DIGIPACK COVER RESEARCH

I have looked through a variety of digipacks in class including the Franz Ferdinand CD pack, The Beta Band CD pack and Kid Koala's digipack. These have shown me how my final digipack product will be made and how it would look to a potential buyer.

I want my product to have the same sort of vinatge feel to my video so that it all links together as well as refelecting the genre of music which I have chosen.

I have also looked at some books which include CD covers in order to give me ideas which I could use when making my digipack.Some of the covers are quite simple which I think would look good. Some of the images in the books were very colourful which I think my digipack needs to be. This is because the genre,song and artist are young and the song is quite playful so the digipack needs to be colourful in order to grab attention.

I like the randomness and bright colours of this image and it is something which I should look at when designing my digipack.

The vintage style images are something to look into as this would fit in with the vintage theme of my video- however this isnt completely necessary (but it must reflect the genre).

These covers in the "1000 RECORD COVERS" book are very colourfuland bright which is something that would appeal to my target audience and so proves I should make my cover really colouful and fun.

I likle the blurry image and I think that this looks interesting and unique which is important. I also like the idea of using the repeated image as it is very attention grabbing.

The images in this book were all very cool and retro but had incorporated the right colours which I should use.

I like the randomness of these album covers and I think that they arereally colourful which is really interesing to look at. My favourite is the vintage cassett tapes image because I think it is really intresting to look at and an image like this would reftlect the video, genre and artist identity which I need to.

I like the simplicity of this image. I think I should keep my digipack simple

Again, I like the simple image and positioning of the text. The central text draws the eye to the writing which is important.

I like the bright colours of the image and having the child on it makes it a more intriging cover to the person looking at it. None of the text font goes together well but I think that this makes it more interesting to look at. I like the randomness of this cover.

The album covers in this book range from dark simple ones to bright random ones. I like the simple ones however if I was going to do a simple cover then it would need to be bright and colourful in order to represent the nature of the song and the identity of the artist who I've created.

ACTUAL ALBUMS

In class there were some digipacks which were quite unique which I looked at.

I like the randomness and colours used on this digipack and this is something which I could incorporate in my digipack. It is fun to look at and would appeal and attract my target audience which is the main aim of an album cover and the digipack.

I like this one as it looks as though it has been drawn by hand which is really cool and different, however the brown colour is quite boring. I think having the lyrics look like they have been written into the book is cool so the hand written font could be something to use in my digipack.  

I like this digipack because the artists name is very eye catching on the black background and would grab attention. Its also very simple which is something to consider when designing my digipack.

COLOUR AND PATTERN RESEARCH

For my colour research on my digipack, I have found a variety of different patterns and colour schemes which I like and which I think would be appropriate to use on my products. I have also asked people who are in my intended target audience their opinions on the colour schmemes and patterns to see what appeals to them. This would ensure that my digipack stands out and attracts the right people. I will ask them to score the colour palettes out of 10- 10 being the highest. I asked 6 people.

KEY:

My opinions will be displayed in this way

My intended target audiences opinion will be displayed in this way

VINTAGE COLOUR PALETTES

1 I like this colour scheme because its very girly and would therefore be appealing to my female target market. As well as this, it would reflect the artist which I have chosen as she is female and quite girly. It would go well with the style of video which I have chosen- fun and happy. the only issue would be that the audience is then limited to just females.
The overall opinion for this colour palette was that it was good and would appeal to them if used in the right way. I didn't ask any boys as they aren't my intended target market so the palette scored quite high (7.6/10 on average).

2 I like these colours together as they are very bright and interesting and would therefore reflect the genre well. Also the colours may be appealing to both genders meaning that it would attract attention from both genders making it more successful, however it doesnt reflect the artist very well.

They liked the bright colours on this and thought that the colours were fun and interesting to look at. These colours would definitely stand out and grab attention, however the target audience are quite girly so it only scored an average of 5.6/10.

