FINAL AUXILIARY TEXTS

FINAL DIGIPACK

MAKING THE DIGIPACK

This is how I created the digipack to represent my artist

1 To begin with, I have created a new Photoshop document. I have used an A4 piece of paper which will fit the 6 panel template comfortably.

2 In order to get the template onto the page I need to place the image by going onto file > place

3 I then sieve through the the pictures until I have found the template which I have saved. I then select it and click "place"

4 This then means that the image is shown on the paper. I can re-size and re-position the template until it is the right size for my digipack. 

I click on the tick in the top right corner of the image which then places it onto the page

5 The page now looks like this

6 I then click on place as I need to add the images which I have made prior to the construction of the digipack. Once I have found the first panel, I click place so that this image is added to the page

7 This image is then added to the page and I can move it and change the shape using the black dots in the corners of the image

8 Once I have re-positioned the image so that it fits into the template, I place it by clicking the grey tick in the right corner of the page

9 I then add the other panels onto the page so that the template is full. I have created all of the panels individually on a square page that they slot into the template well prior to putting the whole item together.

10 I then use the magic wand tool on the background so that the CD placement panel can be edited by adding the same background which is used on the other 5 panels. Once it has been converted into a smart object, I can delete the white sections which I want to show the background through and fill in certain areas to look more interesting.

11 To include the background, I go to file > place and select the image. I can then click on the image and place it onto the document

12 I then change the shape of the image and change of the opacity of the image to 50% so that it matches with the other panels as they all have a 50% opacity effect on the background as it allows text and other images to be defined more clearly. This then shows through in the areas of the panel which I have deleted.

13 I can then fill in the other areas in a colour using the fill bucket tool. I do this in the CD placement area as well as white spaces within the rest of the digipack including the spine.

This then looks like this. The green looks very bright and prominent against the patterned background

14 I then draw a text box to add the name of the artist and album onto the spine of the cover as this is a convention of albums. I use the same font and colour as I have used on the other panels and the poster. 

15 I then rotate it and place it in the center of the spine so that it looks professional

My final product looks like this:

MAKING A PANNEL

BARCODE LEGALITY PROBLEMS RESEARCH

The barcode and legalities on my digipack will need to look like it has been hand made as well in order to complete the look of my digipack, however I don't know how I am going to make this look professional yet still hand drawn.

This barcode looks very professional and not hand made at all meaning that it won't fit in with the overall aesthetic of the digipack. However, drawing it makes it look less professional and looks like a child has drawn it.

 

Here are 2 examples of a hand drawn barcode which I have created in order to fit into the overall look of how I want my digipack and poster. The swirly writing for the text makes it look more hand drawn and therefore more fitting to the style, however I don't think that these look anywhere near as professional and important as they should. I think that the main part of it making it look unprofessional (as well as being unlikely to work when being read by a barcode reader) is the actual barcode itself as opposed to the numbers.

  

The only way I will be able to incorporate a hand written element to the barcode would be to use the actual barcode yet use handwritten lettering. The image above shows how I have done this (removing the numbers on the computer, printing it to hand write the numbers using a fine liner penin the empty space before scanning it into the computer). Although it isn't as hand drawn looking as I would like it to look, I needed to keep this professional as it is very important as the barcode needs to be scanned in order for the user tp purchase the product. Therefore, incorporating the handwritten element into this ready made barcode was the only way of it still looking creative yet still performing its function(which is a shame because a fully hand drawn one would have looked a lot better and more complete and specific to the product.  

This is the final barcode whichI have made that I am going to use in my final product. I think that the overly swirly lettering proves that it was drawn by hand and theefore continues to link in well with the overall digipack regardless of having to change my creative vision in order to stay professional.

LEGALITIES

WATERCOLOUR PICTURES

These are the images which I am going to use on my improved poster and digipack. They are the same images which I have used in my first draft however I have coloured them in using water colour paint. I think this has worked well as they look softer and reflects the genre and style which I wanted them to reflect.

Left: I have chosen these colours for the outfit because they are light, failry bright happy colours and I think this reflects the sound of the song well. Also, my artist has a dress in the light blue colour which I have used which she may wear in the video so I thought it would be fitting. I have done the bright, yet still fairly vintage colours to reflect the vintage element running through my project

Right: I have used the darker colour because I think that this outfit would stand out well against which ever backgriund I decide to use on my digipack. I like the purple colour because it is quite girly and it also makes the lighter green polka dots and the ginger hair stand out next to it therefore making it a very striking image. 

DIGIPACK IDEAS

I have come up with some ideas in order to make my album digipack look more interesting than my first draft. 

IDEA 1

I have used a light blue watercolour background as I think this reflects a vintage style which is something which my artist represents. The watercolour makes it look purposely hand made which I think makes it look more personal and enjoyable to look at. I have added patterns to the panels and I think that this has made it really exciting and fun to look at which reflects the upbeat style of the song which I have chosen as well as the genre. I have used orange polka dots in the pattern as they are bright and upbeat like the genre, yellow birds (they don't look like birds but it was a quick drawing) and red hearts as they look quite vintage yet girly/ Also the birds add relevance to the bird cages which I have used on two of the panels. The images of the artist have been coloured in watercolor paints which (again) look vintage styled and fitting with the genre. Overall I think this digipack idea is young and cool, however could be more girly in order to appeal to the tumblr kids more!

