Evaluation

How effective is the combination

of your main product and ancillary texts?

The combination of my products is intended to create a star image and something that the audience can associate with the artist. I did this by keeping to the same visual aspect throughout the process of creating my video, digipak and website.

From my research into album covers from my chosen genre (or similar to it) I found that, although the artists were featured on the cover, the focus was more on creating an image of what the music represents, rather than just trying to get their face out to the public. A lot of the album covers featured abstract art which could represent the mysteriousness of the alternative/synth genre and try to create an album cover which looks how the music sounds. Upon picking up on this I also tried to create an album cover and digipak which could transform the sounds of the song I had chose, into something that the audience could look at and picture in their head whilst listening to the song. It was also important I included the same visual aspects from my video.

Throughout the process of creating my digipak, I used images of the forest that was featured in my video, I did this because it is recognizable and also because it gives the packaging an artistic look. The album cover features a picture of the girl from the video (again, a recognizable image for the audience), the artists name and the album title. The typeface choice was made from the simple, yet bold look and the blue colour matches the colour scheme of the rest of the digipak. The back cover is again a shot from the forest and does not feature a tracklist. I found that a lot of modern digipaks do not feature a tracklist on the outer packaging anymore and it also adds to the mysteriousness of the song. The outer packaging also features an image of the artist in order for the artist to be established. The inner packaging and disc features a stretch image of the skyline which fits the theme of the album cover and video. It also has both the artists web address and the label web address which is useful for the audience.

The website was an important part of creating media products that combined to create a star image and something that the audience can associate with the artist and establish through viewing these products.

During the research process for designing my website, I looked at various artist’s sites to get a feel of a how an artist’s site should look in 2014. Although I researched websites from a wide range of genres, I found that many sites featured similar conventions. A lot of artists’ sites featured a single image background for all pages, a colour scheme throughout, links to social media pages etc. I tried to include as many of these conventions as possible but still included some original ideas.

The homepage for site features just one post; the option to purchase the album, the front and back cover art and links to share the album on social media. The background is the actual cover art for the album, I chose this because it is a recognizable image I used throughout the media products I created. I made the decision to only feature one post on the homepage because I discovered that this is what a lot of artists do when promoting a new album.

The header for my site is simple and easy to use which makes for a better experience for the audience. The header features easy to use links to pages within the sire and the artists name Keeping to the album promotion

aspect, the “Music” page features another iTunes download link and also a Spotify stream option. The stream is embedded within the site the user does not have to leave the page to listen to the album which is useful because, as an artist, you want the audience to stay on your page for as long as possible.

A

On the same page features the option to listen to 2 tracks through Soundcloud. I found that artists will only usually include 2 or 3 of their latest tracks for the audience to listen to on their site, this may be the case so that if the audience wants to hear more they have to visit the artist’s Soundcloud page which is a good way of promotion. The option to like or tweet the link to the song is also featured next to the Soundcloud widget which encourages the audience to share the song which means the artist becomes exposed to new audiences.

The “Tour” page on the site lists the dates the artist will be on tour and the location and venue. I made the all the tour dates sold out because it shows the artist is popular and in demand. The “Buy Tickets” option takes the user to the Ticketmaster page.

The tour page also states that the artist will be touring North America which again shows that the artist is popular and has branched out internationally

The “Contact” page features the names and email addresses of the artists management and booking agent. I found that these two positions were regularly featured in the contact pages of a lot of artists’ pages.

There is also the option to sign up to a mailing list which will give the user email updates for the site. They can also send a message to the site. There are also 3 buttons which link to the artists social media sites which will encourage the audience to follow the artist.

All of ,my media products combined together effectively to push the brand and image the artist is trying to create. All 3 products try to create the same image and experience for the audience. This is done through consistent use of fonts, colour schemes, visual effects etc. I think my attention to detail whilst creating the products has proven successful in creating an image for the artist.