the digipack and album advert poster is vital. For example having a website of the artists on the poster and

having close ups of the face.

Album Advert

• Our final design is based off the draft design I created off a photo editing site called PicMonkey.

• When I started the design I didn’t know how I wanted it to look and developed it as I went along.

But I kept in mind the binary opposites e.g. happiness and sadness and the juxtaposition

between them.

ALBUM ADVERT IMAGES

This was taken during the photoshoot for the digipack and album advert poster. We decided to go with this medium shot which I later cropped, as it was a simple shot that I could do a lot with. Their body positions denotes the bond between

the pair as they’re touching and they’re also back to back connoting they’re there for each other. Which is something seen in the video as they’re featured together in every scene minus

the balcony scene. This links into our narrative of having fun with your best friend. As Beth

essentially helps Christina to get over the break up. Their facial expressions are quite open to suggest that Christina’s still hurting and as a

result so is Beth.

ALBUM ADVERT IMAGES

The concept of binary opposites conflicting in music videos was something I wanted to portray from our music video, to our album advert poster and digipack. For this reason I

went on effects and changed the image to ‘black and white’. This could represent the juxtaposition of Christina feeling mixed emotions, from feeling happy being with Beth but at the same time sad from the break up and also the black and white effect features in our

music video, when the girls are lip synching and the lyrics come on screen. I decided to add the overlay of the triangles as I was going off my draft design. But changed

it so only a portion of it was in colour (the area around Christina and Beth), the purpose being to promote the star image and to connote the fun and happiness expressed in the

music video through the club scene, holiday scenes and ultimately the pairs friendship I did this by using the effect called ‘focal black and white’ (choosing an area you want in black

and white) which I reversed to get the colour on Christina and Beth.

As explained in my draft analysis I decide to do 3

sections to create a balance by having a

sandwich effect with the triangulation image

being in between the image of Christina and

Beth.

I decided to have the same image at the top and bottom, as I thought it gave an edge to

the outlook of the album advert poster. But also the pop genre in music is about being bold, so I felt it was a justified

choice. I decided to have the close up

image of their faces at the bottom as it was something

different , again adding to the bold and dynamic design. Also

because the image is rotated Christina’s head is below

Beth’s body and vice versa. I felt that this could show the bond between the pair and

that they make up each other, connoting the strength of their

friendship.

I decided on the banners firstly so it made the text stand out

more. But also to continue the theme of juxtaposition as I used

a white banner (which I changed the opacity for) for the artists name. Then below used a black banner again changing the opacity so you can still see the foundation of the design

beneath it as the banner is an overlay. I also did this with the engraved banner with the song

title ‘I Love It’. My other reason was to link the sections with the positioning of

the banner. For example the black banner flows from the

second section onto the third section.

I created these sections by doing a collage on

PicMonkey and then picking the Facebook cover option and rotating it so it

was vertical and then resizing.

From the previous slide you can see that I have

increased the size of the fonts and banners to fill

up any blank space (in the second section under the engraved banner). As this will help attract attention

meaning the poster is more likely to get noticed

and so it will help promote the star image. It

also makes the design look more bolder again linking to he pop genre.

I’ve added the release date as it helps by creating

anticipation. Also the date links to the review at the

bottom, which says ‘SUMMER TUNE OF 2013’ as

that’s a couple of weeks before the summer holidays

which will also add to the anticipation, again helping to promote the star image. Also

having the review from a reputable source (Ellie

Goulding) who is also a pop artist shows credibility towards the review.

Also the The Times, is a reputable source again

promoting the star image.Originally on the draft design there wasn’t a third banner at the bottom but because the text wasn’t visible otherwise and the background for our

image is much darker than on the draft design, I added the

banner. Also having the white banner, creates a theme

between the banner colours going: white, black, white. It also continues the theme off juxtaposition between black

and white and the mixed feelings alongside the fun aspect, portrayed in the

music video.

This wasn’t a feature on the draft design but I added in

the logo for Atlantic Records as they are a well known

record company. But also it was a feature that I

identified through my research od album advert

poster’s for e.g. Jessie J, has the logos of record

companies as well. It’s cross-promotion, as it’s

promoting the song as well as the company boosting

their reputation.

LOGOSThe HMV and iTunes logo was a feature of cross promotion between the companies and the artist. It also informs the

audience of where to purchase or download the song from.

Also the positioning of these two logos was on purpose as I placed them above the banner with the release date

instead of at the bottom and one on each side to create a balance. By including a website, it also promotes the

artists and allows the audience to find out more about the artist such as: other singles and albums, background

history, tour dates etc. Which will all add to the anticipation of the release.

As mentioned previously having the record companies names on the album advert is an

example of cross promotion. But also is a way for the Artist/ band to thanks the record

company as the are an integral component in the process but also these two record

companies are reputable ones again promoting the star image. I placed them on the bottom

banner alongside the reviews. As when a person reads the review they’ll see the record

companies and are more likely to get noticed.

