Ancillary products 2nd feedback

Professional feedback:

I have asked the head of our school's Art Department to give me feedback on both of my ancillary products. I printed out both products and gave them to Mr Childs, he said; the colour of the text needs to compliment the colours within the photograph e.g. pink to match the artist's outfit, or green/brown to match the trees, thus ensuring that the design flows and the text stands out. He also said there needs to be information on the magazine advert telling the reader what is being advertised and where they can buy the CD, so I will add in 'The U.K's best selling album, available from all good music retailers' as this information is common on CD magazine adverts which I've researched.

 Mr Child's said the layout of the text 'Against The Wind' may need to be altered so it is easier to read, which is the same for the lyrics within the CD, so I will make the colour darker. He also said that the white outline makes the text difficult to read - so I will try out a darker outline colour as I think an outline makes the text stand out more.

Artist Feedback:

Alex had positive comments on the imagery and layout for the digipak and magazine advert, she particulary liked the choice of photo for the CD front cover, as she liked the way the sunlight frames her head making her appear angelic. Alex also thought the typography was effective but she suggested that the lyric font should either be a darker colour or have a lighter colour for the outline to make the text easier to read.

2nd mock up of the CD digipak advert

I have made quite a lot of improvements to my magazine advert as I want the advert to really jump out of the page at the reader. The main feedback I received for the design was to space out the text so that it isn't clumped together at the top, so I took away the unnecessary information ('The number one UK album featuring Another Day and This Life) and left the vital information (artist name and album title). Therefore the text stands out more and grabs the reader's attention as it is the only text on the page, the photo of the artist also becomes clearer as the main focal point of the advert. The dismissal of the other text makes the finished design feature the rule of thirds with the artist stood in the middle of the two lines of text, thus drawing the reader's eyes towards the image of the artist, therefore making her recognisable to the target audience and making the overall design more aesthetically pleasing.

I changed the typography of the text as a few members of my target audience stated that the original font style wasn't reinforcing the Indie genre. So I took these opinions on board and changed the typography of the artist's name to a serif font, thus conveying a more feminine, decorative, handwritten vibe which also injects a sense of fluidity and formality within the design. This 'handwritten' style follows the typical conventions of the Indie genre as it evokes a creative feel. The typography of the album title was inspired by the typography that is featured on Noah And The Whale's album, The first days of Spring (an indie/folk band). I like this font as it's bold and plain which contrasts against the curvaceous, fluent style of the font used for the artist's name. 

I used similar colours for the typography of the magazine advert as I did for the CD digipak as I want my music video's  promotional package to contain design features which flow throughout, therefore if a member of our target audience has seen the magazine advert then they will recognise the CD digipak as it contains the same typography and the  image used for the magazine advert is the same one I used on the back panel of the CD digipak. I have added a white border around the edge of the typography to make it stand out and easier to read.

To further reinforce the Indie genre of the album, I found an image of a coffee stained piece of paper on the internet which I then placed in Photoshop and faded behind the image of the artist. This enhances the creative, handwritten style of the advert, while the sepia tones add a slightly rustic, authentic, vintage affect which follows the typical conventions of the Indie genre. I wanted the magazine advert design to emulate the style of Corinne Bailey Rae's album cover, The Sea.

2nd mock up of the CD digipak

This is the final version of my CD digipak with all of the improvements completed from my target audience feedback. It is inspired by the front cover of Corinne Bailey Rae's album, which captures the typical conventions of the Indie genre through the outside location, quirky typography, and folk style of the artist's costume. Many Indie CD digipaks features artwork which references the natural world, therefore the main focal point of my design is the location which features as a picturesque backdrop within the photographs. The sun's rays shining through the trees evoke an optimistic, hopeful, care-free atmosphere, thus reinforcing the archetypal conventions of the Indie genre, therefore attracting the target audience. I have enhanced the colour intensity of the images on photoshop by increasing the brightness/contrast, thus emphasising the warm tones of the sun and making the digipak much more vibrant and eye catching.

The improvements I have made from the target audience feedback, is I've removed the 'Verse 1' 'Verse 2' so that I can increase the size of the text, thus making it easier to read. I have also changed the typography of the artist's name, the track list and the title of the song 'Against The Wind', as I downloaded a serif font which conveys a fluid, feminine, handwritten style that follows the conventions of an Indie album title. I also changed the typography of the album title and the lyrics, as I thought the san serif font was too plain and boring, so I found another font which was more decorative but still bold - so it contrasts with the serif/embellished style of the typography for the artist's name. I have altered the actual dimensions of the digipak to make it more realistic, I did this by researching the typical measurements of CD digipaks and then applying them to an Adobe InDesign document. Therefore I had to change the position of a few images and rotate three images so that when the digipak is printed it works successfully when its folded.

