Ancillary-Starting my digipack..

This is the beginning of my digipack. So far I've done the back cover and front using photoshop in order to fit the images to scale (without stretching!) Already I'm getting used to using the many tools that photoshop has to offer. I'm enjoying being the designer of my own piece and finally getting better at my use on photoshop! You will be thinking that this is completely different to my initial mock-up.. This is because I originally wanted to use Valeza's eyes as the main concept but after my pitch I had to re-think this as it wasn't seen as conventional for a artist that's just starting out in the music business. Therefore, I looked at some other CD's to see if this was true and I came across Adele's first album 19. You can see her face but its half in a shadow and half out. I found this effective as it was sophisticated and simple which was how I wanted my digipack to come across also. This then gave me inspiration to place my own images onto the templates in this way. 

I've still got quite a while to go yet as I have to add the playlist, producing labels and barcode on the back of my digipack. Then I have to work on the Cd housing and left panel. Not to mention my advertisement! I better get a move on..

Editing my digipak

 

I started editing my digi-pak in today's media lesson, which was a huge challenge since i have never used photoshop before as I usually repel technology, when i got used to it though it wasn't so bad. The pictures i decided to use aren't exactly like the ones on my mock-up but they are pretty similar. I decided on the black and white colour scheme as i thought it looked most effective with the pictures and suited the style of the song/track listings. I used a close up of the artist's face instead of the original medium close up i was planning to use as i think this establishes the artist more effectively, and i also played around with the font used, other than that it is pretty similar to my mock- up.
(by the way, the quote above the picture in the inside left panel was just a joke. I will obviously take it down. I'm not depressed or anything.) :D

Creating my Ancillary Work: Mock up

With the front panels i wanted to definitely have the black grey and blue theme. This is a rough initial plan of what I want it to look like, but I am certain that it will change as i begin to experiment with the different layers in photoshop and figure out what looks good with the framing of the pictures. On the back panel I wanted a picture of the artist facing away from the camera wearing the wings, but i realised that this may be inconvenient and the wings were only used for our video and it may be too much to present it on my digipak also. 

I'm not as confident with my inside panels, as I think it is quite boring. After receiving feedback from Dan I've decided to change it so that it shows pictures of the artist anyway. I will still include perhaps quotes and a few thank you messages. 

editing photos for digipak

 

 

 Today we got all the pictures back from our mini-photoshoot whe did on thursday's lesson, and I strated to edit my possible options, right now I cant decide whether i want my pictures with colour, but with an antique/vintagey tinge to them (such as the ones above) or just plain black and white to match the music video. to edit the pictures I used a programe called iphoto on the i-mac in college, I am used to using this programe at home so it was easy to get the right contrast/brightness for my pictures. I decided that I want to use some picture I have of myself at home as well as the 'photo shoot' pictures because we didn't get the right close-up shots that I wanted to use.

Mock-up of my digi-pak and advert

Here are the templates for my Digi-pak and Advert, the pictures i drew aren't exactly the ones i plan on using but they give a rough idea of how i want the pictures to look on the final ancillary products.
 

As a template for the front cover (on which i want a medium-close up shot of the artist) i used a screenshot from the music video as a template, in the final front cover i don't plan on using the angel wings props in any of the pictures as i think this will make the album seem as if it only relates to one of the tracks rather than all of them.

   

One place i do want to incorporate an essence of the music video is on the CD housing, i want to use a screenshot of the birds flying as i think it would look interesting without being too busy on the template.

Creating my Ancillary Work: Feedback

This is me delivering my pitch to Dan about my plans for my Digipak and Advert. 

Feedback

After my pitch I think that I might have to re-consider a lot of things in my planning as Dan said it might not be conventional enough for me to have just Lilia's eyes on the front as she is a new artist. Therefore I'm going to go away and re-think my aims and intentions for the digipack!

Feedback

Planning Ancillary Products... Pitch

Having worked for a little while on my mock-up of my digipak I've pitched my idea to teacher Dan. Here is how it went: 

Creating my Ancillary Work: Fonts

These are the possible fonts that I may use for my Digipak. The feel of our music video is quite dark and gothic, so therefore I wanted to maintain this with the font of the album name and the name of our artist.

