Q2

1. LukeTiplady

2. Digipak
Advert Poster
Music Video
https://vimeo.com/208495716

3.  Firstly, to ensure that I had a solid idea of the product I was attempting to produce, I began researching into
existing music videos, digipaks/album sleeves and posters of the Britpop; this allowed me to gain influence from
many different art styles and the overall feel of the genre in which I was attempting to replicate; furthermore,
this proved to be a challenge as I was essentially replicating and reviving a genre that had its peak in the late
80s/early 90s. Research into music of this genre, and its links such as Indie and Alternative, were my primary
focus; the research on my blog suggested that music videos of the indie genre often focused on the band and the
music themselves, or perhaps a loose narrative with performance footage, rather than music of the pop genre
which appear to focus on the star themselves as a brand of sorts to promote fashion etc. This links to Richard
Dyer’s Star Theory in that he suggests that production companies/record labels often use individual popstars as
vehicles in which they can advertise a brand; the star is used for financial gain as it benefits the institutions who
promote them. The promotion of star as a household name expands the brand identity and thus generates
money for the institution. My intention for my music video, and likely the intention of many other independent
artists/record labels, was to subvert this Star Theory in that I centralised the focus of the video onto an ordinary
protagonist and his experience with the music; this was done so that the audience can not only relate to the
music, but also the protagonist who takes a relatable guise to appeal to the audience of the same age region.
However, I did take inspiration from past Stone Roses’ music videos, and other videos of that genre, and thus
adhered to the typical conventions of an 80s music video; this was reflected in effects such as super-imposition,
slow-motion and live footage. This was a result of my research into videos such as The Smiths’ ‘Girlfriend in a
Coma’ and The Stone Roses’ ‘I Wanna Be Adored’.
 My vision for my products was to create a visual link between so that audience can identify the branding
symbolism on each product, in this case, the Lemon and the minimalist aspect.

4.  Then most notable element of creating the link between my main and ancillary would be the use of imagery that
connotes the band and their symbolism; for this I used the Lemon as a primary component in my branding of the
band. I used this image in all my products and it took a primary visual position on both my digipak and my advert
poster; but also at pivotal moments in my music video. In doing so, it allows the audience to associate a visual
image with the band; therefore, when the audience see the lemon they automatically associate it with The Stone
Roses, thus increasing their brand identity. This is a branding technique that has been reflected in the band’s
actual advertisement material, as seen in this blog post, and has thus had an effect on fans given that they
instantly recognised the single lemon as the band’s advertisement. I feel like the use of this symbol effectively
links the products together, not only referencing the nostalgic element of my project, but also creating a theme
of sorts for the branding in that it acts as a logo for the band; the use of this visual image provides an important
link between the products for the target audience to recognise.
• These two images from my music video signify
pivotal moments; the right being the
protagonists realisation of his dream to become
the band; thus allowing a relatable element for
the audience. Whilst the left creates visual link to
The Stone Roses’ synonymous debut LP; both
uses of the lemon as symbolism again allow the
audience to create a visual link to the ancillary
products. In doing so, I adhered to the
conventions of Britpop in creating a recognisable
symbol, as this was done with The Stone Roses’
own branding; primarily in promotional material
and in the ‘Standing Here’ music video.

5.  For the branding and imagery of my main and ancillary product, I found that my inspiration and creation was a
mix of adherence and subversion to the genre; as Britpop/Indie was my primary target genre I attempted to
create the most authentic representation of this genre, however some factors and elements of my creation saw a
strong subversion of the genre. This primarily came with the minimalistic route I took with the stylistic design of
my ancillary products; often not seen as a stereotypically minimalistic genre, as often associated with Prog-Rock
(particularly Pink Floyd’s take on this) I decided to take this approach to subtly connect a link to the Psychedelic
genre, or primarily Pink Floyd’s album design. My minimalist inspiration was primarily from albums such as The
Beatles’ ‘White Album’ and Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’; yet, within the genre I was researching I found contemporary
examples of minimalism in the indie genre with albums such as Arctic Monkey’s ‘AM’ and Alt-J’s ‘Matilda’.
However, my decision was influenced by an intentional subversion to The Stone Roses’ typical expressionist
Pollock design. I feel as if my design and outcome was successful as it placed an emphasis on the symbolism on
the lemon, which was a target of my product.
Both album covers take a very noticeable minimalist approach; this
was a style that I intended to create for myself as it is a subversion of
the expressionism the audience are used, whilst adding a
contemporary edge to the band, thus bringing them into the modern
scene. Furthermore, it creates a link to the music video in that the
album cover connotes a distinct focus on the music, similar to the aim
of my video product, given the numerous performance edits. The
evidence from my blog would suggest that a turn to minimalism in
recent contemporary indie album covers suggests that my digipak
would appeal to the modern audience, similar to the way in which my
music video would.

