Group Digipak - Miss Miller

When we went to create a group digipak we decided to alike the magazine advert conform to the same routine that we followed when we went to create our group digipak as a collective. We first opened up all of our digipak separately on each of the Mac’s then we compare each slide and took out the best ones for adaptation for the final digipak.

Colours, We have infinitely used a wide array of colours throughout the whole of the digipak.

These include slight undertones and bright bold colours alike. This is because we wanted to at the same time be conventional and subversive of the genre alike. This is to have a significant impact on both the genres prior audience and the wider audience as it in my view appeals to both sets of fans. The purple and dark undertones on the front and back covers, conforms to the genre strictly as these are colours that are frequently seen in digipaks that we have analysed. In addition from my personal view, as I do not deem myself a hard-core fan of the genre, I find these images visually pleasing as they are different from that of covers we see from mainstream items that we see. The inside covers may come as a shock for audience as they are completely different and are surprisingly different. This is due to the fact that they are images which have been made darker but the contrast has been increased to make the light on the image stand out. I wouldn’t say that these are at all linking with the genre but there are connotations that can be seen within which include the idea of hallucinogenic's and their effects on the body and particularly eyesight.

There are various conventions of the genre which can be clearly seen for example on the front cover there is a clear reference to drugs as we see a flying rhino with an altered in colour background which once again backs up this viewpoint.  This can be seen slightly on the inside covers have they have been altered as previously mentioned to stick to this theme. There are also some items which are not conventional to the genre which include the CD, although it links in with the front cover it has been stripped of its drug related colours therefore being a raw image that is unaltered and visually pleasing. The link made can be seen to represent the two views of drugs being the highs and the lows or even addiction and being clean. Finally the back cover is very unconventional as it is simple and it was is normally seen on rather mainstream genres as it displays all the necessary information which includes artwork of the artist also.

The layout seen of the digipak is of what is expect to be seen by audiences. This includes a front cover displaying all the necessary information which includes items such as the band name and album title. This again is replicated on the back cover which sees again some artwork of the artist himself and all the necessary items that the audience wants/needs to see such as the song lists and there indexes into where they are positioned on the album. On the inside covers we see some more artwork from the album that links in with the music video if the audience has seen it then it will be recognisable for them. Finally there is a panel dedicated to the artist in which a personal message is displayed to give the digipak a personal touch.

We have stuck with a consistent theme throughout with regards to font type. The font is very similar to that of old computer text when they were first invented so it already as some quirky connotations, which can be somewhat be related to the genre as it can be seen in some sense as a random collection of weird items. I feel due to the text being spaced out it  can be clearly read and therefore consequently all information is convey as intended.

Apart from wording that we have used to convey information to audience, we have used emotive language in order to create a bond between audience and the artist the message is as seen. The artist personally thanks the audience for being fans and then being loyal to them. The emotive section is where he states that he wouldn’t be in his position of it wasn’t for them therefore making them responsible for his fame which can be seen when he talks about the massive difference in his life and that he is true grateful for it.

We used at least one item from each member of the group. From myself we used one of the inside slides of the outside of Liverpool street station and the back cover which involves Jazz sitting on a wall with a fountain setting. From Luke we took the idea of the actual CD which had a sky setting on in. After this we decided to use the magazine advert as the front cover for the digipak as we felt that we needed to have some consistency within the relation between magazine and digipak to therefore consequently make it recognisable for audiences that are new to the band as it may be hard to find if there is no link whatsoever. From Ben, keeping with the theme of consistency we also decided to keep the relation of the inside cover towards the setting so we used an inside shot of Liverpool street. Finally from Jazz we decided to use the panel that involved the artists personal message to the fans. All of the panels were very similar but it was the personal message that sold it for the group as it was direct and meaningful.

Strengths and Weaknesses of each members digipak.

