Ancillary tasks 1 & 2

Drafts to Final Products

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Magazine AdvertBefore creating my magazine advert, I first looked back at the research that I had done, analysing existing magazine adverts for

similar products. I decided that the conventional features to have on a magazine advert for an album were an image of the artist, or something representing the style of music; the name of the artist or band; the name of the album; and the release date. Therefore I started by adding all of these features onto the advert, after picking suitable fonts. After completing that, I received feedback from my peers telling me that the image in the centre looked too plain and that I should have something else on the poster to represent the whimsical theme of the album, which is when I decided to place the floral frame around the image. After doing so, I looked at other details that were found on magazine adverts for albums and realised that I should put some ratings on the poster which would convince people to buy the album. However, instead of having the ratings and quotes from other magazines, I decided that in order to stay true to the authenticity of the album and the artist, I should include reviews from other well established artists within the same genre, that my artist would probably admire. I therefore chose to have quotes from Florence Welch and Laura Marling. I then showed this draft to my media teacher and asked for feedback. I was told that the layout of the advert looked very professional but that there was still something missing that would make the poster look realistic. We then decided to add something to the background rather than having it plain white. I chose to use an image of an orchid as it is a pretty flower that works well with my ethereal, whimsical theme. I changed the opacity of the image and placed it behind all of the other text and images to ensure that it was not the main focus of the poster.

I made two versions of this advert, the first was portrait which was created for a magazine. I then copied the features onto a landscape page and moved things around to create a poster that would be seen in a train station for example rather than only in a magazine. I may make a third version if I have time which would be more simplistic and would not include features such as the reviews; this version would be used for a roadside bilboard.

As I have not completed all of my photo shoots yet, I still have to replace the draft images that were found online with the photographs that I will take myself. The photograph taken will replicate the image shown, but with my model Monique.

DIGIPAK FRONT COVER

Digipak – Front CoverAfter conducting the research, I knew the dimensions of a digipak (120mm x 120mm) as well as how many pages a digipak conventionally has and what is usually included. I gained this knowledge by researching existing digipaks such as the one made for Ellie Goulding’s album, ‘Lights’.I was also made aware of the conventions of a digipak cover and decided that I wanted the main image to follow these conventions by having a photograph of Monique taking up the whole space.I started out by copying the layout of the poster onto the digipak before realising that the front cover should have less information and should be much simpler. I then ripped it down to only having an image and the artist’s name and title of the album. When this looked too bare, I added the logo of the music label. I then gained feedback from classmates and my teacher who told me that I should add small details such as a line between ‘Lovestrong’ and Monique Todd. They also praised the continuity of my products through the use of the same front and type of image throughout all of the ancillary products which also related to the music videos itself.I then tried adding the floral design and played around with the image, trying to choose between the one from the Rose Garden, or a studio-like photograph of Monique.After receiving feedback on which one my target audience preferred, I made final touches in order to create the final front cover of my digipak.

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Digipak – Inside I consulted the research tasks that I had completed beforehand which taught me about the

conventions of a digipak and what to include on the inside. I chose to follow the conventions and keep the CD on the right hand page. I decided that the CD should also follow the whimsical and authentic theme just like the other products, therefore I chose to use the same image of the orchid that was placed on the background of the posters on the CD itself. I then added the name of the artist and the album to the CD.

After completing this, I consulted my teacher about what to include on the left hand side. He suggested that as the music and artist are quite authentic, it should be something written by the artist herself. I therefore decided to write a note from the artist to all those who were involved in the project of creating the album, thanking them for their help along the way. I felt this would show the appreciation of the artist as well as allowing her to connect to the fans directly.

I then received feedback from my peers who suggested adding a design onto the left hand page in order to make it look more interesting rather than just like text on a plain white sheet. I decided to add the same black border that was used on the posters onto the side of the page which gives the ancillary products a sense of continuity. Additionally, I included the logo of a record label onto the CD to make it look more professional. After receiving even more feedback, I realised that it would be effective to include images of the artist under the letter. I tried one image, before it being suggested by my peers to use a series of images which would display the artist playing instruments and singing in a studio, adding to the authenticity of the album as a whole.

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Digipak – Back CoverWhen creating the back cover of my digipak, I tried out several different layouts for

the track list, before settling on something a bit different and quirky. I decided not to stick with the conventional centred text in a column as I felt the artist was so unique and different that the track list had to reflect that. Therefore, I chose to lay out the track list as shown in the first image on the above slide. I then felt that another image of the artist was crucial in order to display the authentic feel of the album, so decided to place a wide image above the track list. This image has the same effect on it as those used on the inside of the digipak in order to create a sense of continuity throughout. To create more continuity and to tie the digipak together I added the same floral black border that was used on the poster and inside of the digipak at the top and bottom of the back page in order to frame it. After getting feedback I was reminded to add a barcode and did so, as well as the record label’s logo. Additionally, it was recommended that I use the same orchid image with low opacity on the back cover as was used on the poster, and I believe this made the digipak look ever more realistic and professional.