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.