I really like this font because it stands out, and even though it is quite gothic it is still easily read which is very important. It is highly certain that I will use this type of font for the cover and to title other parts of the digipak

I like this font because it is quite different and edgy, which is something i'd like to show also. However I do not like the fact that the title is slanted, so I might not use this.

This simple font is what I will use for the tracklisting and for other text on the digipak and for the spine. I like it because it is very plain but still looks good. 

This font 'LEVIBRUSH' is the final font that I will use for my digipak. This font remains consistent throughout, and the only other font I have used is small and simple just for the product information. 

Font ideas.

We found this program on the macs called Fontcase which had a wide range of fonts to choose from and our teacher said we can import them onto photoshop to use on our final digi-paks.

I decided that i want to use a really simple font so that its clear to read and doesn't look tacky, here are some examples of the fonts that i particularly liked.

I was considering using one of these two fonts for the advertisement as it needs to stand out and look like it fits in a magazine or poster.

I really like the font used on Leona Lewis's album as it is simple and easy to read and stands out from the picture behind it.

Planning of Ancillary-Mock ups of both advert and digipack

Here is a slide show of my Mock-Up's for the digipack! I took screen shots from our music video and then placed them onto paper whilst writing on the side and annotating where everything will be. I want to have the artists eyes as my main focus (as the album is called In My Eyes) for the front and then have a picture of the artist on the back. Then for the Cd housing I want the picture if the birds or maybe another photo of Lilia as the bird shot will be a little difficult to try out. We'll have to just wait and see once we do our photo shoot!

For my Advertisement I wanted to have Lilia in the middle of the page and then have a simple but effective use of the black and white theme with just the correct amount of information needed to promote her. Otherwise too much info will over crowd the poster and look too tacky.. Now to present this in my pitch!  

Researching Ancillary products: Analysis of 3 magazine adverts

Ellie Goulding
I really like the colour schemes used for Ellie Goulding's album covers, magazine shoots and adverts, I think they suit her style of music as the soft, faded pictures really bring out the gentle side to her music, I think this style will also suit our artist as it makes the artist look vulnerable and stripped back, but still with a lot of life and spirit, which relates well to the genre of music. Ellie's face is clearly shown in this advert, which helps to establish and promote the artist; this is very important if (like ours) the artist is unknown and wants to get her face recognised.
 



Florence and the machine
I used this artist again as i particularly like the shots and colour scheme used for both her album cover and advert; it links very well with both our artist's genre of music and our target audience. They have used the same picture as was on the album cover on the advert, this is so that the audience can link the two together, since the average amount of time spent looking at a magazine advert is about 2 seconds, the picture used needs to be instantly recognisable to the reader in order to capture their interest.


Rihanna
Although her genre of music doesn't relate to my artist's as much as the previous two, I thought that Rhianna's advert was a very good example of how to promote the the artist! The image used for both the album cove and the advert is a close-up of the artist's face which allows the audience to instantly recognise them, there is also a pinky tint to the picture which I think sets off the colour scheme really well. Although the genres of music aren't particularly similar, the soft pink tinge allows this advert to appeal more to females (same as our target audience).

Researching Ancillary products: Analysis of 3digi-paks

Florence and the Machine

I think that this artist's style relates to our genre of music as her songs are usually haunting and sad, with a quirky, unique style which makes them catchy and addictive to listen to. Our song 'Fallen' is similar in this aspect, and also in the sense that the main target audience is females; as the song is all about heartbreak and expression of emotions. I can tell that Florence's Digi-pak is aimed mainly towards a female audience as soft, pale, femenine colours are used sich as pale pink and green, as well as weird, 'unique' pictures of the artist that i think will appeal more to a female audience. I would like to structure my digipak in this way as i think it suits the genre of the music perfectly and would appeal to our target audience.