After checking on ITunes (see screenshots on the left) several songs contain explicit as well as the song we chose (I Love It). Also the PAL logo was on the ITunes website for the album. So keeping

to the music industry’s guidelines I added the parental advisory logo on the poster, so the

audience are aware before they purchase the album.

FINAL DESIGN

Digipack Analysis

Our Aims

I created the album advert poster first and so had to continue with a accordant theme to go with the digipack. This means keeping in mind

feature such as: Font style

Colour scheme Effects

The logos used on the album advert poster

The draft design for the digipack has changed twice (see ‘digipack draft design’ post). As, as a group we felt that the first designs theme wouldn’t be accordant the album advert design and that we needed something simpler,

instead of the intermittent images on the first draft design.

FORMAT

This was the brief we were given and as I produced these designs on PicMonkey, I resized the images after. I went on Google and located a converter for centimetres to pixels, (see screenshot on left ). I then edited them on Paint and

rounded the pixel figure to a whole number as Paint doesn’t take decimals. So for 12cm I did 454 x 454 pixels and for

12.5cm I did 472 x 472 pixels. The screenshot on the right shows me resizing the inside cover where the CD will go.

This was the brief we were given. I took this screenshot off the Loreto A2 Music

Video Blog.

FRONT PANEL

Originally for the photoshoot for the digipack and album advert we took over 100 images. The reason being the more material we had, the bigger the range of images we had in terms of quality and images we all agreed on

as a group. We then went on to narrow down our selection into two folders ‘Yes’ and ‘No’. This image ironically was in the ‘No’ folder, but after reviewing the selection in the ‘Yes’ folder I felt that there

wasn’t anything I felt would make a good front cover for the album. My selection criteria for the above image was that it’s a medium shot which shows a good portion of Christina

and Beth, promoting the star image. Body language and positioning is crucial for a front cover and I felt this portrayed them in a candid way and doesn’t look posed. Also the fact that their subtly touching suggests a

friendship bond, something which is predominant in the music video in various scenes for e.g. in the holiday scenes. As Christina looks relaxed, and the fact she isn’t looking at the camera and is looking at Beth could

foreshadow the narrative (her break up with her boyfriend) but also the strong bond between her and Beth as Beth helps her through it.

In terms of rule of thirds Beth’s eye Is in line with the

intersection point this is important because the eyes are a natural focus point for when looking at an image and Christina’s face also

intersects with an intersection point. This is

vital, as we want the audience to pay attention to

the artists and want the image to grab their attention to promote the star image.

In terms of the pop genre, this image is simplistic.

Which is why it was important for the effects and overlays to make the

front cover come alive and stand out.

We didn’t want to have a complex and bold image as

the overlays and effects were already striking, making them clash.

Making sure they were compatible was essential

for the front cover.

FRONT PANEL

Even though the PAL logo

isn’t compulsory I

felt it was necessary to inform the audience.

I used the same font from the album advert poster for the

artist name and the album name.

‘This Is… Icona Pop’, is layered in a black and white font as it links to

the binary opposite theme. This layered font also features on the back cover continuing the

theme.

I changed the original image of

Christina and Beth to black and white as I did the same

on the album advert poster.

Instead of having colour on them to promote the star

image I felt having it in the

background would walk in a similar

way. Additionally,

having the colour in the background draws attention to the artist name in

white. Which I centred in the

middle in between Beth and

Christina’s head.

INSIDE PANEL POLAROID PICTURES

Here are several pictures, which I edited and framed on PicMonkey with the polaroid effect. I got the images from our music video and cropped them. After formatting

them to look like polaroid images, I added the lyric that was said in the music video from the image used. On some of the polaroid

images I added additional effects for example; the second polaroid image on the left I added a heart around ‘I’, also I added a space

overlay and an arrow on the third polaroid image.

I added in symbols such as the arrow and heart as I felt it related back to the music video where the

lyrics come up on screen and would be a good approach to

take.

After saving each polaroid image individually, I then opened a new tab and did a collage. The polaroid images go in lyric order from different parts of the song in a clockwise

direction. I then edited the triangulation image on

Paint, so it was without the white background and then opened it in a new tab on PicMonkey, and used the black and white

focal effect , (which I used on the inside cover on the opposite panel) to incorporate the colour of the image alongside the black

and white (as seen above). After which, I added it to the collage.

INSIDE PANELThe lyrics go clockwise from different parts of

the song. I felt that using images from the music

video and incorporating it into the digipack, was a

good approach. It’s a common feature in

digipacks but since we don’t make a booklet to

insert into the sleeve , this idea I came up with was a good alternative.Also as I chose to frame

the images with a polaroid frame as a retro

TV features at the beginning and end of our music video, so I thought this would coincide well .

I incorporated the engraved banner as

it features on the panel opposite this one where the CD goes. I also utilised

the same font as I’ve used

throughout for the single title/ album

name.

I used an overlay, but instead of a

banner like I did on the album advert, I

thought using a square shape would fit the lyrics in as it’s

like a text box. However the opacity is similar to the one I

used on the album advert poster.