3 These colours are quite vintage which is good as this would represent the look and feel that I am going for in my video and on my album digipack, however they are quite dark and I want my digipack to be bright and fun in order to reflect the genre and fun, enjoyable sound that the song has. the tones are mainly purple which wouldn't really appeal to males as purple isn't a stereotypically manly colour meaning that the darker shades wouldn't appeal to both genders.

The overall opinion of this colour palette was that it was too dark and boring. If the shades of colours were brighter and more fun to look at then it would have more of an impact on the audience. It scored a low 4.2 out of 10 on average.

4 I like the colours which have been used as they aren't necessarily really girly. This means that there is the chance that the palette would appeal to both genders to make it more successful overall. I like the greens as they look interesting and quirky alongside the pinks and greys.

This scored very highly proving that a more mixed colour palette would be successful amongst females as well as standing out to males. It scored an average of 9.3 out of 10 meaning they liked it a lot.

5 Like number 3, I think that these colours are quite dark and boring and so wouldn't reflect the genre or my artist very well. I think the pink is quite a nice, feminine colour and would look good on a pattern but on its own would look fairly bland. The darker tones wouldnt appeal to both genders because the pinks wouldnt necessarily appeal to males.

They agreed with this and thought that the colours weren't bright enough in order to grab attention and be as appealing as some of the other palettes due to the darkness. They scored it 4.3 out of 10 which proves that it wouldn't be a good colour palette to use.

BRIGHT COLOUR PALETTES

6 I like this colour palette because it is really bright and fun to look at which would grab attention and be intersting and enjoyable to look at. Also, becasue it is bright and fun, it reflects the genre I have chosen well and would reflect my artist.

They liked that the colours were bright because it was fun to look at and was also pleasing to look at. It would be a colour palette which they would like to see on a poster or another piece of artwork to look at. The average score was 7.8/10.

7 The colours are good and fun to look at because they are bright and fun, however the loghter shades add to the vintage feel which I want my album and poster to represent. I dont think that they are feminie enough, however the shades (if the colours were girlier and prettier) would be good to use. this could make the digipack more attractive to both genders and then more successful overall as a product.

Scoring it an average of 6 out of 10, the target market thought that the shades were nice but the colours could be more feminie in order to be more appealing to them.

8 I think that these colours are quite nice and bright which would ensure that the poster and digipack would grab attention from the target audience, however I think that they could be more girly in order to reflect the artist and intended target audience more.

The orange colour and pink recieved good praise, however the others were quite drak and could have been more girly colours in order to be more appealing to them. This colour palette scored an average of 6.5 out of 10.

9 I really like this colour palette because it is bright and includes colours which would definitely appeal to my female target audience, but would also be attractive to males meaning that the digipack would be more successful as a whole. The colours are really bright which are fun and exciting to look at and also reflects the genre, artist and target audience well.

The target market also found this colour palette fun and interesting to look at and thought that it would look really good and attention grabbing on a digipack. They scored it an average of 8.3 out of 10 showing they found it aesthetically pleasing to look at.

10 The brightness of this colour palette is verys triking meaning that it would grab the intention from all people including the intended audience. I think that the bright, fun colours would mean that the digipack ans poster would be interesting to look at and would be exciting which would reflect the genre and my artist.

The overall opinion was that the bright shades worked well together and were very attention grabbing, however the colours could have beem a bit more feminine and less "citrus" in order to appeal to and reflect the target audience more.

PATTERNED COLOUR PALETTES

11 I like this pattern because I think that it looks really interesting and grabs the attention of the intended target audience. It is feminine so would reflect my artist and the multicoloured bright spots make it a fun pattern to look at which would be good to use as a background. The fun bright colours reflect the genre and would appeal to the target audience.

The overall opinion was good, however thought that all the colours and the "in your face" pattern looks a bit too busy which might be off putting. They liked the colours used as they are bright and fun, however its a bit too much. The average score was 7 out of 10.