Luke, I feel that his digipak was very bland and did not fit under the criteria of any genre mainly as it was rather a collection of un-edited images. The images do not adhere slightly to the genre and there is a rather limited use of Photoshop. The images are mostly not in focus and have been stretched due to the size. His text style if very likeable, readable and consistent. Another positive would be his CD cover designed which would be arguable the best out of the whole groups. The only improvement I would make to it is the fact it doesn’t state that it is the White Rhinos CD and then therefore be easily misplaced by audience if they do not remember whom it belongs too.

Ben, I feel that his digipak is far less consistent than Luke’s as there are no corresponding links. The colours match in some slides and not others, which can also be said for the font of the text which is the same on some slides and not others. It in truth looks like a random collection of slides that have been put together. I feel that these inconsistency’s will disengage the audience and rather put them off purchasing the product entirely. I do like the way that he has edited the image that we used in the group digipak of the inside of Liverpool street as it directly shows the connotations of the genre with the bright colours and dark undertones of compete opposite which actually have an outstanding effect.

Jazz, his digipak strongly promotes the genre as it strongly conforms to the genre itself as we see drug related items being portrayed as well as the use of a Kaleidoscope effect which links remotely to the genre. I like the way he has taken the white rhinos and has transformed them in a sea of bright and vibrant colours which are the same as the mentioned effect. Apart from this his other slides are rather different as they have wobbly effects and other slides which lack colour or are not similar. In addition the font is not the same on all slides adding to his inconsistency. 

I think that our digipak partly adheres to the conventions of our chosen music genre, this is due to the fact that we have used bright bold colours with a balanced mix of dark tones also. In addition we have also subverted the genre as we have also used recognisable locations which are usually related to more popular genre, this is as we have tried to focus in onto that audience. In a line to this we have also used reliable images of the skyline that has been edited to make an interpreted link to the genre.

I feel that this will appeal to both sets of our overall target audience due to how we have laid out the structure of the digipak. The panels that will be seen by the audience when purchasing this product are the Front and Back covers, we have purposely toned them down to make them appeal to most of the demographic as they are quote plain and convey the message and information clearly. The audiences loyal fans are drawn in by the inside covers as they bear the ideology of the genre as they are heavily edited colour wise making them have the psychedelic connotations.

Once again I felt due to the process that we used in order to make the group digipak alike the magazine advert we worked together as a  joint venture and made decisions democratically so everyone opinion was heard, in addition improvements that were made in the same manner.  I found the process very collaborative and positive as no arguments or disagreement were made between members of the group.

 

Group Magazine Advert - Miss Miller

Prior to this task we all created our own individual magazine adverts. These were our own and reflected what direction we felt that we should take in regards to the final Group Magazine advert. To decide on one magazine advert that would then be altered by the rest of the group we all came together in a group meeting and proposed all of our magazine adverts to each other. We then discussed the positives and negatives of each one and then what was the overall majority approach that the group felt that we should be taking in order to conform or subverts the genre and how it should appeal to fans either the restrict audience of the psychedelic rock genre or as well wider audiences of which will be engaged and find a poster attractive therefore enticing them to find out more information and ultimately buy the songs/album.

Luke, His advert took a more simplistic view with a plain background of the sky with waves within the clouds which looks visually stunning. He also opted alike me for the information present being clear and effective but it was not bold and did not stand out. This in my opinion is very visually pleasing for the audience and will draw attention from the moment from it is seen.

Jazz, His magazine advert is rather plain and has no real links with the genre. We simple see a London skyline that has been distorted at the top to almost replicate fog or something similar. Beside this we see a plain text which has no style or meaning portrayed to our target audience.

Ben, His advert was rather a random collection of items which had no correlating sense or motif and therefore would have been meaningless to audience, and disregarded rather easily as it has no appeal. In the advert we see a desert location plastered with a grainy filter on top. In  addition we also see a army style writing in yellow stating the Band name and album title. Finally we see a plain photograph of a white rhino which has no correlating sense as this animal does not live in the desert. It doesn't not conform and somewhat subverts but due to its inconsistent look it was discarded from the start.