The font I used for the lyrics is one that features on

the album advert poster, for the

release date and reviews. I felt this was a good choice as it’s bold where as the one I had

been using for the album name/ I Love

It, wouldn’t have been as bold and as

a result less effective in

grabbing the audiences attention.

INSIDE PANEL CD Instead of having a plain

CD with or a plain background. I decided to

have the background with the triangulation image

but to have it in black and white and made the image softer to make it look less busy. Furthermore when you put the CD back in

place it fits with the background triangulation image like a jigsaw, so the CD completes the image.

Which in terms of the music video could relate

to how Beth and Christina make up each other (an idea I mentioned on the

Album Advert Poster design/ draft design.

Also the colour on the CD juxtaposes with the black and white triangulation

image.

The engraved banner featured on the album

advert poster and I incorporated it to make

the font stand out.

I included the record companies, as when

designing the CD I realised it was a common feature

amongst well known Artists in the music

industry but the logos had also featured on the album advert. I

added on the compact disc logo as it’s a

standard feature and make it look more

authentic.

I felt including the track names of the

album on the CD was a practical feature to

have. As CD cases can become misplaced so it’s useful to know the order of the tracks. The

font is the same font used on the album name portraying a

continuity in theme.The black background

on the lower portion of the CD is the same

banner I used on the album poster but

without changing the opacity.

BACK PANELORIGINAL IMAGES

Both of these images featured in the ‘Yes’ folder, from the digipack and album advert poster photoshoot at colleges studio. Ann photoshopped the images,

which meant getting rid of Christina’s hand so we just had a simple body profile and removing the backgrounds leaving just the images. After which she placed

them on a new layer (the grey background). Ann had to also resize Christina and Beth once she’d removed the background;

Beth’s image is a medium close up where as Christina’s is a medium long shot. So it was important to match their eyeline and their proportions, but allow some

differentiations. Due to the subtle differences between the two in terms of height again adding to the authenticity.

THE SPINE

I was struggling to get the same shade of grey as the back cover and since that’s where the pine would be it would look odd and effect the visual presentation of the digipack. So after trying several approaches

to no avail. I got the CD back cover (without the spine) and used it as an overlay so I could erase all but the top where it was free of any writing.

Which left me with the spine, i.e. the left screenshot. I then opened a new tab and opened the spine up as an image and

added the font in (the third screenshot). After saving the image I went on paint and cropped it to make it look more presentable (the image on

the top right)I then went back to PicMonkey and opened up a collage (screenshot on

the right) and placed them into the allotted boxes.

BACK PANEL & SPINE Unlike the front cover which was bold and

striking. I felt that the image choice for the

back cover, portrayed a more serious tone. As Anne on Photoshop placed them on the

edge of the cover facing towards each other,

giving it a soul searching look.

This is the reason I felt no colour was needed as the images themselves

present a complex dynamic. So adding any effects or colours would

clash with the images and take the attention

away from the meaning behind the images.

Which in a way keeps the attention on

Christina and Beth i.e. ‘star image’ (a

convention Goodwin proposed for music videos. However is

something I’ve kept in mid in the design of the

digipack and album advert poster)

The same fonts have been used showing a continuity in theme and like on the front

cover there is the layered effect of the

black and white fonts.

I included the layered effect again on the

spine as it connects the front and back cover. Also the black and

white font, as I felt it relates to the motif of

binary opposites of the black and white theme which juxtaposes with

the colour which features throughout

(the digipack and album advert). But also the imagery behind it

i.e. happiness and sadness or mixed

feelings Christina may feel.

Ann added the bar code and the QR code to add to the authenticity. As a QR code can hold a lot of information and can inform the audience of information on the Artist etc. Which is

why I included a copyright legislation paragraph at the bottom.

The record company logos are present as they’re an

essential feature.

SUMMARY

The designing process was vital as it adds to the Music Video and compliments it and develops it. I used PicMonkey (a free photo online editor), which I had not been familiar with before. However through

designing the digipack and album advert poster I am now familiar with the program which is a useful skill I have gained.

I have kept an accordant theme throughout the digipack and album advert as mentioned through the various slides.

The black and white theme relating to the binary opposites of happiness and sadness but also black and white which could symbolise that. We also have used the black and white effect in the music video.

The juxtaposition of colour with black and white. As this is predominant on the digipack and album advert and again in the music video. For example, the scene where Christina and Beth are lip synching (which is in black and white) and then you have the pink bokeh shapes. The continuous use of colour featured in the digipack and album advert alongside the black and white denote the fun, portrayed in

our music video. The use of the same font style for the artist name and album title. As the font used for the artist name

is quite bold and daring which juxtaposes with the simpler design of the font used for the album name. The images used such as the triangulation image which I found off the Internet, I used in the album

advert poster and digipack and justified my reasons for doing so. Also the engraved banner/ banners, I have continued through both pieces.

THE END