- A digipak is a type of packaging for CD's, often made from cardboard with a plastic holder for one or more discs inside. The cardboard pages fold out and often display pictures or information. An booklet often comes with a digipak containing information on the artist and album.
Digipak Research
The Rolling Stones- "Grrr!"
The digipak cover features the band's signature logo and the same colours feature throughout all panels of the digipak (black, red and white). The use of this logo means that people can instantly recognise this album as being by The Rolling Stones. The 2 most predominantly used colours - red and black - suit the rock genre which means the branding of this digipak also gives some indication as to the genre. There are four panels - 3 of which holds Cd's and the fourth contains a booklet containing pictures and information about the band and titles and information about the albums songs. The featured back panel contains the album's track listing so that people can easily view which songs are featured on this album. It is important to provide as much information as possible. The font is white which clearly stands our against a black background making the information easy and clear to read. The back also features a bar code and the logos of the record labels which appears to be a convention of digipaks as well as a necessity.
"The Very Best of Marvin Gaye"
The front of the digipak contains a picture of Marvin Gaye so you can instantly recognise which artist the album is by. There are 3 panels in the digipak. Two holds disks and the third contains a booklet with information on his life and the album. The back contains the track listing of the album as it's important to tell people which songs the album includes. The back features record label and copyright information as well as a barcode as again, this is needed on a digipak. Numerous pictures are featured throughout the digipak of the artist as it should be clear whose the album is to a potential buyer and the digipak should showcase and highlight the artist. Close ups and Mid shots are used most commonly. The CD's in this digipak also feature a silhouette of the artist. The digipak also has a sticker on the front which advertises the main features of the album such as which songs are included. This is an effective way at advertising the best features of the album. A bold font is used which is outlined in silver. This makes the information stand out clearly and fits with the theme running throughout the digipak.
THEGO!TEAM - "Rolling Blackouts"
This is a 3 paneled digipak which contains 1 disc. The disc features the artists name and album name in a bold font to make this information stand out. It is also written in white against a black background so this clear contrast again further enforces the importance of this information by making it standing out.The other two panels contain the titles of songs on the album and other related information. It is important to feature this information in a digipak so people are aware of what the album features and it also allows all the relevant people to receive the appropriate credit. The multicoloured theme of this digipak is consistent throughout (featured on both sides) yet a white font is used to stand out. The images used featured flashes of light and dandelions. These images suit the Indie genre which this music belongs to as they create an abstract theme just like indie music is often different from what is considered mainstream.
Dire Straits - "On Every Street"
The digipak contains 3 panels. One panel contains the booklet featuring album/artist/song information as it appears to be a convention to include this feature and information in a digipak. Another panel contains a CD which features similar artwork and images to those used in the rest of the digipak which demonstrates a continuous theme. The final inside panel features more of this artwork. A constant black and white theme is used with important titles in a red colour. This colour scheme suits the genre of this digipak and the use of important information in red makes it stand out against all the other images. The back features the track listing of the album as well as copyright information and a barcode as again, this is necessary. The front of the digipak features a picture of the artists and the album name and artist name. Again, this information is in red to make it stand out. A midshot is used of the artists as this commonly used shot focuses our attention on the artists which should be the aim of the digipak. The picture is also in black and white in keeping with the digipaks theme.
From looking at these four digipaks, I have noticed that it is important for the digipak to include a continuous theme and this theme often links to the genre. This means that you can instantly identify the genre of the music from looking at the digipak. The theme is made up of images, text and colour. The digipak cover should also contain the artist name and album name as these are the two most important pieces of information. The majority of these digipaks were 3 panels long which tells me that this is a common design. All digipaks included a track listing on the back panel to tell people what songs are included on the album. I will ensure to include this on my own digipak. Finally, all these digipaks came with a booklet containing information on the album and songs such as the history of the artist or the lyrics to the songs. When designing my own digipak, I will ensure it has a designated area for this album booklet.
Conventions of a Digipak:
- Band Logo (Front)
- Band Name (Front)
- Album Name (Front)
- Track Listing (Back)
- Barcode (Back)
- Copyright (Back)
- Record Label (Back)
- Website (Back)
- Band Name (Spine)
- Album Name (Spine)
- Seriel Number (Spine)
- CD Pocket/Tray (Inside)
- Pictures of Artist (Inside)
- Track Information (Inside)
- Artwork (Inside)
Katy Perry - Teenage Dream (My Research):
Front Panel:
The front panel of the digipak contains an image of Katy Perry lying amongst pink clouds which links to the album name - 'Teenage Dream'. Clouds convey a dreamlike image and the light, pastel colours also contribute to this theme. Having a picture of the artist on the front cover means that you instantly know whose album it is. The spine of the digipak contains the album title and artist name. This red front stands out against the pale pink background which shows that it is important for this information to be noticeable. A bubbly font is used which again contributes to the fun, dreamlike theme which demonstrates that it is important for a constant theme to be used throughout.