Once all entry's had been narrowed down we decided to use Luke's as a basis for the overall advert as we felt it was the most appealing and attractive for audience, but as a collective we all agreed that slight changes needed to be made in order for it to be conventional to the genre and also appeal to wider audiences. We also agreed that an icon or centre piece needed to be added to the poster because it was too plain at that given time. We then took my idea of using White Rhinos from mine and bens adverts as it directly relates to the band name that we decided on. We decided to incorporate as we felt certain elements from each of the posters what equal effective and by bringing them all together it would make it as appealing as possible.

We have decided to use bold colours with a dark tone that reflects the change in the night sky. These colours include a dark blue with a light pink. They somewhat reflect the colours of a 'shepherds delight' or Red Sky in the morning, Shepard's Warning, Red Sky in the night, Shepard's Delight. This symbolises belief in superstitions. This is not as intended but it adds an insight into the meaning behind the colour scheme and makes it relatable for wider audiences that are not familiar with the genre as it is an attractive and pleasing image to look at. Purposely we have opted for this colour scheme as it reflects the value of the genre as this can be seen consistently throughout prior adverts for that we have seen aside from the ones that we have analysed. The bright colours represent narcotics and particularly there influence on the body and altering thought patterns of the users which somewhat justifies the use of the Rhino and why it is distorted which we hope the audience will be able to interpret easily.

The two images that we used in the advert include the use of the background of the sky and altered clouds, and of a Rhino. At first they seem a bit of a mismatch but with way we have edited the images there relation can be justified. We opted for the use of the sky as it is rather alike one of Tame Impalas own except it uses a park of some sort. It alike due to its simplistic approach but effective repercussions as it is highly appealing to audiences due to the quality of the image and the fact it allows the audience to decide on what they think the images hidden meanings are, like my interpretation above. The other which has been used of the Rhino it to make the overall image not seem as simplistic as intended in addition we needed to add a motif to keep our overall package relatable, using this as a symbol/icon. We chose this due to the fact it directly relates to our band name and can be deemed as conventional to the genre as it links in with the idea of influences and use control under drugs as they may see a random collection of events that is not wholly understood by themselves, this is what we have tried to create as the two have no links whatsoever. When we first put the Rhino in without any effects it make our work look unprofessional, but with a quick brainstorm we corrected this as we decided to make it transparent, giving the idea that it is not real and a fragment of imagination in addition we wanted the images to be incorporated so we decide to blend the images together hence the wave effect on the upper body of the animal in question.

The layout of the poster is very simplistic but can be said is effective. From Top to Bottom we see first the name of the band/artist as this is the first thing that audiences will be looking for as they are keen to find out what it is the poster represents. After this we see the centre of the poster with the Icon which has a direct link with the first and therefore represents a connection. Finally we see the name of the album being released and the fact that the product is indeed out now giving valuable information to audiences and directly influencing if they buy the product or not. This information that is being presented is of that which is only needed. By doing this all information is taken in as it will only take minimal time to process. And because of this the audience can rather focus on the meaning behind the image seen as this is in fact the main focus point.


We chose the font that we did as it is simplistic and it gets the message across as efficiently as possible as all information is displayed clearly and in a bright white colour which is the complete opposite of what is seen on the background. The font is in bold and uses spaced out capitals so it can be seen clearly up front and far way.

Once again the only strong use of language used apart from the obvious choices and use of emotions is the language stating the release of the album "Out Now". It has persuasive connotations, influencing the audience to buy the product as they have no reason not to almost creates the idea that the audience have to buy the product now.

I feel that our  advert strongly conforms to the genre as we have stuck to conventions such as a bold and attractive colour scheme, have connotations of drugs with the Rhino and the waves in relation to mixing the two, also the font is particularly conventional as it is simplistic. I feel that this will appeal to both of our target audiences as it is of a standard and has certain items such as the colour scheme and Rhino which will appeal to the genres audience this is due to the fact these are what they expect to see when they think of the genre as similar patterns have been made due to the random links and vibrant colours , while wider audiences may be engaged by the image visually and colour and may be the slight randomness which may be picked up on due to narcotic references or related to the band name at the minimal after they have though about it for a period of time.