12 I like this pattern because I think it reflects the vintage style which I wanted to for well with a bit of a modern twist, however I think that the colours would need to be brighter in order to be really appealing to the intended target audience as it doesn't really reflect the fun sounds of the genre or my artsit very well.

They liked the pattern and thought that it was very aesthetically pleasing howeevr the colours were a bit boring and didnt really jump out and grab their attention. They scored it an average of 8 out of 10.

13 I like this pattern because the pattern is really quirky and the sharp section of colour look really cool and interesting together. The colours are quite feminie which reflects the target audience and my artist well. I like that it looks busy as it would stand out and grab the attention of everyone- including the intended target audience.

The overall opinioon of this pattern was that it was interesting to look at and the colours were nice and girly which was appealing. The busyness of the pattern could have been offputting and they thought that text and images could have got lost within the pattern. They gave this an average of 6.8 out of 10.

14 I really like this pattern because it is very feminine which represents my artist and target market well. Also, I like the colour wcheme which has been used as it is very pretty to look at. The pattern also looks as though it could have been painted in watercolour so it would go well with the overall look which I am going for.

Scoring an average of 5.2 out of 10, it is clear that my target market didn't like this pattern as much as I thought they would. They thought that the pattern was quite old fashioned as opposed to the 'cool vintage' look that I am striving for.

15 I like this pattern because it is very pretty due to the flowers which are feminine and so would appeal to my intended target market. The style is quite vintage as well which suits the genre and goes with the overall style which I want to show. The only issue I have with this pattern is that the colours are quite dark so text and images could easily get lost and not stand out as much as they should.

The target market liked this pattern a lot as the colours weren't as stereotypically girly and the pattern was easy on the eye. They said that it is a pattern that would draw their attention and stand out to them. They scored this an average of 7 out of 10.

16 I like the colours used however I think that the pattern is a bit boring and wouldnt necessarily grab attention from the intended target audience. I like the watercolour effect and the way the colours seamlessly fade into one another- I like this effect and I think it leaves a lasting effect (howver the effect is "thats nice" as opposed to the "wow" that I want.

They thought that the colours and tones were nice together however said that the pattern didnt really exist. They said that these colours on a better pattern would work really well and the watercolours are a nice ede. They scored this an average of 6.2 out of 10.

17 I dont really like this pattern. I dont think that the colours are feminine enough to reflect the female artist, the genre and intended female target audience. I also think that the pattern looks more retro than vintage which would cheapen the overall image and effect of my products.

They felt the same. They thought that the one colour used wasn't very nice and so wouldn't be appealing to them and stand out and make them want to buy the product. They gave this an average of 5.5 out of 10.

18 I like this pattern because it is girly and the coliurs are bright and happy. This is the look I was gouing for because it reflects the genre well as well as the artist and the intended target market. I looks quite vintage which, again, is the look I was going for. Because the colours are quite light, the text and images which I use in my products wont get lost and will stand out.

The really liked this pattern because of the vintage look that it has and they thought that the colours were really pretty. They liked that it looked like flowers and the swirls looked feminine and aesthetically pleasing. They scored this an average of 7.6 out of 10.

19 I like this pattern a lot because it is quirky, interesting and would grab attention from everyone- especially the target audience. However I dont like the dark colours. I think that if the colours should be lighter and brighter then this pattern would be really good and eye catching to the intended taregt audience and would have an imapct on them.

The target audience thought that the colours of this pattern are too dark and would take attention away from the text and images that are going to be used in my products. They also didn't think that it represented them or the genre well. They gave this an average of 4.9 out of 10.

20 I like the over the top girliness of this pattern because the colours are (stereotypically) the colours that would stand out to my intended target audience. I think that the text and images may get lost because the colours are sooooo bright and in your face which is bad, however the busyness of the pattern looks really eyecatching.

The liked this however thought that the colours were a bit too girly and limited the audience to prominantkly girly females which wasn't good. They liked that the pattern was really busy because it caught their attention. The gave this pattern an average of 6.4 out of 10.

