Research for Ancillary Products... Do's and Don'ts

in class we looked at some good examples of ancillary products and also bad ones so that we can see the contrast between the two and hopefully won't make the same mistakes.
The DON'T list...

• Don't stretch images, this will make them out of focus. In the example we saw a picture that was stressed too much it looks almost pixilated and the people in the photo end up looking a bit wrong. 
• Don't use layer styles, this can look very unflattering and can go VERY wrong. 
• Don't use unnecessary effects. Any effects used must suit the genre - it's important that the visual arts don't miss lead the genre. What is meant by this is that if your genre is pop, it doesn't make sense to have the album cover covered in gargoyles, it isn't related!
• Don't place text across the artists face - trying to visualise that statement, it pretty much makes sense why this should not be done - it's tacky and is a pain to try and read let alone look at. 
• Don't use a font simply because you 'like it'. Everything used in the artwork should reflect the personality of the artist and the genre of the music. It should all flow together and look like it's part of the same package. 
• Don't feel you need a separate photo on every panel - be creative!! 

The DO list...

• Use clear font, it will be simple, attractive and easy to read. Perfect. 
• Use appropriate sizes for images and font. It won't make sense to have the letters fill up the entire cover, or have a picture that doesn't allow text to be added because it will look too full or messy. On that note, it is also important to make sure that the font size is readable and the picture fits, it the picture is too small it won't look great either. 
• Use clear photo's that are in focus and appropriate shape for the page, the best solution for this is to use the 'rule of thirds' for composition. It's important to chose a good style of picture to follow genre conventions and a simple house style. 
• Got to be careful of where the font is placed. It must follow genre conventions and be clear from a distance, of course when people come into the shop you want the album artwork to catch their eye - this is the main importance. 
• 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 the integrate: font, text and language, image. Placement of text next to an image will anchor specific meaning. This goes on to further detail that there is no need for things like 'thank yous' and inappropriate text that has nothing to do with your album. 

IMPORTANT NOTE TO SELF: Use appropriate logos and conventions, properly positioned: barcode, date, copyright, titles as well as artist name!!

Here is a perfect example of a previous example that we can look up to from previous student work. It consists of a good layout, clear text, beautiful imagery, I think you'd agree it is very creative, clear and simple. Also the attractiveness of it would make it outstanding on a shelf in a supermarket. Very audience friendly work.