3. Zedd – True Colours
Background
graphics
Artist
name
Album
title
Release
information
Website
details
Album
content
The image visible on the advert of Zedd’s album portrays a very abstract graphic
composition. The colourful composition resembles the joy and happiness which is
achieved by the progressive house music due to its listeners mainly partying and
attending clubs. The purpose of such image is to attract the audiences attention via
the vibrant colours so that they can notice the advert amongst the crowded streets
causing it to be stuck in their head. From my point of view the ‘paint splash’ look-a-
like image reflects current party settings where coloured powder is thrown at the
audience causing them to be covered in colours. The advert follows the typical
conventions of music album adverts due to its portraying an image, the artists name
and album title, as well as mentioning the release date, website information or the
most known tracks which appear on the CD. On this particular advert we can see
that the artists website has been mentioned which allows the audience to
acknowledge any tours which are happening. This feature is used amongst music
adverts however it does not appear very often. I believe that Zedd has specified his
website due to him not having a stable audience and by not being well known
amongst other progressive house artists. The advert includes the necessary features
however it does not include them in the correct placements. The effective use of
fonts in this advert has clearly separated the most vital parts which the audience
is meant to see at the first glance to the information which they will read while they are interested in the advert. The name of the artist is very
bold, written in a very sharp font which is considered to be his set artist logo. The album title is written in a simple yet bold font that clearly
allows the audience to recognise its name, allowing for ease of reading. The contrasts between size and width of the font for the artists logo and
album name clearly shows the importance of information on the advert. The last use of text in the advert uses a bolder font which purpose was
to emphasise the website details therefore making it stand out in the advert. Looking at both the advert and digipak I have noticed that the
artist has kept the same artist logo. He then has used the same font which he has used for the advert in order to write the track list at the back
of the digipak. Apart from the text Zedd has included the same graphic image on the front of the digipak as he has used on the advert as well as
continued the same bright colour of the background therefore creating a corporate image between the two different mediums. The colours
which appear on the advert are very contrasting. The bright background allows for the black text to be read very easily improving the clarity of
the advert. On top of this the vibrant image contrast with the bright background therefore emphasising the colours causing the advert to be
very eye-catching. This particular example of a music advert challenges the typical layout of a advert. The artist name which typically appears at
the top of the advert is placed under the image with the rest of the information such as the album title, track info and contact details. I believe
that as a result of this the advert is more appealing to the audience as the image attracts their attention first which then transfers them to the
vital information.
4. Band
name
Wide shot of
building in
Hackney ( where
the band
originates from )
Release
Date
Review
Album title
Record label
logo
Album content
Rudimental - Home
The image which appears in Rudimentals advert portrays a city location. The
building which has been captured in the image is located in Hackney, where the
band is from. This image has been deliberately used in this advert due to the
album title which is called ‘Home’. As a result they advertise where they are
from. The image consists of a wide collection of colours which was additionally
seen in Zedds ‘True Colours’ album. The building captured centrally in the image
includes graffiti on its side which is emphasised by the use of vibtrant colour. The
same image has been used on the Digipak however they differ in terms of
brightness and saturation. The image on the advert is much brighter and includes
sharper colours in order to catch the attention of the passing public. The
purpose of the image in the advert is to represent nostalgia from the band as
they show where they are from to their audience. This allows the band to get
emotionally closer to the audience as they present where they originated from,
showing that they are the same as everyone from their fans. In contrast to the
advert by Zedd, this Progressive House advert does follow the typical
conventions of a music magazine. The band name and album title are allocated
on top of the central visual interest in the image (building) whereas the album
content, release date, record label and review information are allocated beneath it. This as a result creates a stable advert as the information is spread
across the top and the bottom therefore causing the advert to not be overfilled with information. Across the whole advert I have spotted a use of two
different fonts. The font which has been used on the bands logo is additionally used across the information on the bottom of the advert creating a set
house style. The only exception is on the album title ‘Home’. The album title has been written in a finer font which is less harsh for the eye therefore
creating a positive connotation for the word ‘Home’. The biggest link between the advert and the digipak is that both mediums have used the same
image as their background. This as a result allows the bands audience to memorise the advert and then purchase the CD as they recognise the same
image in store. In terms of the layout, the digipak has kept the same positioning of the bands logo as it has been positioned in the advert. On the other
hand the major difference between the advert and the digipak is the placement and font used for the album title ‘Home’. On the digipak the album title
is allocated in the bottom right hand corner and is written in a much more handwritten style therefore providing it with a much more sentimental
feeling, which reflects the feeling of ‘being at home’. The colours visible in the advert are very bright and contrasting therefore cause the advert to be
brought out and catch our attention. I believe that a use of a wide variety of high contrasting colours is vital in Progressive House adverts due to the
fact that they present joy and happiness as well as energy that the music transfers to the listeners. The adverts has a very strong layout as it follows the
common layout found amongst many adverts therefore making it very effective. All of the features follow the conventions therefore the information is
easily transferred to the audience .