Back Panel:
The theme established on the front panel continues on to the back. The same artwork of pink clouds is used and the red bubbly font is used for the track listing. The track listing informs people what songs are on the album. A candy/sweet theme is also introduced as lollipops are incorporated into the font. Again, this contributes to the fun and dreamy image. The back panel also contains a barcode and copyright information as this is necessary on all digipaks.
Other Panels:
This digipak has 3 panels. The third panel on the outside contains a close up image of Katy Perry where she is once again in the pink cloud setting showing a continuation in theme. Inside the digipak, 2 panels hold discs. As shown above, these discs are themed to look like a lollipop and doughnut which match the albums theme as well as linking to one of Katy Perry's music videos which shows that her overall brand offers this same image. The third panel inside contains a booklet which contains information on the songs such as recording information and lyrics accompanied with pictures of the artist. The pictures are once again, consistent to the theme as they feature items such as cake and sweets to constantly represent Katy Perry and the album as someone who is fun and bubbly.
I think this digipak is very effective as one belonging to the pop genre. The colours are bright both on the cover and consistently throughout which means you are instantly drawn to it and it suits the upbeat nature of pop music. I think that the theme of the digipak is conveyed well as the colours, font and images used all contribute to the brand image of Katy Perry being fun. The artist is well featured as her image is used numerous times throughout most importantly on the front cover which means there is no doubt as to who is the artist of the album. Finally, the digipak features aspects to attract numerous audiences. The candy/sweet theme will attract a younger audience whilst the flirtatious images are likely to attract a male audience. However, her overall target audience is women and they will be attracted by the overall theme and colours. Most digipaks contain either the album name or artist name on the cover but this one features just a picture. It's likely this was done because the image itself is eye catching yet I believe including the title would be more effective.
Ellie Goulding - Halcyon Days (Sophie Ordidge's Research):
Ellie Goulding's Album 'Halcyon Days' Deluxe version is sold in a digipak made out of laminated card. The glossy finish to the card correlates well with her being a polished, Pop artist, showing the packaging fits the genre of the artist. The three panel digipak consist of two paper pockets for two CD's, labeled CD1 and CD2. The third panel features a picture of the artist. Similar pictures of the artist from the same photo-shoot are featured several times on the digipak, all edited with an ombre blue and green effect, creating a clear artist image through the stylisation. The front cover of the digipak shows the front cover of the album, designed with the artist in black and white with the added ombre effect layered over it, as well as the name of the artist in a contrasting pink colour and album name. The theme of all font being capitalized is used throughout the entire digipak reflecting the consistency needed when making one. The simple font gives off a vibe of the artist being effortlessly cool. The front cover is the most simplistic out of the front and back covers.
Inside, the paper pockets used to hold the CD's similarly have pictures of the artist with the same colour scheme, supporting the Pop genre convention of showcasing the artist. Within one of the pockets, a booklet can be found in which the music credits and information about the songs can be found. It also acts as short photo-album of the artist, including more pictures of Ellie from the photo-shoot. Regarding mise-en-scene, her minimal black outfits show her to be fashionable and current, aiming to interest a young audience of predominantly teenagers, and also relates very well to her previous albums in which the theme of black clothes is a present theme.. On both the digipak and the information booklet Ellie Goudling's artist logo can be found, showing a white triangle with a circle inside it with the artist's initials in lower case letters. This is a quick was for the audience to recognize who the artist is.
The back cover dissimilarly shows no pictures like every other panel, simply showing the track listing of the album, separating the songs featured of each CD up into two separate columns that help distinguish what audio can be found on which disc. The artist's record label name, credits of producers and copyright can be found located at the bottom of the back cover, in small font that doesn't intrude. Also, a bar code is found at the top of the back cover for sales purposes. The spine that binds the digipak together has the name of the artist and album typed onto it in capital letters.
Inside, the paper pockets used to hold the CD's similarly have pictures of the artist with the same colour scheme, supporting the Pop genre convention of showcasing the artist. Within one of the pockets, a booklet can be found in which the music credits and information about the songs can be found. It also acts as short photo-album of the artist, including more pictures of Ellie from the photo-shoot. Regarding mise-en-scene, her minimal black outfits show her to be fashionable and current, aiming to interest a young audience of predominantly teenagers, and also relates very well to her previous albums in which the theme of black clothes is a present theme.. On both the digipak and the information booklet Ellie Goudling's artist logo can be found, showing a white triangle with a circle inside it with the artist's initials in lower case letters. This is a quick was for the audience to recognize who the artist is.