Ancillary Products feedback

CD digipak feedback:

 I have learnt that a member of my target audience thinks the digipak would look more attractive if I took away the titles on the lyric panel ('Verse 1' 'Verse 2'). This would enable me to increase the font size of the text ( it is very small as I had to squeeze a lot on the page), thus making the text much easier to read, which would greatly improve the overall product. This is a very helpful piece of advice which I will act on by altering the text for my final product. The member of my target audience also stated that she liked the photography and typography on the CD digipak, which is encouraging and proves that the album would appeal to her if it was on the current market.

Magazine advert feedback:



This person isn't a member of my target audience (girls aged 14 - 19) however he does fit into the age group, and he is studying photography so I thought he could offer some professional advice on the design of my magazine advert. His advice was to space the text out on the advert, as there is a lot of information squeezed together at the top of the page. So he said I should keep the artist's name and the album name at the top, but position the secondary information ('The Number 1 UK Album, Featuring Another Day and This Life) at the bottom of the page. Therefore the text won't distract the reader's attention from the photograph of the artist, but it will still deliver vital information to the reader and the design won't be too crowded at the top of the page, thus making it more aesthetically pleasing for my target audience.

I will definitely follow his advice as it will dramatically improve the readability of the advert; making the design clearer for my target audience to read and understand. I am really glad I asked him as I never considered placing any text at the bottom of the advert as it isn't directly in the reader's eye line, however as long as the important information is at the top (name of artist and album) then the secondary information doesn't have to be as obvious, but still clear to read. He also commented that the font was nice and the use of the image was effective which indicates that the design is attractive and appealing. However I think the typography for both the digipak and advert needs to reflect the style of the music more e.g more feminine, quirky and creative. So I will experiment with a variety of typography such as a serif font which is more decorative and then decide which font will work successfully.

Mock up of magazine advert for CD

This design features the same photograph that was on the back of the CD digipak, I did this deliberately so that the artist could become recognisable to the target audience. The artist is portrayed as being quite shy and reserved in this image as she is almost hiding behind a tree, however she's got a coy/playful expression which conveys the light-heartedness of the album. I like the way the sunlight is shining through the trees, thus evoking a cheerful, optimistic atmosphere and also acts as a spotlight on the artist so she stands out.

I have used the rule of thirds within the design to make it more appealing and easy to read for the target audience. The composition of the advert is effective as the woodland takes up the majority of the image which signifies nature's importance within the songs on the album, which reinforces the theme of my music video. The artist's costume is evocative of a warm summer's afternoon; the maxi skirt conveys a stylish, laid-back, quirky individual which should appeal to members of our target audience and also reinforces the style I would like the music video to portray.

I placed the text at the top of the design so it grabs the reader's attention when they are reading the magazine, the text also stands out as it is positioned on the white area in front of the sun. The typography is in the same style as the text on the CD digipak, as I want the same style to flow across all of the ancillary products, therefore the album will be recognisable to the people that have come across the magazine advert. The text that features the name of the artist is larger than the rest of the text on the page, as I wanted it to be the focal point of the advert, so the target audience immediately know the name of the artist.

The typography of the artist's name is in a serif style which evokes a feminine, sophisticated edge. However the other text on the page are in a son serif style as I wanted the typography to be simple but bold, so they deliver the necessary information but doesn't distract the reader's attention from the main focus: the name and the artist. The blue colours of the typography convey tranquility and a sense of freedom, it also evokes imagery of the sea; all of which encapsulate the style and theme of the music video. The name of the artist is in a darker blue which signifies that it is the most important information on the advert, the lighter blue is used as I wanted to break up the text using colour, so it is easier to read and more attractive to the reader.

I have produced a second mock up of the magazine advert which is exactly the same but it only has the artist's name and album name, as I wasn't sure if I wanted the information about the 'Number 1 UK album, featuring Another Day and This Life' . This is because many magazine adverts of the same genre only have the name of the artist and the name of the album on the advert, which is simple and doesn't distract the reader from the image as it only features the vital information about the album. To choose my final design I will conduct a survey using members of the target audience; I'll ask them about the text and if they have any other improvements, thus ensuring my magazine advert appeals to the target audience.