I found working as a group a easy and effective task as we all worked together rather well. We all agreed on a the approach that we should be taking of conforming to the genre but being appealing to wider audience also. We also agreed that on the process that we should be taking in order to mutual agree on what advert we should use as a basis and then what we should do to adapt it so that it can be as best as possible in terms of the groups ability on Photoshop and content that can be used. We all suggested ideas of how we could improve the advert implemented them, then had a communal vote if it should be appended or undone, we repeated this until we all felt as group no further improvements could be made. By doing this I felt we worked as effective and progressively as possible enhancing the time in which we completed the task and its overall look and consequently its effect on the audience.

Individual Digipak - Miss Miller

I have created this digipak for the reason that, I can show my group my ideas and a visual representation of them ideas as a presentation to show how I feel the group digipak should look like and what route we should follow in relation to themes and general construct of it. This is only my ideas and it has not been effect by any outside influences. At a later date is the process of the coursework we as a group will lay out all of our digipaks together and pick the one we feel is most appealing to the audience and then add to it with other ideas and alterations that we all have contributed to, this is so that we as a group can make the most effective and desirable digipak as possible that is of a adequate standard that the audience would like to buy.  

 

I have used both bold and undertone colours in my individual digipak that will appeal to both set of audiences as I am attempting to engage both of them being both conventional and subversive of the genre at hand. On the outside covers I have chosen to use less extreme colours such as purple overall tone and light greens as I feel that they have a good contrast and will be appealing to most persons. In addition I have conformed by using bold colours alike to keep with a common them / motif as some audiences may become disengaged as otherwise it may come across as a random selection of colours and images. The main idea behind the colour scheme was to engage the audience by making it visually attractive which I feel as a whole I have achieved in some sense, with party recognisable images that have been dramatically altered.  

Connotations of the genre can be clearly seen throughout with the alteration of images with vast attractive colour schemes, this is rather the only strict convention that I have conformed too as I want the digipak to appeal to both sets of the audience so therefore it has been primarily dominated by unconventional items such as the font and choice of images used. Despite this there is always a subtle undertone that is seen with the used of filters to distort the image making them less clear but more visual attractive for audiences, and a set colour scheme that has been consistently used on the two outside covers.

 

The images used on the digipak reflect the locations that we have used on set in the locations of our filming. I feel that these image were a good choose to use as it is a rather relatable location for many with recognisable segments such as West India Quay Docks and the 02 Arena. I feel by using these it will increase the range of the audience that we have which is already very minimal. In addition I have opted to use two pictures of our artist one on the back cover and one on the inside. I have done this for the reasons that I feel it will be beneficial towards the genres audience as they will recognise the artist at hand whereas others will not, therefore I feel the need to include it as this is one of the key elements that they will be looking for when they go to buy the product.  

 

I feel my layout is rather clear and gives away all necessary information  that will be needed by the audience. The front cover clearly shows the artist/band name in a clear and colourful font alongside the actually name of the album itself. Meanwhile on the back cover we see all of the related songs and there indexes on the CD itself for quick access but all audience necessary information. On the inside covers there is not any other additional necessary information, because of this I have used two images that directly follow themes of the genre. Despite all necessary information that I have provided I have given some form of a bonus due to the use of a panel being dedicated towards the fans messages to fans which will be adored by dedicated fans and may appeal to ones that are new to the genre or the artist in hand.

 

When Typography comes to question I feel I have been slightly subversive and somewhat conventional of the genre on this topic as I have chosen a more professional font for usage as I feel that otherwise the final product will look cheap and that not a lot of thought and consideration has gone in to it when producing it. I have kept a consistent use of this font throughout the digipak for motif otherwise it will look random and will have no relation. Only on one occasion have I subverted this with the wavy writing of White Rhinos as it has connotations of that will represent the genre, of that when writing is sometimes hard to understand when under the influence of narcotics or alcohol, which will be in the use of the age range that of the audience we are trying to attract.

