Magazine Advertisement Edits

Magazine Adverts

Magazine Advert Analysis from nicoleed96

Front cover ideas

Having explained my initial ideas for the front of my digipak in the below post, I have gone and experimented with photography, also using IT software to edit my images.

Initial Ideas

For my digipak production my initial idea goes as followed;

• The front of my digipak will have an image of a doll whom, is flawed and impaired. This will act as a representation of the young girl, a doll further being used to represent the 'perfect' role model to society. Having the doll bashed will show the realistic imperfections of the young girl and additionally the negative stages of which she has gone through growing up, now having both an alcohol and drug addiction. Moreover this could symbolise a 'broken Britain' as youths are becoming increasingly alienated from society. I would ideally prefer this image to be in colour, as the majority of digipaks I have analysed have been in colour rather than having a monochromatic filter overlaid. This image may further flow through onto the back and the following panel of my digipak, showing an on-going image across the horizontal layout. 

• For the inside panels of my digipak I may use a key prop used within our music video therefore, creating noticeable intertextual references between both my digipak and the already produced music video. For this, I feel that the injection would be a effective choice, photography the projected fluid across the space of the three panels. Again, this would be in colour as I would like to create consistency across the colour scheme, possibly darkening the saturation to represent the negative emotions behind the main song, 'Love Diamonds'.

• For my typography I will be using a Sans-serif font as this is the most commonly used typeface from the digipaks I have analysed. In opposition to a Serif typeface the Sans-serif font represents something more modern, generally being used in less formal forms of media. Additionally, the colour of this will probably be either black or white as these are the most commonly used colours due to their contrasting attributes, depending on the colour of the backing image. 

Disc artwork

When considering the artwork upon the physical CD, there are many different ways in which the artwork has been applied. In some cases the design may be simplistic and in other ways, sometimes highly complicated, mimicing the artwork of the digipak cover. Looking at the CD for the Indie Pop band, Bastille and their album 'Bad Blood', this is seen to only compose both the band and album name. Like I have noted before, the bands name is commonly situated above that of the album title due to the importance of recognition of the band. Likewise to the digipak cover and other relatable media platforms , the typography stays consistent, acting as a logo for the band. Giving the 'A' an appearance of a triangle this further interlinks with the genre of music, as triangles are typically associated with the 'Indie' youth subculture group. The dark, dull colour of the disc additionally interlinks with both the album artwork and the song. Firstly, the colour scheme of the album cover is seen to be sluggish, using dark, uninspirational colours such as browns and blacks therefore, the disc follows through this colour scheme creating coherence across all inputs. Secondly, the colour of the disc also fits the unappetizing emotion behind the song. Lyrics such as; 'As the friendship goes, resentment grows', suggests negative feelings between two individuals, whom were once much closer.

Having analysed the album cover for Scouting For Girls 'Greatest Hits', this is seen to have intertexual references with the album cover. Even though the artwork upon the disc is relatively elementary, showing a landscaped scene, this is also seen as the backing set for the album cover. Hence, coherence is seen across the digipak design, interlinking media products to make the band distinguishable. Having the artwork show a mountainous range could indicate the peace and relaxation emitted by the music of the band. This could further be suggested from the pale blue colour scheme therefore indicating a sense of serenity. Likewise to the album covers by the band, the typography has stayed constant, using a large, unique,sans serif font to act as a logo for the band. Moreover, the texture upon the disc interlinks with that used on the figurative images on the album cover giving a sense of hand-craft and therefore, personalisation for the audience.

Track listing

Looking at the back of Digipak's, this is the common situation of the track listing. Songs often appear starting with the most recent release first, working down, due to the popularity of the tracks at the current time of the albums announcement. Other songs to be included on my band's track listing include:

1. Love Diamonds
2. Sun Comes Up
3. Billy Jean Acoustic
4. Light Emitting Thing
5. Growing Old 

Digipak composition

 

 

When considering a template for my own digipak, I feel a 6 paneled digipak would be preferred as this allows more imagery and text to be presented thus, increasingly personal connections with the bands targetted audience and therefore, fan loyalty.

