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. 

BACKGROUND IDEAS FOR DIGIPACK/POSTER

I dont want the background panels on my digipack (and my poster, to an extent) to look boring and plain as they need to stand out and grab attention of potential buyers/listeners/audience etc. Therefore they need to be more interesting. I have come up with some ideas on how to make the panels/background look more interesting fun and exciting than my first draft.

IDEA 1- POLKA DOTS

I have done some polka dot ideas as possible backgrounds as they are quite fun and look interesting. It could be attention grabbing which is important as my digipack needs to gain and hold the attention of the target audience. I have used bright colours to stand out and look interesting. (1) I like the green painted colour as it looks like it has been hand made which is the look I want to go for. (2) I like the colour change from the top to bottom and I think it looks fun and interesting and reflects the song I have chosen well. (3) I think this is too girly and would limit the potential album buyers due to the colours. (4) I think that the bright pink/orange background is very striking which is good and the light green dots stand out well and look good against it, however my artists hair may blend in woth the background so may not look as attention grabbing as she should. (5) I like these colours and the gradual colour change/blend looks really interesting- especially with the dark green dots as they stand out well. Again there is the threat of my artist sinking into the background and not stand out as much as a "star" would. (6) I dont like this.I think the yellow colour is too bright and looks like cheese which is not great however the pink is a noce colour and could look good against other background colours.

IDEA 2- PLAIN WATER COLOUR

Doing a plain water colour painted background could be a good idea because it would make the images and text which I use stand out to the user.  I thought that this may make the digipack look complete as a whole because I am going to paint the pictures which I have drawn in water colour. (1) I like the idea of using a girly colour as this reflects the artist- female- which I have chosen. However, I think that this shade is too dark. If I was going to use the purple as a background colour is would need to be lighter meaning that the text and images I use will stand out more against the lighter colour. (2) Again, I like the more girly colour used because it reflects the artist and potential target audience. It is slightly too dark so I could make it lighter which would look more like it has been hand painted as it doesn't have an authentic look to it. (3) I like this as it is less stereotypically "girly" however I think that this would make the images and text stand out against it. Also, it is a lighter shade of green so it isn't too harsh. (4) Blue isn't stereotypically girly however I think that this water colour block looks interesting and eye catching as well as looking authentic- as though it has actually been hand painted. (5) I like the yellow because it is a bright colour which reflects the happy, upbeat nature of the genre which I have chosen. Also, its quite light which means that the text and images will stand out to the user. (6) The orange, again, is quite bright which means that the text would stand out against it, however the pictures which I am going to paint will have my artist with ginger hair which won't stand out at all so orange wouldnt be the best colour to use on the panels with the hand drawn pictures as these are the ones where the images wont stand out. it is important that the digipack stands out as it needs to grab the attention of the potential target audience.

IDEA 3- STRIPES  

I have done some stripes as potential backgrounds as I think that they loom authentic and hand drawn (painted) yet still look quite professional and interesting to look at. I like the different shades of the colours used and I think they look trendy and would appeal to my target audience, especially the creatives, as they tend to be interested in artistic things and I think that these stripey designs reflect that well. (1) I really like the pink colours because they are very girly and would also look good with the text and the images layered on top of it. I think that these are good colours as they reflect the personality of my artist that I want to convey. (2) I really like the green stripes because, although they aren't the girliest of colours, I think (mainly due to the lighter shades) that they would appeal to females as well as males which expands the target audience of my artist/video/poster/etc. (3) I like the blue because it would appeal to males as well as females and so would therefore expand my potential target audience. as well as this, the images would stand out and the contrast of the blue background and the ginger hair would make my digipack really stand out in stores and would therefore grab attention. (4) I like the purple because the colours are quite girly however the darker shades might look a bit dark and doesnt reflect the nature of the genre very well. (5) I like the warmer colours used on this however I think that the hair colour on the images which I am going to paint would blend into the background which isn't good as it needs to stand out and make an impression on the potential audience. (6) I really like this colour combination and I think that the images I use will stand out well. Also, I think that the text would stand out against this and so thereofore would make this a good background colour. 