5. Ed Sheeran - X
Artist
name
Background
graphics –
reflecting the
album name
Album
title
Reviews
from
known
sources
Release
information
Website
details
The large ‘X’ which appears in the middle of Ed Sheeran's advert portrays the
albums title. The graphic image is very simple therefore making it very easy to
notice and understand. The area of the image is dominated by the ‘X’ which as a
result can be seen from far distance which clearly portrays the albums title. The
advert consists of two borders at the top and bottom which have been used in
order to emphasise valuable text in a contrasting colour. As a result of this, the
image composition allows the advert to intrigue the audience and inform them
in a suitable method. Ed Sheeran’s music mainly fits into R&B and Pop especially
the album ‘X’ due to its joyful tempo and very bright vocals which are reflected
by the colours which create harmony within the advert. As we can see in the
advert the artists name is allocated at the very top in the black border, following
the typical placement .The image is allocated in the middle and any vital
information beneath it. As a result the advert clearly emphasises the vital
information such as the artists name and the release information at the bottom
and the album title ‘X’ whereas the information such as the reviews on the
green background are less important. By this advert being from a R&B music
genre I believe that it portrays a well structured advert in terms of its codes &
conventions . On the other hand I believe that the conventions found in this
advert would not apply to Zedd’s or Rudimental’s adverts as they appear to be
more abstract.
font used by the artist on the advert looks very informal due to its uneven shapes and texture however it suits the genre as it is connotes that
Ed Sheeran's music is quite loose and playful. By the use of such font it does stand out against other adverts as it is rather original however I
believe that it could cause various problems to read especially from a distance whilst passing it on the public. In terms of the digipak and the
advert I have found a very close relation in terms of the colours, graphics and font that both mediums have used. The advert has used the same
‘X’ design for its front of the digipak therefore allowing the listeners to immediately notice the album which was advertised. The front of the
digipak is green whereas the back is black therefore the artist has continued the same colour combination from the advert onto the digipak
creating a corporate image. The font is kept consistent throughout the advert and onto the digipak . This is a very good example of corporate
identity between the two advert and digipak. The colours used on the advert are very calm and harmonizing as they go well together allowing
for text to be emphasised due to its high contrast. As I have mentioned before the layout of the advert is very decisive and strong. The
placement of each information has been well thought out and with the clever use of graphics and colour each of the information is clearly seen
on the canvas for the audience to read.
6. Drake – Nothing Was The Same
Artist
Name
Album
Name
Release
informati
on
Album
content
Background
graphics –
also used in
Digipak
Record
Label
In comparison to previous adverts, Drake’s advert portrays two images.