IDEA 2

I have used a watercolour background on this digipack. All of the panels are the same colour however the colours aren't all in the same place which I think makes it look more authentic and more as though it has been hand drawn. I have left the actual images uncoloured as I think that this makes it more unique and original and therefore would make it stand out against others in shops to make it more interesting to potential listeners. I like the colours used as they are quite girly and would be attractive to the potential target listeners and also reflects the style of my artist. Overall I really like this design as I think it looks original (perhaps memorable to people if they look at it?- always a good thing) and reflects the artist and genre well as well as being interesting to look at. The point of the album cover is to intrigue the potential listener and I think that this digipack is quite intriguing due to its originality. 

IDEA 3

I decided to try a more simple pattern by just using 2 colours which (in my opinion) work really well together as well as looking feminine to appeal to my target audience. The pattern which I have used is very simple and I think that using white polka dots against the green/blue background is understated but stands out. Also the pink of the feathered (bad drawing, its supposed to look like feathers but it was a "quick sketch") details on the side stand out against the green and reflect the style of my artist and the genre well. I like the colours which I have used to colour in the images used on the panels as they look quite cool and quirky and reflects my artist well. I also think adding some colour to the bird cages makes the digipack look more complete than they do when they are just left white. Overall I think this design is really fitting with the artist, genre and potential listeners. 

IDEA 4

I like the colours which i have used in this design as i think that it looks quite girly and so would appeal to my target market as well as reflecting the fun, upbeat nature of my artist and genre. I have added the light blue flower pattern to make it look less boring and more vintage looking as this is the style which I wanted to convey throughout my products (video-digipack-poster). I think that making the digipack look as though it is quite messy works well and looks genuine- so bad its good?- and so therefore is interesting and exciting to look at. I have (again) added colour to the bird cages which makes the pack look more complete as a whole which I think is good. The whole thing looks trendy and up to date with a vintage twist which is what I want my video to represent. The images of the girl which have been used on two panels have also been pained in water colour as this carries on with the theme and fits well with the "whole package" as well as reflecting the genre and style which I wanted to portray well. Overall I think that this is very aesthetically appealing digipack to my potential audience and therefore would be good to use for my final product.

IMPROVEMENTS

I need to make some improvements to my digipack and poster in orderto make it more professional and more appealing to my target market.

FIRST DRAFTS

• DIGIPACK
• Add colour to everything- I need it to look more interesting and exciting in order to attract attention from my potential target audience. This includes:
  - Background colours: I haven't done any research into the colours/styles that I could potentially use
  - Colour the images: I want to paint them by hand in order to make the digipack look hand drawn and painted and for it to look authentic I need to do this by hand
  
• Add legalities- I need to do this in order to make the digipack seem real and authentic as all of the digipacks which I have looked at in my research include the leaglities (copyright etc) so for mine to look professional and real these need to be included (I have made a space on the top left panel for the legalities to go I just haven't added them yet)
• Barcode- This needs to be added otherwise people wont be able to buy the album which defeats the object of having a physical copy of the album
• Name- I need to add the artist name and the album name onto the side of the digipack so it can be seen when it is standing up on a shelf in a store
• POSTER
• Add colour- I need it to look more interesting and exciting in order to attract attention from my potential target audience. This includes:
  - Background colours: I haven't done any research into the colours/styles that I could potentially use
  - Colour the images: I want to paint them by hand in order to make the digipack look hand drawn and painted and for it to look authentic I need to do this by hand
  
• Add rating- I need to add a rating from a music magazine that represents the genre which I have chosen in order to make it look more authentic. This would then mean that it would appeal to the chosen potential target audience
• Change positioning- The date of release is difficult toreadso I either need to change the position of things on the poster or change the colour of the text [note this may be easier to read when the images are coloured in rather than black on white which is quite harsh to look at/read]



DIGIPACK FIRST DRAFT

HAND DRAWN ALBUM DIGIPACK

After panicking about the legalities not looking professional enough for what it is representing, I looked into albums which have used a similar hand drawn style to mine in order to see how they present the barcode and legalities.

The album which I have looked at is The Mouldy Peaches which incorporates the hand drawn element throughout the magazines digipack. From the front cover it is easy to see that the cover is more hand drawn than mine (or is meant to look rougher and sketchier- like a collage)

The image shows how the insert has been created to give a hand drawn image. The font which has been used looks vert hand written which works well and links in with the rest of the digipack. Mine needs to all link well together in order to look like a completed product.

On the back of the digipack shows the track listing and the barcode. The track listing uses the same hand drawn font which has been used on the insert of the digipack. This, again, links in with the rest of the digipack and looks hand drawn which is obviously the look they were going for. I need to make sure that my digipack and poster both look like they go together and are both purposely hand drawn. The hand made look needs to be continued in all aspects of the digipack and poster, including in the text, images, background and legalities.  

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.