Final Front Cover

This is my finalised front cover for my album.

Experimentation Album Front Cover

Front cover experimentation from jadesmedia

I experimented with different colour types and I think I like the last image the best and I will use this for my rough cut of my Album Cover.

Font Experimentation

These are some fonts I have selected for options for the front cover of my album. I will conduct audience feedback on opinions of which one would be best. I have selected a range of different fonts so  the audience who are giving feedback have a range of fonts to choose from. 

I asked 15 people of my target audience, males and females of age 16-21 about their preferred fonts for my front cover of my album. I explained that I am making a front cover for my album in the genre pop/rock and asked them which title appeals best to them and suits my genre the best.

I found that nobody liked the fonts, 1, 5 and 6 so I will not consider them for my front cover. Also, number 3nad 8 got equal amounts of votes so I will have to make the decision between the two. I have changed my mind slightly about number 3 now as I don't think it fits my genre very well although I had the original idea from Simple Plan's front cover and style theme. Number 2 is one of my favourite fonts and scored quite a high percentage in the audience feedback. In my opinion, I now need to make a decision between fonts 2 and 8.

PhotoShoot For Digi Pack

Photographs for print products powerpoint from jadesmedia

Final Cut

We have now completed our music video after making final changes in response to our audience feedback. We added more transitions between the shots to make the editing smoother and added one more shot of the moon within a performance shot of the main singer singing the chorus. We didn't want the shot to be too repetitive so we decided to add it once more rather than in every chorus.

CD Covers (Digipack) Analysis - Simple Plan

This front cover is very unconventional of its genre and is very different to what the target audience would expect from a band within the pop/rock genre. The cover is more on the pop side of the genre and is slightly more light-hearted than what is usually seen within the rock element. The long shot allows us to see that the image is clearly of a fan's bedroom which promotes the star image and the title of the album "Get your heart on" is the focus of the audience's attention as they are shown what the girl is looking at. We are shown a slightly low angle as the girl looks up at the magazine which connotes that the band are inspirational and she looks at them with a sense of longing which makes the audience think of dreams. The cover is fun and exciting but still contains the necessary information on the black label.
The cover appeals to the late teen target audience as they identify with the scene and the casual clothing and relate to the similarity of their own lifestyles. There is definitely a sense of feeling laid back and and casualness as the girl has free flowing hair and casual clothing and this may be a representation of the kind of songs within the CD, that they are easy listening. This relaxed atmosphere could also be adding to the feeling of it being dreamy and that the band are lusted after by young girls.The audience may also feel involved by the scene as the shot is close enough that the audience can feel like they are in the room too. However, the way that the girl has her back to the audience may connote a sense of 'spying' to the audience and that they are spying on what she is reading. The fact that band isn't shown could mean that they trust that the target market will recognise the name and title and that's all that is needed to promote the artist and sell the album. There is a slight voyeuristic treatment of the female body here in the notion of looking which relates to Andrew Goodwin's theory by the way in which the young female is dressed. This would make the album appeal to the male audience whereas the familiarity and light colours within the image would make the album appeal to a female target audience so both genders are targeted here which I think has been done very well.

The inside cover is very busy and appears to the audience as doodles. This will appeal to the audience as it is quite young and has connotations to being bored and doing something to fill your time. For example, it makes me think of revising and making notes or doing doodles in class so could relate to the album being a way of helping you through that. It seems that the inside cover is important in albums in relating to the contents of the CD and has a large influence on the overall emotion and feel of the digipack. It is definitely something that the teenage target audience can identify with and relate to. This is in keeping with the young front cover and the cut out of the band links to them being lusted after by young girls which was introduced by the front cover. 

The colours make it exciting to look at and lead on from the colours introduced by the posters on the walls in the image on the front cover so there is a consistent colour scheme throughout which is very important as a convention of a CD album and ties the different images together in one final product.

An image of the band is finally shown to make a lasting impression on the target audience as they turn to the back cover to look at the song list. The song list is in a seperate box which is in keeping with the colour scheme and general style of the album throughout. However, the image of the band makes a sudden change to the style of the album and is completely different to the rest of the album. It could be seen as representing the dream becoming a reality for both the audience and the band themselves. 

The image of the band is strong and makes an impact with a direct mode of address to the audience. They also look like a gang and like a united friend group. The style and clothing is conventional of the genre and will appeal to the target audience as familiar and cool. The poses and the way they block the path in the setting is quite intimidating and this relates to the genre of rock so will appeal to the target audience.

The back also contains the conventions of an album, the barcode, record label and other necessary information. 

CD Covers (Digipack) Analysis - The Script

The style of the image is very entropic generally and in terms of how it relates to the generic conventions of the genre as most bands within the pop rock genre have a long shot of them so their style and clothing can be seen clearly. It is also entropic in that is different to what has been seen in the music industry before, the technique of putting all three heads into one is new and exciting. This cover uses close up shots of all band members which links to Andrew Goodwin’s theory that one demand from the record label is that the artist is promoted using close up shots. The effect is also visually interesting and will catch the attention of the target market when displayed next to other album covers in shops. The facial expressions of the band are quite serious and direct and this will appeal to the pop rock target audience. These along with the facial hair make the band members look slightly rough and rugged and therefore cool to the audience. The angle is slightly low and this is a typical convention of music products as it looks up at the band from the audience’s perspective and therefore implies that they are people to look up to and has connotations of them being slightly heroic and special.