The two images portray Drake as a young child which contrasts with an
image of him at the time the album is released. The use of such images
was to show his progression and where he got to in his hip hop career
while changing his image throughout his music journey. Such use of
images is very effective due to the fact that it allows the audience for
direct comparison of the younger and older Drake. The advert
represents a very simple composition which is very effective as the
public immediately recognises the artist therefore it allows him to
promote his album via his fame and public recognition. Looking into the
conventions of Hip Hop which has carried on from my AS magazine
production, I have acknowledged that in Hip Hop the artists are
considered to be the main interest of the advert. This advert portrays
the artist against a very simplistic composition therefore bringing his
silhouette out. As a result of this, Drake himself is being the central
visual interest of the advert therefore following the convention of hip
hop artists being the main interest in adverts. On the other hand, the
images in the advert have been cleverly positioned as these are the
images which are allocated on Drakes album.
The use of typography in this advert is limited to one font at different sizes which allows for easy emphasising of information as well as keepign
the advert consistent.The font colour contrasts with the background making it ‘pop’ out in front of the images causing it to be very eye catching.
In terms of the connection between the advert and the digipak, the hard copy of the album has used both of the images which have appeared in
the advert. As a result the advert promotes the hard copy of the album by portraying the images which appear on it. In comparison to the
Dance music adverts which I have analysed, Hip Hop adverts uses colour only in images whereas the background and text are very plain. The use
of colours in Hip Hop is very limited. On the other hand the colour contrasts with each other ( black and white) which allows for certain
information to be brought out for the audience to see. The layout which appears in this advert is very contradicting to what I have seen before
as first of all the advert has a horizontal orientation. This does not follow the typical conventions of a music advert as mainly adverts appear in
vertical orientations in order to allow for the flow of information from the top to the bottom of the advert. On the other hand the features
which appear in the advert do partially follow the typical layout as the artist name, album name appear on top of the images in order to state
who the advert promotes.
8. Ed Sheeran - X
(Front) (Back)
Graphic image
representing the
album title “X”
Record label
information
Copyright
statement
Barcode
Track list
Outline od
Ed
Sheeran
himself
Corporate image
with the Advert
(same image and
colours used)
Ed Sheeran’s digipak consists of two images which appear on the
front and back of the packaging. The image at the front is a
graphical composition representing the albums title ‘X’ whereas
the image on the back portrays the outline of Ed Sheeran himself
in reverted colours. From the first sight it is very hard to tell the
genre of the Digipak however looking at the use of subtle
colours and their construction we can make out the R&B music
genre. Overall the digipak does follow the typical conventions of
music digipaks however it does challenge them at times. The
areas which challenge the stereotypical conventions is its front
cover as it only portrays the image with no information about
the artist name which is quite abstract. Moving onto the back of
the digipak we have are portrayed a page which fully follows the
conventions of a music digipak. On the back page we are
conveyed the most important information such as the track list,
barcode, record label information and legal statements which
prove the copyright of the CD.
As I have analysed both the advert and the digipak for Ed Sheeran’s album ‘X’ I have found very strong interlinking between those two
mediums. The first is the use of colour and image. In his advert Ed Sheeran has placed the big graphic ‘X’ composition which then has been
put onto his front cover of the digipak, creating a corporate identity between the promotion and the hard copy file. Looking at the colours
which have been used in both mediums, I have additionally seen the ‘inverted’ style has been put forward from the advert where the artist
name and release information has been written in a green font against a black background, onto the digipak. Due to this style being carried
onto the back page of the digipak has gained a black background with all of the necessary information being written in green as well as the
outline of Ed Sheeran himself. The use of font in Ed Sheerans advert and albumis limited to one style only therefore creating corporate
identity between the two mediums. The use of the same font as a result creates a strong bond between the two platforms causing the
advert to be a very strong promotion of the physical album. The layout of the digipak is very simple yet very effective. All of the information
are spread out causing the packaging to not be overcrowded with information making it easy to follow. On the back of the digipak the
feature which has caught my eye was the track list which gradually increased in size towards the bottom which then connected with the
barcode and the legal statement. In my opinion this feature looks very neat hence it enhances the look of the digipak, giving a very
organised impression. I believe that the back of Ed Sheerans digipak is a very good example of a well thought out layout therefore I could
take on inspiration from his work onto my own digipak construction.