The back cover dissimilarly shows no pictures like every other panel, simply showing the track listing of the album, separating the songs featured of each CD up into two separate columns that help distinguish what audio can be found on which disc. The artist's record label name, credits of producers and copyright can be found located at the bottom of the back cover, in small font that doesn't intrude. Also, a bar code is found at the top of the back cover for sales purposes. The spine that binds the digipak together has the name of the artist and album typed onto it in capital letters.
The digipak for 'Halcyon Days' presents a good example of a design that can be used for a Pop genre album. The bright colours (blue, green and pink) support pop genre conventions, while the black and white images below the ombre effect create a dramatic, styling of the artist that makes her stand out compared to others. The capitalization of all the font gives the album impact that lower case letters might not achieve and the similar photo-shoot pictures used demonstrate a professional, well thought out artist image. The simplistic, mature approach to the design suggests the music the digipak holds is of a high enough quality to not need to use the packaging as a major sales ploy. The mise-en-scene of black, minimal clothing may also attract the audience as it sells the artist visually.
Rihanna - Loud (Charlotte Bell's Research):
Following on from this, the CDs themselves again fit nicely into the fairy tale feel of the digipak as they are shown to have a birds eye view of a rose opening. Helping it run smoothly and meeting the brand image. However, by using pink instead of red roses to help it stand out.
My View:After looking at Rihanna's digipak I beileve that this is considered a successful product as it meets all of the codes and conventions a Pop genre digipak should have, E.G. bright colours and styalises the artist to attartc the buyer into the album. The use of a darker background/image and white writing over the tops helps the typography to stand out but is still simple and appealing. I will take this into consideration when creating my own digipak.
Gabrielle Aplin - English Rain (Samantha Leason's Research):
Gabrielle Aplin's digipak is made up of 2 CD's, a poster, small booklet and the casing for the digipak which has the colour theme of black and white with the item she is holding in colour. This draws attention to the object and emphasizes the bright colour.On the front cover, there is a picture of the artist with an umbrella. This matches with the title 'English Rain'. The typewriter font is consistent throughout the digipak to exaggerate the brand image. There is also use of another font which is used to create a personal touch to the digipak. This is used when the artist 'signs' her name on the CD. The colour theme is also consistent throughout and the colour contrasts boldly with the black and white background. The booklet inside the digipak contains information on the songs and pictures of the artist. The colour and font theme continues throughout this booklet.Gabrielle wears a summer dress and is smiling on the pictures and creates connotations of happiness. A track list is present in the digipak and legal copyright information is stated at the bottom of the same panel. The back page of the digipak is very simplistic and shows another black and white background picture, with a boldly coloured umbrella. The artist has signed the back of the digipak and this creates a personal touch. Every element in the digipak has the artists name on and follows the colour theme.
My view: I believe this artist has created an effective digipak to showcase herself and her songs. I like the idea of the contrast between the black and white background and the coloured objects that the artist holds in the pictures. Even though her face does not feature a lot on the pictures in the digipak, a playful and feminine theme is created.
- Bright Colours
- Artist Brand Image
- Pictures link to theme of album/song
- A Chosen range of colours used throughout
- Lots of pictures of the artist (similarly themed)
- Aspects of previous albums/continuous theme
- Artist Name/Album Title
Band Logo Research:
From looking at these band logos, I have realised that it is important for a band logo to represent the appropriate genre. For example, Indie music logos are simple and often in black and white whereas rock logos user sharper fonts. For my band logo, I will have to ensure that it represents the pop genre. I have also learnt that symbols or images used on a logo must link to the artist name or brand image. One Direction's logo uses an arrow to link to the word direction whilst The Black Eyed Peas use lightening flashes which represents the electronic style of their music. If I use a symbol or image, I will ensure that it is appropriate for my artist, genre or brand image. It is also apparent from looking at these logos that the font size for the artist name should be fairly bold as it's the most important part of the logo.
Pop Artist Logo's:
Gabrielle Aplin (Samantha Leason's Research):
This brand logo is plain and simple. The typewriter font gives a vintage and classy theme to the logo and this gives off the impression this is what the artists music is like. This means that the logo can promote the artists music by appealing to fans of this genre of music. The black and white colour theme is a convention of the indie pop music genre and this is the genre of music Gabrielle Aplin is categorised into. Therefore this logo is effective in informing people of what genre music she is part of and what her songs are like.
Selena Gomez (Samantha Leason's Research):
Selena Gomez's brand logo, like Gabrielle Aplin's, is plain and simple but has a more edgy font. This gives off the impression that she is a bold artist. There is no use of colour with this logo or a background image and this keeps it simple. This implies that people will know who she is without an image because of her fame.