The font is iconic for the band and the band name is consistently displayed in this way throughout their products. This adds familiarity that the audience will be able to identify with and recognise which will allow for the CD cover to stand out even more, particularly if the target market is looking for a CD from The Script as they will look for the familiar font and style that they associate with the band. The layout around the central image is symmetrical and organised which allows for the audience to easily read the information. The colour of the font is all black which is in keeping with the photograph but still allows for the text to stand out against the grey background. 

Here we see the generic conventions of the genre as long shots are shown of the band and the audience are able to see their clothing and style which are stylish and are familiar as relevant and cool to the audience. They are all wearing similar clothing and look like they are united as a band and the posture alongside the style all adds to create the star image. The colour scheme and band style is in keeping with the front cover and they are kept consistent throughout which allows for it to be kept as a collection of images and other features that creates one final product.

In the image on the left there is a low angle shot used which again looks from the audience’s point of view up at the band which connotes that they are role models and people to look up to as special. The lead singer is the focus of the photograph as he stands slightly in front and in the middle with direct mode of address to the audience while the other band members stand looking away slightly and are therefore not looked at noticed straight away. The image on the right has quite a different feel and emotion as the extreme long shot is at a slightly high angle as the audience look down onto the band that look lost in such a vast background and there is a sense of loneliness and sad emotion. This could be a representation of the emotion within the songs that are featured in the CD and it is good that this representation is shown in the image behind the CD itself so that when people take the CD out to listen to it, they are given a visual of the emotion as well as musical.

The image goes back to the abstract style that is seen on the front cover and this is effective as it keeps a consistent theme through the visible covers. The direct mode of address, strong features and pose and impact made by the style of the image all help to create the star image for the band. As the audience turn to look at the songs on the back, they will see a striking and direct image of the band looking at them which leaves a lasting impression and is striking and powerful. The colour scheme, font and style are kept consistent throughout.

    The song list is in small print but still stands out without taking focus away from the main image by being surrounding by a black box. The band’s website is separated in a box of its own and then the record label and barcode are in the final box at the bottom and these are all generic conventions of albums and are necessary details. 

Print Advert Analysis - Coldplay

Image: There is a slight low angle, which means the audience is looking up at them, which connotes that they are someone to look up to as role models. The mid long shot allows for all of the band’s costumes to be seen and the costume makes them cool and creates a link between the band and the film, “Men in Black”. They look cool and sophisticated and the clothing makes them look successful and people to aspire to.

Font: The font is constant throughout Coldplay’s products so the fans will be able to identify with it and it adds a certain familiarity that has become iconic for the band. The title is not very visible against the busy and colourful background but this allows for the band to be the focus of the audience’s attention. The advert is still eye-catching and attention grabbing as the colour makes it bright and they rely on people recognising the band and they make the advert.

Detail: The critiques five stars shown make the album appeal to audience, as they trust the reliable source of NME Magazine. They have also thought about the fact that people no longer buy CDs as much as they used to anymore so they have the iTunes link as the majority of people now use iTunes. 

Print Advert Analysis - Greenday

Image: The slight low angle looks up to the artist and this connotes that he is a role model and someone to look up to as a hero and signifies a certain importance. The close up of the artist would be a demand of the record label to help promote the artist according Andrew Goodwin’s theory. The lighting effects that highlight one side of his face adds a dramatic effect and looks like a spotlight to make him the focus of attention in the performance as he is clearly performing. The close up of his face also allows the audience to see his dark eye make up which is typical of the artist and other artists within the pop rock genre and reinforces the star image.

Use of font and layout: The font is bold for the main title which is attention grabbing and this necessary when the advert is in a magazine because people are likely to look through and ignore the adverts but if they are eye catching and relevant to the genre then they will have the desired effect of advertising the artist and their album to their target audience. The writing that looks like it’s been drawn on with chalk adds informality to the advert and this is something that is relevant to the genre and that the younger target audience will like and can relate to.

Detail: There is information of the new single and the album information and statistics with the target audience and fans will be interested and this makes the advert diverse and more interesting rather than just having one thing advertised.

The advert is quite redundant and is what the audience would expect from an advert within that genre and this is good because it’s familiar to the target audience and fits what is already known as a generic convention of the genre. 

Print Advert Analysis - Simple Plan

Image: The slight eye level – high angle long shot makes the audiences feel like they are in the scene with the band so are included with them. I think it gives the impression that the audience is stood up; having just walked in and they are being looked at by the band. The band looks quite defensive and like a united group of people with similar views and styles.

The similar style in clothing and hairstyles also make the group look united and is a typical convention of a music group. Their clothing and style make them look cool to their target audience who will have a similar style to them which relates Goodwin’s theory that the record labels want to promote the artist(s). The setting seems to be a bus or an old train, which is quite entropic as it isn’t expected that males of that age will be “hanging out” in such a setting. However, it seems like it’s a deserted setting and the audience gets the feeling that the characters shouldn’t be there which means they are slightly rebellious and therefore redundant and expected of a band in the pop/rock genre.

Use of font and layout: The genre and target audience of pop rock is targeted by the bold title, which grabs the audience attention. The layout is appropriate for the target audience as it is simple and without to my text so the younger audience can get all the information they need without having to read blocks of text.

The advert is full page ,which allows for it to make a bigger impact on the audience and be more likely to catch the attention of the audience when flicking through the magazine. When making my magazine advert, I think I will also use a full page as it is big enough to make an impact and catch the audience attention but not too big that the younger audience will need to read too much.