Mock up of CD digipak

I made this CD digipak on Adobe InDesign which was my first time using the software, I found it easy to understand and simple to navigate. The design was inspired by the creative photography set in rural locations as seen on Corrine Bailey Rae's album, The Sea, and Noah and The Whales album, The First Days of Spring. I wanted to capture the beauty of nature to reinforce and evoke the subject matter of the majority of the artsit's songs. However I still wanted to include the artist in the imagery as I think it's important for the target audience to recognise the artist. Kate Nash's album, My Best Friend is You, doesn't feature an image of the artist which is different as it doesn't follow the typical pop conventions for a CD cover, but I don't think it is very successful as the audience can't feel connected with the artist or relate to the artist as they don't know what she looks like.

 

I chose the close up of the artist for the CD cover as I think it's more personal and I like the way the sunlight frames her head so she really stands out. Her face is looking upwards, which makes it appear as if she is looking towards the text on the cover, as I positioned the text in her eyeline, thus making it the focal point of the image. I have used the rule of thirds within the front cover to make it more asthetically pleasing and easy to understand for the target audience. The background of the branches evokes nature which makes the subject flow throughout the music video and the ancilary products. The rural setting also follows the typical Indie music conventions, as I have analysed many Indie CD digipaks which include references to nature e.g. Jack Johnson, Lissie, Florence and The Machine. The artist's costume of the leather jacket evokes toughness and a sense of adventure, which illustrates the mood I would like the music video to subtley convey.

 

 

The typography of the artist's name has a serif style which is flowing and conveys elegance, sophistication and femininity, thus appealing to the target audience of girls aged 14 - 19 years old. The typography of the album name, track titles and lyrics is in a son-serif  type writer style which is bold, simple and quite rustic, thus portraying the key features of Indie music. The blue colour of the text amplifies the name of the song, Against The Wind, whilst also has connotations of peacefullness and the sea (which again amplifies the imagery featured in my music video). The blue colour also makes me think of freedom, as I wanted the design of this digipak to convey the feeling of growing up and breaking free from the mould (which highlights the meaning behind the lyrics of Against The Wind).

 

The other photos featured within the digipak all link back to the main theme of nature, with the artist interacting with nature in a wooded area. The sun was just setting when I took the photos which was perfect as my music video is going to feature a sun rise so there will be a continous theme through my final products. I like the atmosphere the sunset evokes; it's quite a meloncholy feel as it has connotations of an ending, be it the ending of a day, the ending of a life, or it could be represented as the ending of childhood. This is why I chose the photo where the sun is almost fully set for the end panel of the digipak as it symbolically illustrates the end. I have edited all of the photos on photoshop to brighten them, thus evoking a happy, cheerful mood and conveying the sense of a summer's day (despite it being a chilly Autumn day!).

 

I wanted some of the photos to include the artist with her guitar to convey the authenticity of her music and to also enhance the acoustic/indie vibe of her music. The costume of a maxi skirt, vest and pendant portray a slightly hippie style which follows the typical conventions of indie pop music. It is also valued as a trendy outfit within our target market, thus making the album appeal to them. All of the photos convey quite an isolated feel as the artist is on her own, however this reflects the depth of her lyrics and also makes her the focal point of the audience's attention. I tried to get the artist's poses to be as natural as possible to portray a laid back, free spirit personality to reinforce the stye of the music video.

 

I will show this design to members of my target audience and get them to assess the appealing quality of the digipak; I will ask them if they would consider buying it if they saw it in a CD shop, and what I coud do to improve the overall design so that it appeals to other members of my target audience. I think I will need to improve the text on the digipak as I'm worried it isn't 100% easy to read; the light blue colour doesn't stand out very clearly and the size of the text for the lyrics is too small. So I will evaluate these aspects and alter them for my final design.

Ancillary products research

Here is a PowerPoint presentation displaying my research into album digipaks and advertisements from my chosen genre (Indie/Acoustic). I now know the common features included within Indie promotional packages, so I will try to emulate this style within my own ancillary products, to ensure that they appeal to my target audience. I have also included photos I've taken of my artist, which I will then conduct a target audience survey to choose a selection of the best photos which will appear in my promotional package.

Ancillary Products from Jessie Williams