6.  As seen to the right, the primary focus for my digipak was the strong emphasis on
the lemon as a branding symbol for fans to associate with the band; the three
lemons on the front cover of the digipak were used to symbolise the third full-
length release from the band, but also the promotion of the 30 year anniversary of
the first single released under the Silvertone Record label, ‘Sally Cinnamon’. I felt as
if the promotion and branding of this track emphasised the anniversary element of
this product and appeal to the older audience, further linking to the nostalgia factor
of the product. Additionally, the decision to make the name of the band a peel-able
sticker was largely influenced by Pink Floyd’s release ‘The Wall’ as this featured a
conceptual sleeve with a sticker to signify the band’s name and album title. This
decision was made to once again relate to the emphasis the recognition and
acknowledgement of the lemon as a strong advertising/marketing symbol that fans
can instantly recognise and associate with the band. Finally, the black border
around the digipak sleeve was an adherence to a trope found within The Stone
Roses’ discography in that a majority of their singles and their first album featured a
similar design. The inside cover, however, features my own custom-made Pollock
artwork as a reference to the expressionistic designs used in the Roses’ previous
marketing material and single covers. The yellow colour palette was primarily used
to create a link between my ancillary and main product, as this is colour used in
both; as seen in the image to the right, the paint bucket effect was used in multiple
shots to achieve a direct palette link to the ancillary products and thus create a very
relevant theme, and thus link to the lemon as a symbol. The use of my Pollock-
inspired artwork was used in cohesion with the lemon symbol on the CD tray to
suggest a fusing of both styles, minimalism and expressionist, suggesting, on a
wider perspective, the fusing of two audiences from the use of both respective
designs appealing to each audience base. Finally, the use of the ‘Grotesque No. 9’
font was chosen as it closely replicates that of the font used in past materail from
the band, creating a sense of authenticity in the product and thus allowing the fans
to identify the design of the digipak.

7.  The inspiration for the creation of this poster came primarily
from research into existing Stone Roses material to provide
the most visually authentic design possible, whilst taking
reference from other bands’ posters and advertisement
material such as Arctic Monkeys and other indie bands. As
mentioned in the previous slide, the palette used in the advert
poster is primarily a citrus yellow to develop a link between
the products and create a strong recognizable theme for the
products. Furthermore, the three lemons are again used to
emphasise the symbolism behind the image and thus create a
logo in which the audience can relate. The custom-Pollock
artwork is used in the background of the poster with the
opacity altered; this was done to add a sense of character to
the poster and thus give it more of a substantial reference to
the band’s strong history/context. The Pollock artwork is again
used superimposed atop the lemons to connote the mixing of
two stylistic designs and fusing of two audience
demographics. The reviewers chose for this poster were ones
that typically would review an album of this genre and would
thus fit on the poster and create an authentic sense of realism
to the poster.

8.  In both my main and ancillary products I strictly kept to a Black/White/Yellow palette; this was primarily done to empathise
an overarching theme in the project and to implicate the significance of the lemon as a symbol for the band. Additionally, it
creates a strong relationship between each product and create an element of synergy between each product; I felt as if this
was effective as it created a tight-knit project in which all products related to one another with the use of colours and
symbolism to allow the audience to identify and associate each piece to another. The outstanding nature of the citrus
yellow further acts as a good vehicle for advertising due to its bright, eye-catching nature, accompanied by the three
lemons on the poster and digipak. Additionally, in one part of the music video, the colour palette briefly changes to a
variation of colours to implicate an element of psychedelia and euphoria when the guitar solo is played. This could
potentially act as an appeal to the younger audience given the bright, vivid nature of the scene and the close-up shot of the
guitar.