Language is not a strong point or common theme throughout the digipak with the only segment that I can common on is the use of emotive language on the panel from the artist which is his personal message to the fans where it can be said that he directly engages with them. This in turn creates a strong relationship between artist and audience as the audience are grateful alike the artist for the support they have been giving and song they have given back.

I feel that my Photoshop skills have dramatically increased since we have started to used it when we went to create our magazine adverts. I now feel more confident and feel comfortable with using the program as I now understand that I can be more experimental as errors can be undone with a click of a button or deleting created layers. I now can use the magnetic laso tool a lot faster and more effectively as I now do not cut off segments the part of the photograph that I want to take. In addition I have learned how to dramatically affect the colouring of images by altering Hue, Saturation and Colour Balance alongside Contrast to make the colour bold bright and in the sense of the genre psychedelic. I felt that this helped me to create a successful advert as I can do much more with the images and make them as conventional as possible to the genre and as appealing for the audience for their personal enjoyment. Finally I learned how to bend text so it arches and can be bent in multiple direction. 

I do feel that my digipak both conforms and partly adheres from the genres conventions, both  the back and front covers look like a Rock genres album as they usually slight subvert from that of the pop genre. Granted there are still some subtle tones of the genre such as the colour schemes of dark purple and light green which have some relation to the genre. It addition with the genre the artist is not clearly seen on the digipak or album with our we have not conformed and make him visible on the back cover as we feel this is necessary to engage a wider audience who may have not heard of the artist/band prior as the genre already has a limited demographic. On the other hand I have strongly conformed to the genre particularly with the two inside covers as the images have been filtered and have has there colours altered to be conventional to the genre which can be clear seen as the colours as the complete opposite of what they are of the original colours of the images. 

If feel that my individual digipak will appeal both to the target audience and wider audiences alike. This is due to the fact I have catered for both demographics. The outside covers that will be seen first by the audience and consequently they will be making there choice whether they buy the product or not based on what it is they are seeing they are not already a dedicated fan who would buy the product anyway. This is why I have opted to make the inside covers more radical and more conventional to the genre therefore appealing to genres existing fans and maybe being a shock to the new audience but from my view I feel this will be a surprise to some and may appeal although it is not expected. 

I feel creating this individual digipak is a good idea to increase the beneficial structure and overall look of the group digipak as we will brainstorm all of our ideas together and pick out the best ones from a visual representation which shows directly what a persons idea rather looks like than just killing it because it has not been understood clearly. Therefore by doing this I feel it means we will create the most successful digipak as possible.   

Individual Magazine Advert - Miss Miller

I have created a magazine advert it is the main way in which record labels promote their artists so therefore it is essential that we create one so that we can reach our demographic and appeal to them and in summary make them want to buy the product. I have only done this once I have conduced research in magazine adverts in relation to the band I am making them for. I took ideas from these and collaborated them with a few of my own to create the plan of what I wanted to create on Photoshop.  These included Bright bold text that is clearly visible and pleasing to the eye and the use of alternative colours to differentiate between different information.

My final produce individual idea slightly diverts from my initial plan, this is due to the fact of limitations and some advantages meant that I was able to do more than intended but also couldn't do as much either. Also we as a collective decided on a artist name from Tame Impala to White Rhinos therefore I had to alter the intended Impala to Rhinos for it to have any meaningful sense to the audience.