IDEA 4- PATTERNS

I like the idea ofhaving a petterned background as this gives a more exciting aesthetic to the digipack/ poster as a whole. I want my artist image to be quite vintage so I have included patterns that have the potential to look quite vintage which is the style I want to represent. As well as this I want it to look fun and young so that it reflects my artist as well as the song. (1) I like this pattern because the colours that I have used are quite girly and therefore reflects the artist and the potential target audience and would therefore be good to use. The flowers also add a more vintage look to the pattern and would therefore be good to use because it represents everything which I have planned. (2) I like the purple colour which has been used here because it is girly and would therefore represent my artist and the style of music well. The love hearts which have been incorporated have also added more of a girly feel which, again, reflects the genre and artist well however may limit the intended target audience to the just females- although the majority would be female, it could be a bad idea to assume. The clocks have been made to look vintage in order to tie in with the mise en scene which I intended to use for my music video. The vintage element is something which I want to run through all three of my products (poster digipack video) and so it is important to include vintage things within all of them- hence the clocks were included. (3) I liked the bright green colour of the background as I think that it would really stand out and make my digipack eye catching towards my intended audience. Also, I thought that the vintage style bird cages looked interesting and fitted in well with the vintage theme. As well as this, the bright coloured- badly drawn- birds and dots make it quite girly and therefore reflects the genre well. Also, these other colours- purple and pink- are quite girly and so would be appealing to the inteded audience. (4) I like this because it isnt a stereotypically girly background due to the colours that I have used. I think this is good as it doesnt limit the intended target audience as much as the others do, however it doesn't reflect the genre or artist as well as the other options. I think the flowers look cool and the dots in different colours make it an exciting background. (5) I really like this because the colours are girly and it looks very pretty. Also, the flowers look quite vintage and pretty as well meaning that it reflects my artist and genre well. I like the green which has been incorporated in the leaves because it really stands out against the pink background. I think that, overall, this is the background that would most appeal to my female target audience. (6) I like the shade of green which has been used as the background because it is a lighter shade of green and I think it is pleasing tolook at. I have included some cats because they are quite different and quirky which is how I want my artist to be portrayed. Also, the cats are ginger and so is my artist- a tedious link- however I think these colours work well. I have added love hearts and painted them light pink to make sure the background stays quite girly in order to reflect the artist- even though this happens because the cats are ginger but you get it.

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.

POSTER IDEAS 2

POSTER IDEAS

These are some ideas which I have come up with in order to make my poster look more interesting after the first draft. I have painted and added lots of colour onto the pictures which I have drawn as this makes it more bright and attractive to the target market. The paint looks a bit messy which also adds to the hand drawn look which I wanted to put across in my prodtucts.  

I have done a water colour background in colours which are quite soft and girly in order to appeal to the intended target market. It looks quite messy and very hand made which is the look i wanted which is added to by the hand drawn style font. I have continued the pastel colours when painting her outfit as I think it fit in well with the colour scheme of the poster and works well. Her hair and outfit stands out against the background and makes this a very bright attractive poster.

I like the citrus type colour background on this as I think that it grabs attention and makes the intended audience look at it which is the point of the poster. Again, I have painted it using water colour which gives it the intended, messy hand made look which I wanted to put across. Also, the background colours work well and look good with the hair colour which is good as it looks like it has been designed as part of a final product as opposed to just done quickly. I have chosen an orange/pink colour for the outfit as it stands out against the background but also looks interesting next to the hair colour. I like the vibrant look of this poster and I think that it would interest my intended target audience.

I like the bright pink as the background colour as I think it really draws attention to the poster and would make my target audience look at it and have an interest in it. The fact that the pink is so bright means that its hard not to look at meaning it grabs attention and is very striking. The girly pink has been used as it reflects the female audience I have chosen as my target audience. I have coloured the dress in blue as this is the colour of the dress which my artist has and will be wearing in the video therefore it is fitting as part of the collective product. Overall, although the look of the poster is fairly messy, I think that this style works well becasue of the intended hand made look that I wanted.

I like the colorus which have been used on this poster as it is very warm as well as being bright in order to gain attention. I like the different shades of colours as well as think makes it look hand painted (which it was- however thats not the point, the point is it LOOKS this way) which is the intended look which I wanted. This hand made look is cointinued through the use of the font which also looks like it has been hand written. The only issue which I have with this poster is that the hair blends in slightly with the background and therefore my artist isnt as striking as she could be. I have chosen the stereotypically girly purple coloured dress as I feel this reflects the comg genre as well as my artist and intended audience.

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]