Lorde (Charlotte Bell's Research)
Lorde has a very simple brand logo like the others previously mentioned. It is plain and simple so that is stands out for the buyer. The block black writing sands out against the white background. People are able to easily identify her without needing a picture of her.
Katy Perry (Charlotte Bell's Research)
Like many pop artist Katy Perry also uses a simple logo due to her fame and not needing to be over the top with her logo. However, she is able to adapt it to fit into the theme of her albums. Also unlike the other artist she uses a font that stands out and is eye catching for her buyers.
In conclusion, I have learnt from this research that Pop artist logos often contain the artist's full name as this showcases the artists as much as possible. All four of these logos are also black as well which stands out as it is a bold colour. Three of these logos have the artist's name in capital letters which is something I could use in my own logo as it provides the impression that the artist is of importance which is important in the pop genre. Finally, it should be noted that the font type matches the brand image of the artist. For example, Katy Perry's logo has a swirly, bubbly font to match her fun personality whereas Gabrielle Aplin's is simple to match her natural brand image.
Record Label Research (My Research):
Our artist will require a record label to support and help fund their music. The record label should be familiar with the genre of the artist in order to gain maximum success yet as our artist is new, it should also be able to launch their career. Epic Records is a suitable record label. Established in 1953 as a subdivision of the Sony record label group, it has had long successes in the pop music genre. Artists on their roster similar in style to our artist include Avril Lavigne, Meghan Trainor and Sara Bareilles. These artists have all become successful in the pop genre which shows that the record label will understand the music of our artist. Being a sub-label within Sony means it has the opportunity to work with more lesser-known artists which will be perfect for ours.
An alternative choice is Hollywood Records which would be a good match for our artist as it has had major successes with young artists in the pop genre - most notably, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato. This shows us instantly that the record label will understand our artist and their brand image. The specialism in younger artists also shows that our artist and the record label will have a shared opinion in direction.
A Stockist for our Digipak (Sophie Ordidge's Research):A stockist is a retailer that stocks goods of a particular type for sale. Examples of stockists of CD's are: Amazon,com, iTunes, Spotify, Google Play Music to name online companies. Supermarkets also hold stock of CD's for retail. However, as our digipak is for an independent artist the methods of distribution for us shall be through websites such as www.shellshock.co.uk, the company being based in London, the UK, that allows you to listen to music online and to download it.
An independent record label that would be great for our artist is LAB Records, a UK based record label that specialises in distributing the music of new, independent Pop artists, for example the label recently released South London 19 year old artist KYKO's single 'Pull Me Up'. This label seems suitable as it helps young artists of a close age to ours spread their music and the label's 75+ catalogue releases have sold hundreds of thousands of copies.
Our artist can also distribute their music on website www.youtube.com, as this is where our artist's music video shall be uploaded to. This allows the music to reach a wide audience at no expense to the artist. It further allows the music/video to be shared online on social media, which is an excellent way of attracting a wider audience, in particular our target audience of young, teenage females. Pop artists that have found their fame through using this website include Gabrielle Aplin, Megan and Liz and Tori Kelly - all of now who have record deals with major labels.
In conclusion, I have learnt from these album covers that it is extremely important to include both the album title and artist name on the front of the album so that people can recognise whose the album is. This also gives some indication to the genre as you should be able to tell from looking at an album, what genre it belongs to. I have also noticed that you must pay attention to font size as the artist name/album title should stand out as the most important detail thus, highlighting and showcasing your artist. Finally, it seems apparent that people find humour unnecessary on album covers as the joke appears to be cheesy and distracts you from the main objectives of the album.
What Is An Album Advert? Where do you see them?
An album advert is a promotional poster to advertise a bands/artists new album. It usually includes pictures of the artist as well as some brief information about the album such as popular songs included and/or reviews. You often find them inside suitable stores such as the music store HMV. They are often advertised in public places too to attract as much attention as possible. For example, public transport and billboards. You will often find adverts online as well as they appear on popular websites such as YouTube, HMV and across various social medias.
Katy Perry - One of the Boys Album Advert (My Research):
This poster clearly depicts whose album this is advertising. The 'Katy Perry' text has the biggest font size on the poster which means you can instantly see this is advertising her album when you look at it. The style of font is very bubbly which conveys her brand image as being fun and girly. This is also shown through the colours used in the advert as bright pinks and blues are used which again relates to the brand image but also suggests that this is definitely an advert for the pop genre. The album title is depicted underneath Katy Perry's name in a slightly smaller font yet it still retains the same bubble theme. The album name is the only writing on the poster in a blue font which again shows it stands out. Other text on the poster includes the name of her website, the release date of the album and information on what songs are included to show it's important to efficiently convey to someone looking at the poster, all the necessary information they will need to know about this artist. The main image used on this poster continues the theme of Katy Perry's brand image. The bright colours and use of props such as a paddling pool and lollipop, show her as someone who is fun. Again, they also allude to the album being a part of the pop genre. It should also be noted that showing what your artist looks like further showcases them as more people will know about them thus, boosting their popularity. Finally, the other image included on the poster is a small picture of what the album cover actually looks like. The album cover contains a similar picture to that used on the poster so a continual theme is used throughout Katy Perry's brand. Having an image of the album on the poster is very useful as it means that when people go to buy the album, they will know what album cover to look for.