I have used a vast amount of colour on my magazine advert as I wanted to remain as conventional to the genre as possible. Colours include Black and White, Purple and two different tones of Green. I have chosen these colours for specific reasons which will now be explained. The black and white has been used for the 'Out Now' title and also the illusion background that will engage the audience. I felt this was best used that bold and bright colours as otherwise other items on screen would be increasing difficult for audiences to see, therefore by doing this I have a basis background that has character that can be layered on and experimented with. Keeping with the Psychedelic rock genre I have kept the bright bold colours Purple and Green I feel they are a good contrast in colour and are eye catching and appealing for audiences. In particular I feel the used of the Rhinos being two tones of Green makes it easier for the audience too see and with the Black relates to the background make it seem part of it rather than separate.

As already stated I have keep conventional with the genre which is very obvious when the advert has been broken down. This is particular evident with the style of the background which takes influence from illusions that are appealing and have a strong affect on the viewer. Obviously this effect is not as prominent as other but the idea is still reflected. This is due to the fact that I want the audience rather to focus on the information content of the advert rather than its style of effect on them. Again I feel that the name of the band and the album title is very conventional due to the fact that it not a standard text font that is usually seen, it has somewhat a 'circus' like feel too it which rather conventional as I have seen this theme used prior to the creation of this advert in the Little Fang video that I analysis on a previous blog.

The only image that I have used is that of a pack of White Rhinos. I have only used this due to the fact it has some relation to the name of the band. I feel that this will to both new and prior audiences as they will either not or will have some knowledge of the band and by not having a picture of the band it may appeal to wider audiences as they may be intrigued by the advert and what to find out more about the band which may be beneficial.

I have a very simplistic layout I feel that this is the most appropriate way to follow, by doing this it keeps the information central and therefore it gets conveyed as intended to the audience.
The layout is as follows: Release Date, Band Name, Album Title and Picture relating to Band.

I have used a wide array of different fonts on my magazine adverts. The first one used on the magazine advert it a rather simplistic font used on the Out Now text. It follows the same colour scheme as the background but can be evidently seen by the audience as it has a clear black outline which makes the white incredibly easier to see for the audience. As already mentioned the text rest of the text follows a 'circus' theme and is slightly harder to read but due to the fact the audience has already been engaged but using Out Now they will be looking for it and therefore will see what is essentially being advertised.

The only meaningful language aside from information provided is that of the Out Now text, this is very suggested to audiences and makes them feel pressured to see the product being advertise and also be in the mind-set to purchase the product also.

Aside from the content of the magazine itself, I had strengths and weaknesses with Photoshop when creating it also. At first I found the process quite deeming as I have used the program in over a year and a half, but I was able to re-learn some of the ways to edit and introduce new items/layers and much more after a refreshing session. I at first struggle with tools such as the Magnetic La-sue, and the Paint Bucket but soon found my feet after using them and persevering and asking for assistants. I particularly felt that I was very useful with the filter gallery and then applying certain changes to enhance there look such altering exposure, curves and hue among many other editing techniques.

I feel that my advert strongly conforms the Psychedelic Rock genre due to fact I have followed a similar style to that of ones research my myself in relation to the genre and the band specifically. I have included all of the major conventions of adverts under the genre which include the use of bright bold colours and an array of quirky fonts that appeals to the target audience in particular. In addition the illusion themed background adds character and is partially conventional due to the affect it has on the view which can be linked with narcotics and there effects. 

I think that it will appeal to the target audience as I have keep strictly to the conventions of the genre which will appeal to target audience as this is what they are looking for and will enjoy. In addition I feel the advert is very pleasing to the eye and will therefore appeal to wider audiences alike. The darker colours draw the audience in as they have to look specially close to see the name of the artist I have done this for that very exact reason as by doing this I grab there full attention and all the information in the poster is seen by the audience.

In summary I feel by doing this task it has been very beneficial not only for myself but my group also. This is due to the fact that we have all gained an insight into Photoshop with some of us being at different levels than other which  will make us more collective when we go to create our group advert as some of us are better at using the program than others. In addition we have also had some practice with the ideas that we feel should be implemented into the final advert so when we go to create the final one it can be done as effectively and efficiently as possible as we know what it is what have to do in order to replicate what we want to include from our own individual adverts,