 CONCLUSION 

Overall this research has shown me that I need to use colours that appeal to females but are not just pink and purple. they liked the colour schemes 4, 6 and 9 the best which were all bright as well as included colours which would appeal to both genders.

ALBUM COVER ANALYSIS

POP ALBUM COVERS

These pop album cover all include very bright colours. I want to include bright colours in my poster and digipack, however I would make sure that they were toned down slightly to make sure the indie and folk elements of the song are still easy to recognise. Also they all include photographs of the artist on them, however the bottom 2 look as though they have a hand made collage element to the covers. I want my hand made style to represent all aspects of the genres shown and a slightly handmade look would reflect this well.

FOLK ALBUM COVERS

These are some examples of folk music album covers which I can take inspiration from when creating my digipack (some elements will be taken into consideration when I create my poster). 

1

 2

 3

These album covers all represent folk music. The images all have a resemblance or link with nature (1: sketches of flowers and trees being used to make up a whole sketch of a face, 2 a water bottle holding sea creatures and sea life, 3 a sketch of an animal- deer?) which reflects the "down to Earth" connotations of the genre. I should include some nature-inspired parts to the digipack and poster in order to show reflect the folk element of my song.

Also, all of these albums (although there is only a selection of covers shown) use sketches which is the image I want to show within my poster and digipack. For it to reflect this element of the genre, I want to use a hand drawn image of my artist as opposed to a photograph as I think this would work well and would have a greater impact on the intended target audience.

INDIE ALBUM COVERS

I need to look at some indie album covers as there is an element of the indie genre within my choice of song.

There is strong "hand made" look within all of the album covers which I have chosen to use within this genre. For example, the first cover incorporates a sketch with some very simple colours used. The second cover also uses a sketch that looks a lot more animated than the previous, however it has been coloured in on a computer which makes it look professional yet still hand drawn and interesting. The third cover looks like a photo whioch has then been painted over in a collage type of way which is onteresting to look at as it looks quite different.

All of these album covers include hand drawn/ hand made elements which would all have an impact on their intended target market. The sound of the genre is quite quirky and interesting and this is reflected in the album artwork. I want my digipack to look different and have a similar effect on the intended target audience as these covers do.

INSPIRATION: SALLY COTTERILL

I have found an illustrator (Sally Cotterill) who designs many things in a hand drawn yet professional style. I am considering doing a hand drawn design within my poster and digipack. By looking at her work, it is clear to me that the images are more striking than a photo would be as they are a little bit different and interesting. As I would consider myself to be within the target market group, I would be attracted to these designs and this style of drawing and if I saw it on a poster or album cover then I would be intrigued by it. This shows that a hand drawn sketch would be good to use as it would have an impact on the intended audience. 

One of the things which I like the most about these images by this illustrator is that they look hand drawn however they are very professional. The hand made element is clear and is something which I would like to show within my poster and digipack. The colours which she uses are very girly which, again, is something I would need to copy as my intended target audience are female and would therefoe be attracted by feminine colours- such as the ones used in these images. The colours and style of drawing also show a vintage edge to the sketch which, again, is a look which I am aiming to achieve in my poster, digipack and (to some extent) my video. 

INSPIRATION: PETER SAVILLE

PETER SAVILLE 

I have come across a graphic designer who uses a lot of colour within his work. I like the brightness of the colours he uses and this is something which could inspire my poster and digipack. The bright colours which I could use would reflect the upbeat, fun nature of the song and would also reflect the artist well as shoe is young. This would therefore attract and appeal to the intended target audience.

I like the strange design of this cover he has created. I think that I could create something similar to this or use concepts similar to this. For example, this could be recreated in water colour paint in a lighter tone which would look good and interesting as well as fairly vintage. 

Again, I like the faded colours and how they all mix in with one another. I like the use of bright colours and want to use this similar style of colour within my poster and digipack as I think it would appeal to my intended target audience and would attract them to the product.