Ellie Goulding - Lights Album Advert (Sophie's Research):
The advert for 'Lights' shows a reasonably simplistic design, in which a single picture of the artist is featured, with the name of the artist and the album in large font below. The artist's name is the largest piece of text, suitably making the audience see her name first. Capitalization has been used for the artist's name and album name, further intensifying their impact of the advert.Minimal colours are used (black and gold) giving the advert a polished image which is suitable to the pop genre, The picture of the artist used on the advert matches the picture used on the actual album cover. The picture has been edited to have many small gold lights layered over the picture of the artist, showing relevant links to the name of the album have been made when designing the album advert. The gold lights may connote the album is of a high quality and will be well critically received. The black colour of her clothing does not take away the focus from the album's name and allows the text to be read easily as the background does not camouflage with the text. The shadows on the artist's face creates a dramatic effect that aims to interest the audience more.Several reviews of the album, including one written comment in quotation marks and star ratings have been featured in smaller text at the bottom of the advert - this adds credibility to the artist and self-promotes the high quality of their work through using other's reviews of it. Positive reviews are a marketing technique that aims to persuade more people to purchase the album. The record label the artist belongs to is acknowledged at the very bottom of the advert in the smallest font as to not distract the audience from focusing on the artist's name and album name.
Rihanna - Rated R Album Advert (Charlotte's Research):
The advert clearly shows what artist is being shown off to the target audience and she is trying to promote. By having the artist as the only image on the poster it shows her off in the way she wishes to be seen by the audience. For her album 'Rated R', Rihanna uses a punk theme which is shown through her mise-en-scene and the typography. By using a fully black and white theme with only the text at the bottom stating what is included on the album in a red text it draws the audience attention to the advert. Also it can be seen in the top right hand corner of the advert the letter 'R'. This is typically seen as Rihnanna's logo but in this case also links to the album name, which again is a play on words for Rhianna. Adding to the punk theme is the typography of the artist name, as the simplistic white writing stands out against the black block underneath. However, the album name is poorly placed as it is directly over the picture of the artist and is then made more difficult to read as both the writing and part of the image is white. This could then cause confusion for the buyers as if they don't look closely they will miss what it is called. Although the main focus of this is the artist they still include the copy rights at the bottom, but this is done subtly so that is doesn't draw the focus away from the main point of the album, the artist.
Plan B - Album Advert (Samantha's Research):
PLAN B's album advert is successful in promoting the album as it is bold and draws attention to the artists name immediately. It includes multiple 4 star reviews from companies such as the Daily Mirror, Sunday Times and Daily Telegraph, which are nationally respected newspapers and magazines, ensuring the reader they can trust the album to be worth buying. The actual album cover is shown in the bottom left corner of the advert, making it easy for buyers to identify the album after they have seen the advert. 'The multi-platinum album of the year'- This quote is written in red bold font as well as the artists name which shows its importance and that the album is highly popular.
A classic theme is created through the colour scheme of black and white background, with white and red colour font. The most important information on the album, the artists name and the title are in large, bold font to make them stand out the most. This advert also includes logos of the companies that were involved in the making of this album, along with the artists website for extra promotion.The picture of PLAN B on the advert is consistent with the classy theme which is created with the colour scheme as he holds a vintage style microphone.Overall, I believe this advert is effective in promoting PLAN B's album as it contains all the information needed for the buyer to know and the reviews that will convince the buyer that it is worth the buy.
Album Advert Conclusion (My Research):
Overall, I have noticed that these album adverts feature a picture of the artist and this picture is the most noticeable feature of the advert. The aim of the advert is to showcase and highlight the artist and the picture helps achieve this as it shows an audience who the artist is. The second most notable feature is the Artist name and album name as similarly to the picture, it helps achieve the objective of the advert. It should also be noted that these albums all represent their genre - most commonly through the colour scheme used. For example, pop adverts use brighter colours and the artist is shown to be glamourous. Other information included on these posters includes websites, reviews and where the album can be brought. I have learnt that including reviews can be useful as it adds credibility to the album.
Conventions:
- Artist Name
- Release Date
- Album Title
- Pictures
- Album Cover
- Record Label Information
- Website
- Ratings or Reviews
- Available From..