9. Zedd – True Colours
Graphic
design
of the
album
Artist
name
Album
title
Copyright
statement Record
label logo
Barcode
Continuation of
colours from
front of the
digipak
Track
list
(Front) (Back)
As a continuation from Zedd’s “ True Colours” advert I have
chosen to analyse the “True Colours” digipak. The first thing
which catches our attention while looking at the front page of
the digipak is the colourful graphic composition which has
additionally appeared on the advert. The image is very bright
which reflects the progressive house’s tempo as well as wild club
and party setting. When we turn the digipak over to see its back
page we have a continuation of the colourful composition
emerging from its side. As a whole the digipak does not include a
photograph of any sort but only graphic compositions therefore
causing the digipak to have a surreal element, which can be also
visible in its music videos. Looking at the whole digipak and its
features I consider it to follow the typical digipak conventions as
it includes the artists name, album title, track list, barcode, legal
statement and the record label. In comparison to other
examples of music digipaks the front page of this album does not
follow the typical
conventions due to the fact that the dominating factor in the front of the digipak is the image and not the artists name and album title. The
overwhelming image takes away the attention from the most vital information such as the artists name. As a result in my digipak I will try to
level out the importance of the image and the text in order to make the digipak equally informative and attractive for the audience.
Contrasting the two platforms I have found a very strong link whether it is of the image or the fonts used, both of the platforms are identical.
The feature which only differs between the two is the colour splash at the back of the digipak as it did not appear in the advert. I believe that
by continuing the same style from the advert onto the digipak it has allowed for great promotion and marketing possibilities as the advert
and the digipak are identical, therefore allowing for easy recognition of the product. Zedd has continued the same font style onto the digipak
as it was very clear to read and caused the advert to look very professional therefore the track list written in the same style is very effective
and clearly portrays to the audience what songs are available on the CD. By having a closer look at the back of the digipak I have found its
layout very functional. As we can see at the back of the digipak, the track list is allocated in the top left corner against a white background
which emphasises the typography. In my opinion I have found this allocation very effective as the text is easily read against the background
whilst at the same time being emphasised by the high contrast between colours. The back of the digipak additionally includes a ‘colour
splash’ design continuation from the front of the digipak which contrasts with the simplistic background therefore bringing life into the
digipak. By the image occupying the right hand side of the digipak it has provided space for the track list . The allocation of the barcode is
very typical as it mainly appears in the bottom right corner, same as the legal statement and the record label information which are mainly
allocated towards the bottom of the page.
10. Artist
Name
Album
title
(Front) (Back)
Record
label
Track list
Barcode
Warning
label
Image of
artist Copyright
Jay-Z – Vol2 Hard Knock Life
Artist name
(Inside) Record label
Copyright
Artist Name
&
Album Title
In order to understand how hip hop digipaks are constructed I have
decided to analyse Jay-Z’s Vol2 Hard Knock Life digipak. While looking
at the digipak for the first time the feature which has struck me was
the large image of the artist on both the front and the back of the
digipak. As a result of this I have been able to recognise who’s album it
is without even looking at the artists name therefore causing the
album to visually promote itself due to the public recognition of the
artist. The digipak represents the artist himself wearing elegant yet
expensive clothing whilst at the same time leaning against a shiny,
brand new car. As a result, this portrays the wealth Jay-z whilst
following the stereotypes of Hip Hop music. In comparison to other
digipaks which I have analysed, this digipak includes a “Parental
Advisory” warning label due to the content being quite explicit. On the
other hand the digipak includes the necessary features such as the
barcode, track list, record label logo and copyright statement therefore
following the conventions of music digipaks. Same as in the advert of
Drake’s album, this digipak has a very decisive, bold font which is used
to write the artists name and the track list. The font used within the
digipak connotes the aggressive, ‘gangster’ like associations of hip hop
artists. The colours appearing in this digipak are white and purple. The
two colours are very contrasting therefore the use of purple or white
on the text really stands out and catches the audiences attention. The
overall layout throughout the whole digipak is well spread out with all
of the graphics being positioned intentionally to give space for the text
or artist logo.