Lykke Li

Seeing as we took a lot of inspiration for our music video from Lykke Li's video for her song 'Get some' (the black and white, and combination of fast forward/slow motion shots) I think that my digi-pak can be constructed in the same way as hers; we discussed using black and white as a colour scheme for our ancillary products (as she has done) in order to match our video. Her genre of music is also quite unusual and quirky like ours, and I think this relates to the type of audience our music will attract. 

Katy B

As you know, our genre of music is dubstep, and so I think Katy's digipak is good inspiration as it relates to our genre and style of music. She has used a simple mid-shot to establish the artist (we plan to do similar to this) and there is a bluey-green tinge to the image, I suggested to my group that we make our pictures look antique and vintage by adding a sepia tint or fading the colour of the images as I think this will look more effective than plain black and white (which might look too boring or similar to the music video) I think Katy B's use of colour has turned a plain picture into something interesting and unique.

Researching Ancillary products: Importance and function of digipaks

What is a digi-pak? 
It is a modern approach to CD packaging; there is more information about the band or artist in question. It is an attempt by the music industry to 'add value' to the album; encouraging people to part with money for something special and 'extra'.

What is the function of a digi-pak? 
With digi-paks we get a deeper understanding of the artist and music that they play; the extra added information we get with a digi-pak (rather than just a normal CD case) helps us to connect on a deeper level with the artist in question, we feel like we are getting more for our money. The added info we get in Digi-paks also shows the growth of the artist, music-wise, and if they are a new artist, a digi-pak helps them create their own image and is a promotional advertising tool used to promote the artist brand. The artwork helps to sell music online; where there is also competition from many other artists, so the images have to stand out and promote the artist.

Why are digi-paks still used despite CD sales dropping?
Digi-paks are essentially created for the most devoted fans to feel like they are fully supporting their favourite band/artist, they feel like they are getting more for their money; something more special than they would recieve if they just bought the CD case or downloaded the music from i-tunes. They are more special and interesting for the fans than CDs which means that they are more likely to be bought. Digi-paks also help to combat piracy in the music industry; if if you are a real music fan, you would want to support the industry by buying the music of your favorite artists.

How important are ancillary products to the artists and the music industry?
Ancillary products encourage fans to buy hard copies of music rather than illegally downloading it; so in effect, the industry benefits financially. They also help to create a image and unique style for the artist. And most importantly, without adverts and promotional tools no-one would even know that the artist has released a new album or song, so it is crucial to making money for the artist and industry.

Research for Ancillary Products... Advertisement Themes Relating to My Artist

We have discussed advertisements in class and their purposes. I have used this particular example of Ellie Gouldings US Tour advertisement. Now even on this just like the digipak it is obvious that there is a limited amount of colours; red, creamy & white, and different shades of blue. It's not painful for the eyes because the contrast has clearly been decreased. We only see relevant and important information on this poster; Ellie Goulding in person, her full name, and a subheading with additional information because the purpose of this poster was clearly to advertise tour dates. Also I think it may be important to add that the colour scheme ties in with the colours of the American/ British flag - she is a British artist, on tour in america, it forms some sort of union. Her pose in this image is interesting, it has been laid out perfectly across the page where her facial features are accentuated at the top there is a lot going on, so there has been no writing included, it would look to busy and chaotic. Instead she has worn a jumper that is a plain colour and the text has been added to that so it is clear enough. The poster that I have included of Avril Lavinge is different because it advertises the date she is going to perform at a specific location. It doesn't differ too much from the cover, in fact the same image is used to avoid having to put up a picture of the digipak/cd. The font has been replicated and extra logos etc have been added because of I presume the investors who are supporting this event. The Lykke Li album is very similar in this aspect, it seems like the advertisements and digipaks are part of the same package they all flow together. I hope I can accomplish this in my own work.

Research for Ancillary Products... Digipak Themes Relating to My Artist

I have taken inspiration from artists that are similar to mine. Looking at the fact that my artist is unsigned, it was hard to get inspiration for their musical style. I've had to improvise. My main influences have been Lykke Li, Avril Lavigne, and an artist my teacher (Dan) introduced to us as a group earlier in the year when we were doing research for our music video. This cd cover of Lykke Li (as I would say.. ) is absolutely brilliant. I enjoy how the imagery of her face had been manipulated into what looks like modern art, the reflections - even though indirectly - look back onto the video, and how there was mirror images used but it's been done so subtly that you don't really look at that side of it. Also the font that has been chosen is very simple and unique, underlined to draw attention to itself and the colour scheme has been so minimised. I think it's very clever how the creator of this digipak used colours that were very plain and just went along nicely with each other to avoid major contrast or colour.