Genre Specific Album Adverts :
Demi Lovato - Unbroken (My Research):
This advert is very effective in advertising Demi Lovato's album 'Unbroken'. The first thing you notice on the advert is the picture of Demi which is also the same image used on the album cover. This means that people looking at the advert instantly know whose album it is advertising yet it also means that when they go to buy they album, they know what cover to look for. The text stands out against the plain white background as a simple bold font is used. Text used on the poster includes the artists name, the album name and some information about the album such as information on collaborations. This is all important information which much be included on an advert. The only other text on the poster is to inform people that the album is 'In stores now' which informs people that they can already buy the album. The advert contains a constant theme of neutral colours yet Demi is still made to look very glamourous which fits with the pop genre.
Britney Spears - Circus (My Research):
Britney's advert is very vibrant due to it's use of bright colours which is a convention of pop adverts. The overall theme which is made up of the colours used, font and images contributes to a similar look used by circus'. This matches the albums name which is 'Circus' which shows that it is important for the album advert to match the album name. No image of Britney is used on this poster but her name is in the largest font which shows that she is the main focus of the advert. Other information includes the album release date so people know when they can buy the album as well as information on the album such as what songs it includes. Giving as much information about the album as possible encourages people to buy it. Finally, the other text included is the name of the website so people can go look for more information if they wish.
Overall, I have noticed that adverts of the pop genre include the Artist name in the boldest font as it's important for this to be highly noticeable. They are also highly stylized or themed. Demi's advert follows a continuous colour theme and she is made to look very glamourous whereas Britney uses a circus theme to match the title of her album. Both pop adverts also include information on the album such as what songs it includes to attract their audience. Pop adverts should be eye catching and carry a continuous theme.
Marina & the Diamonds Advert (Samantha's Research):
Marina and The Diamonds album advert is successful in promoting the artist and her new album well. The artists name and the album name is boldly written in large font and a picture of the artist is is close up and large,showcasing the star. The font colour theme of pink and white is consistent using pale colours which stand out on the dark coloured background. Other information on the poster includes what singles are featured in the album, and where it is available. A picture of the actual album is present on the advert and this ensures the buyers know what to look for when purchasing the album.
Conventions of pop genre adverts (Charlotte Bell's Research):
- · Bright Colours
- · Focus on the artist
- · Simplistic Typography
- · Reviewed by Billboard and MTV
- · Looks effortless
- · Bold artist and album name
- · Includes high ratings to appeal to the target audience
- · Includes number one song or most popular from said album
- · Theme runs through both album and poster
- · Sometimes links to previous albums
- · Artist is stylized
Pop Genre Artist Brand Image:
Tori Kelly:
Ariana Grande:
Lorde:
Ellie Goulding:
Planning:
Our Brand Image:
In our planning, we decided that our artist was going to be portrayed as centred, down to earth and ethereal. We took inspiration from artists such as Ellie Goulding - especially in the ‘Beating Heart’ music video which demonstrates a natural look, soft image and pale colour scheme. This is a similar representation Gabrielle Aplin's who is portrayed as youthful and a hopeless romantic. She also uses natural colours like greens, blues and pinks, which we were then inspired to use within our own music video and throughout our brand image. These then helped create the representation of our artist also being innocent and angelic. Like the other artists, we will also use images linking to our song in our digipak and posters so that the audience has a clear idea of what to expect from the music video. These will be shown in close up shots of the artist's face so she is seen to be stylised as is popular in the pop genre. This will then enable the artist’s personality to be reflected through her music and her natural talent as we hope her brand image will represent her as being focused on her music.
Our Artist Name:
When deciding on our artist's name, we came up with a number of different options which we presented to our target audience. We wanted a name that was individual as pop artists are often known for their individuality but it also wanted something that would match our brand image of being down to earth and ethereal. Out of the names that we came up with, we felt Thea Hunt, Isla West and Emilia West were the strongest options. Our target audience felt that Isla was nice, unique name yet some suggested that it sounded old fashioned and as a group, we decided that this would not fit with the pop genre. Emilia was suggested as being a strong, individual name yet it also sounds girly and innocent which would match our brand image so we felt this would be a good name for our artist. This is a more uncommon way of spelling this name so we felt it would stand out in the pop genre. For our surname, we decided to go with West as we felt it would provide us with some ideas for the brand logo and we felt we needed a short surname to make our artists name sound memorable and catchy.
Brand Logo:
Once we had decided that our artist was going to be called 'Emilia West', we came up with our artist logo as a group. We noticed that many artists in the pop genre used their full name in capital letters for their logo. Examples include Gabrielle Aplin, Ariana Grande, Tori Kelly and Lorde. We took inspiration from this and decided to have our artists name in capital letters too. We decided that the font should be simple to match the effortless appearance of our brand image and it would also show our artist is mature to convey that she is focused on music rather than fame. We also felt that we wanted a small image or symbol to accompany our logo to make it more distinguishable. We discussed what symbols would match our brand image and decided on either a arrow or feather. It was then that we thought that we could use an arrow point west to link to the artists name.