11. Clean Bandit – New Eyes
(Front)
(Inside)
(Back)
Band Name
Reflective
shapes
Album Title
“Special
Edition”
content detail
Same image
used as on the
back
Band Name
Album Title
Track List
Same image
used as on the
inside
In order to gain a deeper research into electronic/dance music I have decided to
analyse Clean Bandits album digipak named New Eyes. At the first sight the we
can clearly make out its abstract design which portrays a rather unnatural
depiction. The images used on the digipak represent reflective geometrical shapes
which give the digipak a ‘portal’ like impression. The portal like shapes have
significantly caught my attention as I believe that they are very effective in terms
of abstract composition therefore I could take on inspiration from them during my
own digipak production. Considering the fact that Clean Bandit is a
electronic/dance music band, they have not included images of themselves in the
digipak therefore following the conventions of dance music digipaks. The
typography style which has been used throughout the digipak is very delicate for
the eye due to its thin structure, and contrasting colour to the background.
Looking at the three pages which I have been able to get hold of, I consider the
digipak to follow the typical conventions of a musical digipak. The front page
portrays the vital information of the bands name, album title and additional
information such as the “Special Edition” content. I have found that similarly as in
Zedd’s digipak, the bands name and album title are given a lower importance in
contrast to the reasonably large graphics which are allocated on the front cover of
the digipak. In my digipak construction pages I would consider to level out the
importance of graphics and typography as I believe that Clean Bandits and Zedd’s
examples are not as informative as they should be. Considering the fact that I
have gained these images of internet, the back cover of the digipak is missing a
barcode which could have been positioned on the plastic film the digipak was sold
in. Other than this we can see that the back page lacks record label information
and a legal statement. I believe that the information which were not included on
the back page are included in the booklet inside of the digipak. The lack of
information has as a result created space for abstract graphics to be implemented
into the back page design. The colours which appear on the digipak are very
contrasting (black/white, green/gold) therefore allowing the digipak to effectively
emphasise typography, making the information stand out.
12. Conclusion
• During my ancillary task research I have come across many features which could be very beneficial
for my product. One of them is the use of the same image which have appeared on the advert on
the digipak as by this I will allow for clear product promotion due to the audience recognising the
image on the digipak from the advert which they may come across. Another aspect which I have
found is the use of bright colours which was mainly seen on dance genre digipaks and adverts. By
the inclusion of vibrant colours I believe that I would allow my digipak/advert to convey the
music’s fast pace as well as enhance its aesthetical features by making it more eye-catching for the
audience. A feature which has really caught my attention during my research, is the portal-look-a-
like geometrical shapes which could be seen on Clean Bandits digipak. I believe that they portray
a very intriguing abstract design which really suits my taste and the surreal videos which are
mainly portrayed in dance music, therefore I could take on inspiration from Clean Bandits digipak
and place it into my own digipak making. In terms of typography I have acknowledged that various
styles and sizes have been used for different purposes i.e. in order to write different information.
Fonts in digipaks and adverts from dance/electronic music tend to have a very simple font
whereas R&B and Hip Hop use their font in order to convey the music style. As of the layout
within the adverts and digipaks I have acknowledged that the layouts differ depending on the
music genre. Dance music mainly portrays the graphic image with a higher importance than the
artists/bands name and album title which is quite controversial. Concluding, I believe that the key
elements which I have gained from this research will provide me with base information on how to
structure a digipak which I then will develop in my further research.