The same with this Avril Lavigne album 'under my skin' way back when we did our pitch we did mention her as an influence even back then. The photo that has been capture of her here gives her great depth because of her facial expression, it looks like "buy this cd, I have a lot to say". Another interesting thing about this cover is the colour scheme the majority of it is grey scale except for the red cross, and to not make that look ridiculous and out of context it has been accompanied by some red font. It does follow the typical conventions of having the artist's name in larger font than the album name. Her music style and image have been conveyed through the use of imagery and text. The reason I say text is because the font that has been used is very peculiar, the are big bold letters and then other 'skinny' letters, I think this reflects upon the fact that the album will provide big provoking songs and other fragile and sensitive ones giving you a sense of variation... or am I just looking too much into it?
Last but not least my last example of Buriel's 'untrue' album provides a different perspective. The Lykke Li album did have a sort of photography in it which was combines with visual effects, Avril Lavignes cover looked like pure photography and now we move onto pure graphics. The 'wall art' is conveying a certain type of emotion which influences the buyer and reflects upon a particular style. In Buriels case it's electronic. Electronic music styles and related graphics often have a pattern, and that pattern it a particular symbol. There is a funny looking symbol next to the artists name (which if I may just point out is the largest piece of text on the page - typical  where as the name of the album is hardly even seen) that looks like an X. I know that the electronic theme of 'tektonic' music has a symbol of an eagle. All of these examples have shown me one thing. Keep the colour scheme to a minimum, especially for my artist that my group and I are doing, use clear fonts to outline the style of the music and create a trade mark that only this artist will have and doesn't share with anybody else. Best form of colour: grey scale: blacks, greys and whites.

Research for Ancilary Products- Analysis of Adverts

 

Ok so I have no idea who this band are to be totally honest but their advert looks quite rock-ifed (if thats a word) and I just generally liked the colours used. Its quite a good poster as it promotes the artist, has the tour dates and a piture of their latest album. What more could you want? The image could be better as could the font but in a way I think that highlights what they're all about. Therefore, the poster has everything needed in order to promote an upcoming artist. This relates to my advertisment as I'm guessing this group have a particular target audience (rock fans) which is the same as our artist as she has her own target audience with the genre Dubstep. 

Ahh the famous Gorillaz! I honestly wonder where they have gone? Anyway, this particular advertisment is quite effective as it tells us all the relevant information needed for a fan to know. The colours used are quite contrasting (especially having the red) Which makes the name stand out against a plain background. The images are great as they promote the artist well. I would say this relates to my digipack as the poster is very much 'out there' which is what I would like my own to be. As it has to be noticeable otherwise no-one will bother taking a look at it. Therefore, no fan base will be formed. In a way this could blend into a background quite easily. However, the red/bold font is the first thing that captures your eyes as you look at it. 

Although Jessie J's music is not anything like our artist this advert for her tour has caught my eye quite a few times when travelling around London. I like the image she brings across as it's quite out there and it promotes herself effortlessly. It shows that a good image can actually make anything work well. As the background is nothing special just simplistic with the use of white and black. This is to allow us to look straight at the name of the artist which is in gold and the font really stands out to me. I found this effective as it's eye catching and has all the relevant information that an advert needs. Therefore, I would say that the only thing she has in common with our artist is that they are both females but each have their own genre of music to promote.

