4. Magazine Advert
Before creating my magazine advert, I first looked back at the research that I had done, analysing existing magazine
adverts for similar products. I decided that the conventional features to have on a magazine advert for an album
were an image of the artist, or something representing the style of music; the name of the artist or band; the
name of the album; and the release date. Therefore I started by adding all of these features onto the advert, after
picking suitable fonts. After completing that, I received feedback from my peers telling me that the image in the
centre looked too plain and that I should have something else on the poster to represent the whimsical theme of
the album, which is when I decided to place the floral frame around the image. After doing so, I looked at other
details that were found on magazine adverts for albums and realised that I should put some ratings on the poster
which would convince people to buy the album. However, instead of having the ratings and quotes from other
magazines, I decided that in order to stay true to the authenticity of the album and the artist, I should include
reviews from other well established artists within the same genre, that my artist would probably admire. I
therefore chose to have quotes from Florence Welch and Laura Marling. I then showed this draft to my media
teacher and asked for feedback. I was told that the layout of the advert looked very professional but that there
was still something missing that would make the poster look realistic. We then decided to add something to the
background rather than having it plain white. I chose to use an image of an orchid as it is a pretty flower that
works well with my ethereal, whimsical theme. I changed the opacity of the image and placed it behind all of the
other text and images to ensure that it was not the main focus of the poster.
I made two versions of this advert, the first was portrait which was created for a magazine. I then copied the features
onto a landscape page and moved things around to create a poster that would be seen in a train station for
example rather than only in a magazine. I may make a third version if I have time which would be more simplistic
and would not include features such as the reviews; this version would be used for a roadside bilboard.
As I have not completed all of my photo shoots yet, I still have to replace the draft images that were found online
with the photographs that I will take myself. The photograph taken will replicate the image shown, but with my
model Monique.
6. Digipak – Front Cover
After conducting the research, I knew the dimensions of a digipak (120mm x 120mm) as well as
how many pages a digipak conventionally has and what is usually included. I gained this
knowledge by researching existing digipaks such as the one made for Ellie Goulding’s album,
‘Lights’.
I was also made aware of the conventions of a digipak cover and decided that I wanted the main
image to follow these conventions by having a photograph of Monique taking up the whole
space.
I started out by copying the layout of the poster onto the digipak before realising that the front
cover should have less information and should be much simpler. I then ripped it down to only
having an image and the artist’s name and title of the album. When this looked too bare, I added
the logo of the music label. I then gained feedback from classmates and my teacher who told me
that I should add small details such as a line between ‘Lovestrong’ and Monique Todd. They also
praised the continuity of my products through the use of the same front and type of image
throughout all of the ancillary products which also related to the music videos itself.
I then tried adding the floral design and played around with the image, trying to choose between
the one from the Rose Garden, or a studio-like photograph of Monique.
After receiving feedback on which one my target audience preferred, I made final touches in
order to create the final front cover of my digipak.
8. Digipak – Inside
I consulted the research tasks that I had completed beforehand which taught me about the
conventions of a digipak and what to include on the inside. I chose to follow the conventions and
keep the CD on the right hand page. I decided that the CD should also follow the whimsical and
authentic theme just like the other products, therefore I chose to use the same image of the
orchid that was placed on the background of the posters on the CD itself. I then added the name
of the artist and the album to the CD.
After completing this, I consulted my teacher about what to include on the left hand side. He
suggested that as the music and artist are quite authentic, it should be something written by the
artist herself. I therefore decided to write a note from the artist to all those who were involved
in the project of creating the album, thanking them for their help along the way. I felt this would
show the appreciation of the artist as well as allowing her to connect to the fans directly.
I then received feedback from my peers who suggested adding a design onto the left hand page in
order to make it look more interesting rather than just like text on a plain white sheet. I decided
to add the same black border that was used on the posters onto the side of the page which gives
the ancillary products a sense of continuity. Additionally, I included the logo of a record label
onto the CD to make it look more professional. After receiving even more feedback, I realised
that it would be effective to include images of the artist under the letter. I tried one image,
before it being suggested by my peers to use a series of images which would display the artist
playing instruments and singing in a studio, adding to the authenticity of the album as a whole.
10. Digipak – Back Cover
When creating the back cover of my digipak, I tried out several different
layouts for the track list, before settling on something a bit different and
quirky. I decided not to stick with the conventional centred text in a
column as I felt the artist was so unique and different that the track list
had to reflect that. Therefore, I chose to lay out the track list as shown in
the first image on the above slide. I then felt that another image of the
artist was crucial in order to display the authentic feel of the album, so
decided to place a wide image above the track list. This image has the
same effect on it as those used on the inside of the digipak in order to
create a sense of continuity throughout. To create more continuity and to
tie the digipak together I added the same floral black border that was used
on the poster and inside of the digipak at the top and bottom of the back
page in order to frame it. After getting feedback I was reminded to add a
barcode and did so, as well as the record label’s logo. Additionally, it was
recommended that I use the same orchid image with low opacity on the
back cover as was used on the poster, and I believe this made the digipak
look ever more realistic and professional.