Team Meeting:
The objective of our team meeting was to finalise details about our artist that we have planned out so far. We have decided to take inspiration from artists such as Ellie Goulding, Gabrielle Aplin and Tori Kelly in our brand image as we will make her appear to be down to earth, natural, effortless and ethereal. This stylised look will be in keeping with the pop genre. We also want her focus to be on music rather than fame to show that she is genuinely talented. We decided on the name Emilia West as this is not the common way of spelling Emilia so it stands out and West provided us with ideas for what we could do for the logo. Our artist's logo is her name in capital letters with an arrow pointing west. The capital letters show a level of importance and the simple font makes her seem mature. We felt adding the arrow would give her an instantly recognisable logo. The album name will be 'Ascendant' as this means rising in power or influence which as a new artist, is something we hope our artist will achieve. It is also simple and stands out which will be perfect for our genre. We decided that the merchandise we will sell will include t shirts, wristbands, posters and possibly signed albums all including the artist logo and album image as these are everyday items that can be used by a broad audience. Taking inspiration from the websites of other pop artists, ours will feature a picture of our artists, links to social medias and the colours will match the album cover as this seems to be a convention of pop websites. Finally, we have decided that our album cover should feature a close up of our artists from the 'Out of the Woods' music video so it can be instantly recognised whose the album is as this helps us highlight and showcase our artist.
Digipak's and Feedback:
My Design:
Sophie's Design:
Charlotte's Design:
Samantha's Design:
Conclusion:
In Sophie's design, the use of the pictures of the ballet dancers help create an elegant yet simple theme that is similar to our artist's brand image. The cover of the digipak effectively showcases the artist through a close up image and bold font which achieves the aim of advertising our artist. The picture is taken from our music video so it conveys a continuous image throughout our brand. We felt that Sophie's digipak could use more colours and more pictures of the artist so if we were to use aspects of her design, this is something we would consider incorporating. For Charlotte's design, we like the image used on the CD disc as it relates to our music video and contributes to our simple, effortless brand image. We also like the use of the silhouette because again, it fits in with the digipak's theme and our brand image and this is something we could easily create when making our own digipak. To improve Charlotte's design, we felt that the backgrounds were fairly plain so we would change this by adding more visually interesting images. In Kate's design, we like the use of the Polaroid images stacked on top of each other as they link to the single 'Out of the Woods' but they also provide a stylized theme which suits the pop genre. It also appears to have a clean, stylized look overall which would suit the pop genre and our brand image. To improve Kate's design, it was suggested that we consider to consistency of the font throughout the digipak so this is something we would think about if we chose Kate's design.In Samantha's design, we felt more detail and colour was needed to make a final design. However, there was a consistent theme of font and the colour theme of natural and pale colours is used throughout. There is lots of promotion of the artist as her name is constantly shown throughout the digipak. The use of a booklet may be a good idea in promoting the artist and will give the buyers information on the songs and the artist and add a personal touch to the digipak.
Front Cover:
The final design of our digipak is a combination of different aspects of everyone's digipak in the group. This allowed us to bring together all our favourite features. We had all designed a similar front cover which featured a close up of the artist. This is a picture that we will take from the music video in which you see a close up of the artists face with the sun shining on her. We all felt this to be an appropriate picture as the focus is heavily on the artist and the sunlight on her face provides an innocent and natural image which helps convey our brand image. It is also a highly stylised picture which we felt would suit the pop genre. The name of the artist is featured at the top of the cover as this is the most important aspect in her trademark logo and the album name 'Ascendant', is featured at the bottom. For this, we chose a bold yet soft font that we felt stood out yet matched the image of our artist. These pieces of text will both be white as we believe this will stand out against the forest background whilst also matching our theme.
Back Cover:
The back cover also features a picture of the artist taken from our music video and this is the back of her head looking at the trees. We felt this was an appropriate picture for the back as the focus of the digipak remains on the artist yet it adds variety and allows people to focus on the song title as we wanted our artist to be known for her music. The track listing is featured on the back of the album as this is a convention that we must follow. It allows people to see what songs are included. We have decided to choose a simple font similar to our artist's logo to keep a continuous theme which is why we also chose to have the track listing in capital letters. The font will be white as again, this should stand out clearly. On the bottom of the back cover is the barcode, record label and copyright information as this is a necessity on digipaks.
Spine:
The spine features the album name and artist's name in the same font and colour as on the cover of the album for continuity. Our artist's trademark arrow splits the two pieces of text in the middle. We have decided to colour our spine in a gradient effect that starts blue and fades to a pale yellow. These colours feature throughout our music video and images used as they link in with our themed use of nature and lights. These colours are also a convention of the pop genre which means our digipak should be instantly recognised as pop.