Research For Ancillary Products- Analysis of Three Digipacks

Our song 'Falling' is orginally from the dubstep genre however, its quite melodic and not your conventional dubstep song. This makes it a little difficult to compare her to other artists but we have a few that influenced the making of the video. Lykke Li, Burial and The Script (not music wise but CD cover wise)

I'll start off with 'Burial' as this particular artist's style of music is similar to Lilia's. The music of this particular band is also melodic but a little more wild than ours. In saying this, however, the audience that listen to 'Burial' would most likly listen to our artists music also. The design package of this CD cover has the running theme of black and white, which is what I'm considering (as well as sepia not sure which one I'll use just yet..) but its a little too dark for my digipack. Also, I want the artist to be on the front and back of my digipack so this wouldnt be as influential for me. I do like the font style though as it's simple and easy to read , plus it stands out against the plain background. This is effective as it makes the artists name stand out away from the name of the album which would stand out on a shelf in HMV. Its definately provoked thought for my own design tactics.

The second Digi pack I'm going to compare is 'Lykke Li's' album as I feel it reflects the freaky,contorted vibe that I'd like to portray throughout my own Digipack. Throughout the making of our video 'Lykke Li' was a heavy influence as her style of music is almost identical to our artist Lilia's. This particular Digipack uses the colour pallet that I'm thinking of using (or b&w). Especially as the front image of the artist is contorted which allows us to recognise that this artist is different. I also like the font of the digipack as it's simple yet perfectly visible. I would probably use a easier font to read as I want the artist's name to stand out rather than be the same size unlike this one.

Although the script's music have nothing to do with our artist. Their digipack really sparked ideas for my own. Mainly, I love the antique feel that this gives off as well as creating a brilliant running theme of colour pallet throughout. It instantly draws attention to the group's name as well as having a bold image to promote them. I found this a particularly effective album to anylse as its images are all extreme close ups. Which is the shot-type of image I would like to use for my artist's digipack. Furthermore, I think the font used throughout the digipack is effective as it captures the audience's eye because of its boldness. Also, I think the simplicty of this album is what makes it work so well as it focus's on just the artist.

Research for Ancillary Products: Analysis of Adverts

It was hard enough trying to find Digipaks let alone Advertisements... but here goes nothing :)

EMELI SANDE: HEAVEN

I feel that this album advertisement is incredibly effective because there is a prominent picture of the artist which helps to establish her and become recognizable with the public. From the image we can tell that this artist does not rely on her feminine sexuality to gain an audience and that her music would perhaps be more soulful.This can be related to the audience of our artist Lilia because her songs are quite melodical and she has soul to her voice, and this advert is used to promote a new artist and that's what the brief of our advert is to do also. The use of the black, white and grey colour scheme is effective because it is bold and it looks sophisticated, instead of looking tacky by having bright colours. Also it is the type of scheme that I wanted to use as it suggests more darkness and emotion with the music. 

ELLIE GOULDING: LIGHTS

I really like this Advert for Ellie Goulding because the use of the quote at the top of the page, the reviews and the use of the facts  in the boxes help to promote the artist and impress the audience. It makes us think "Oh we just might go and get her album / see her on tour." The advert itself is very simple and is aesthetically pleasing, although there is a lot of text it does not look too overcrowded, but it looks very effective. It has stuck with the simple colour scheme and the image is very flattering however it does not take away from the important information. Also a person looking at this advert will easily see the web addresses and logos. This relates to the audience and genre of our artist Lilia because they are both female and from the UK and it can be hard to perhaps gain success, therefore in using the added information it can encourage new audiences to listen to the artist.Also in the kind of album Lilia would produce she would perhaps record more softer / lighter music similiar to that of Ellie Goulding 

ED SHEERAN: (Self Titled Album)

This advert is good because it is incredibly simple, but this is what makes it stand out, also helped by the reddish / orange colour. Perhaps the font could have been larger, for it to be more easily red. It clearly contains the date and includes hit songs from the album which is likely to attract audiences who like these songs. There is a picture of the artist although it isn't a very bold and clear picture, this reflects the artist because he mainly focuses on the lyrics of his music as he also rarely appears in his music videos. As an artist Ed Sheeran is very unique and authentic and writes his own music, this relates to our artist Lilia because her music would be very individual as it is different to other female artists on the market now, like Ed who is different to many other artists. This relates to our audience because Lilia would not appeal to a directly conventional pop market.