 

When looking at Digipak's, there are usually typical conventions followed. Pressume we look at the below level of the template. The front of the digipak oftern presents an intertexual image. For instance the above album by Jack Johnson portrays a simplistic image of the artist, reflecting the raw flare from acoustic music. The focus on the males silhouette playing his guitar from behind additionally indicates that the predominant focus is on the artists music rather than his well-known image. The framing of the artist with his guitar is moreover typical of the acoustic genre, making his music recognisble to a range of audiences, whom may not be familiar with the artists music. From

looking at my bands genre, Indie pop/rock, it is often seen for the main image to be either a shot from the bands music video or an image associated with the deeper meaning of the song. These therefore, creates intertexual references between the album and individual tracks included within the album. This album along with a selection of others I have analysed, all include typography using a san-serif font. For this album in particular this helps connotate the straightforward image of the artist. However, in most album artwork this is used to represent the music as being modern and an informal source of media, in contrast to a serif font used in media platforms such as newspapers. It has furthermore been noticed that the name of the artist or band is situated before that of the albums name, suggesting the importance of the text being shifted towards the artist, rather than the individual, specific release. Looking above, the sticker on the front of the album shows that this is a 'special addition' digipak. This may appeal heavily to the loyal fans of the artist, as it is a collectors addition and therefore, represents a significant personal connection with the artist in opposition to a cheaper internet download.

On the central, back panel, traditionally this is where the track listings will be placed. This allows easy access for the audience, so they know what they are purchasing. When looking at this digipak in particular, a 'uk bonus track' is included. This therefore gives the audience a feeling of exclusivity, as the additional content is not widely avaliable to other audiences. This is much like the exclusive 'hidden' track at the end of some albums, which only a range of selected fans will discover. The back panel is additonally where the barcode and certificates of the digipak are usually found, suggesting the authenticity of the CD.

Moreover, on the first fold of the digipak, this usually includes either additional information on the artist/band or inclusive track lyrics. This allows the audience to create more in depth relationships with the artist and their music, therefore benefiting the musician by creating fan loyality. In contrast, spines of digipaks stay consistant, presenting the same typography as composed upon the front cover.



The inside of digipaks are composed in different ways. When looking at the inside of thus, there is an absense of text within the album. In this case and commonly, this is instead presented within a seperate booklet with slides into a sleeve of a fold. With the imagery within the inside being that of the sea and water in general, this reflects the easy-listening element of the acoustic genre as the sea is usually associated with calm emotions and tranquillity. The seemingly endless expansion of water futhermore interlinks with the title of the album 'On and On' as water is a never-ending natural resource in the world. The pale shades of blues moreover suggests the natural production of the artists music, in contrast to that of genres such as electronic. Furthermore, associations such as serentity and infinity are created which thus, interlink again with the title and the calm, melodic style of acoustic music. Finally, the image of the sea has connotations to the artist, being raised on the coast of Hawaii with a passion for surfing. This allows a personal connection with the fans of Jack Johnson, giving them a sense of subtle devotion.

In this case the tray of the CD is postioned in the middle of the 3 panels however, this can be placed anywhere, depending on what is presented on the other panels.  

 

 

When looking at the magazine advertisment for the above digipak, this is seen to be incredibly similiar to the front of the digipak. The same image is presented and the typography remains constant however, with a change in colour and position. This shows that the artist has used intertexuality to create his identity, making adverts and merchandise instantly recognisable, acting almost as a symbol or logo for the artist. This moreover attracts the artists appealing audiences as being familiar with the magazine advert allows audiences to become mundane with the digipak, ready for its upcoming release. Having analysed a range of both digipaks and magazine adverts, it has become clear that musicians generally use their digipak cover as their A4 magazine advertisement, influencing the production of both my meida texts.

 

Typical digipak conventions

Main image
There is always a main image used to represent or distinguish an artists unique style. This may either be a photograph, for example on the album cover for Bastille, 'Bad Blood' or an illustration such as on the cover; 'Scouting For Girls'. Having analysed selected digipaks, the main image is usually displayed in order to portray a particular song or even the in depth meanings behind. This contrasts with that typically of the Pop genre, usually having the artists face or appearance upon the cover.

Artists name and album title
After my analysis it has become clear that the artists or bands name is usually situated before the name of the album, with the natural eye working down the album cover.  This is probably due to the significance of importance of the artists name over the name of the album. For instance, with the recognition of the artists name, this allows the audience to research and purchase further media from an individual artist in the future.

• Track listing
• Basic background information on the band/artist
• Record Label
• Barcode - showing authenity

Inside Panels
The CD and maybe a booklet. This would often include images of the artist or band with something symbolic printed inside, behind the placement of the discs. Furthermore, there may also be information about the album, lyrics to the songs and quotes by the artist.