Disc Tray Panel:
We have decided that our disc will contain an point of view image that appears as if you are looking up through the trees. Again this links to our music video and therefore our artist's most popular song whilst also contributing to the digipaks theme and our natural, ethereal brand image. Again, the album name and artist's name shall appear on the disc in the same font and colour as they do on the cover for continuity expect here they well form a circle around the disc. The background shall share the same gradient effect as the digipak's spine in blue and yellow.
"Thank You" Panel:
As our brand image states that our artist appears to be relatable and down to earth, we wanted to include a message to her fans to help provide this image and appearance. Again, this will be written in a similar font to the artist's logo. Near the end of the message we felt she should sign her name as if it was a signature so we will use a cursive font to give the appearance of handwriting. The background of this message features a forest scene which we will take from our music video to continue our theme. This panel also acts as a pocket for the album booklet which would contain information on the artist and their songs.
Polaroid Picture Panel:
Our artist's most popular song features the lyric 'You took a polaroid of us' so we felt it would be fitting to have this panel which features what appears to be a pile of polaroid pictures stacked on top of one another. These polaroid's will all feature various pictures of our artists varying in shots. Our aim should be to highlight and showcase the artist and we felt this would be an effective way to do this. We also felt that this specific design and idea adhered to the often stylised designs used in other pop digipaks.
Ballerina Panel:
The silhouette of the ballerina is relevant to our digipak in two ways. Firstly our music video features ballet dancing and dance routines are also a convention of the pop genre. So, we felt this would be a relevant image to include. Ballerinas are also graceful and pure which was similar to that of our artists brand image. We chose to do a silhouette rather than a photo as we didn't want to focus of our digipak to be on a dancer as it should be on the artist so we felt this allowed us to keep this image without drawing away that focus. For the background of this panel, we are planning to try two different techniques. We will either superimpose some forest imagery on top as seen in our music video or we liked the idea of gentle splatters of water-colours on top. These colours would be similar to those used throughout our digipak such as greens and blues to continue our theme.
Album Posters and Feedback:
My Design:
Sophie's Design:
Charlotte's Design:
Samantha's Design:
Conclusion:
In conclusion, we felt that Kate's poster design was consistent in keeping the theme that will also be present in our digipak which effectively portrays our brand image. We also liked that it contained all the relevant album information such as a website, reviews etc. The Image used will be similar to the digipak cover so people can instantly connect the two. To improve the design, we could distribute the text make sure and ensure the artists name and the album name are in a bold font. So, if we use Kate's design, we will take this into consideration. For Sophie's design, we really liked the individual and unique design and how the artists hair because a significant part of the iconography. To improve Sophie's design, we felt that the background could be changed to contain a colour or design that is more eye-catching. In Charlotte's design, we like that the picture is from our music video which provides our brand image with a continuous theme. We also liked the use of the 5 Star reviews as this instantly shows our album to be worthy of buying. To Improve Charlotte's design, we felt it could be made more eye-catching - possibly with the use of a close up picture of the artist so that she is the main focus rather than the background. In Samantha's album advert design, the font was a favourite aspect as it was bold and eye catching, promoting the title of the album well. The use of two 5 star reviews which are boldly presented on the advert show the buyer how successful and popular the album is. The iconography of the album advert is successful in showcasing the star as a close up image of the artist is used and this image will fit in with her brand image of being natural and ethereal. To improve this advert, more colour needs to be used to make a more eye catching advert.
Final Poster Decision + Reasoning:
For the poster, we decided as a final product we are going to use Samantha's design and slightly change a few elements such as moving the picture upwards and have the writing underneath this instead of above. The picture that will be used is a close up image of the artist from the music video for 'Out of The Woods', and shall take up most of the space on the poster, keeping the artist as the main focus. We chose this still from the video as it has a natural and ethereal mood which matches the brand image well, showcasing our artist for the person we want her to appear as.
The album name will be in a bold, large font to promote the title and portray its importance. We believe the font used on Samantha's poster design will be effective in creating this. The colours featured on our poster are ones all members of the group felt would be suitable - natural greens, blues and browns shall be used to match our music video for 'Out of The Woods'. Our artist's logo and name of the album shall be the largest pieces of text on the poster, although we will feature small reviews that do not distract the audience from the larger text. 'Emilia West' and her arrow logo shall similarly be in bold, large font that make the artist quickly identifiable. As with the digipak, our album advert shall feature the artist with her trademark appearance of her blonde, wavy hair, her natural coloured clothes, stood in front of a background of trees that has become related to her due to the music video for 'Out of The Woods'.
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