Digipak Changes from Draft to Final - Michael

 This was my first completed draft. Originally I was pleased with this as I liked the continuity throughout. From feedback I received I was pleased with people's initial reactions. Many people commented on the  photography and said the inner stretched out photo worked very well alongisde the front cover. I also received a comment that stated the change in colour between the black and white collage and the inner two panels worked well. as it was a nice blend. 

 In my second draft, I decided I wasn't fond of the use of the collage as I believed it looked messy and less professional than it could, so I got rid of it and took another photo that fitted in and had a similar style to the photo on the first inside panel. Many people told me they liked this photo and it suited the overall digipak much more than the collage and that the layout still worked well.

In my third and final draft I decided to keep the same photo that I used in the second on the right inside panel. However, I also decided that this didn't fit with the theme that had continued throughout the rest of the digipak, as only one person is present in the picture. To fix this issue I went into Photoshop and duplicated the first figure. This then meant my final digipak was consistent, clean and appeared professional throughout. 

Final Digipak and Magazine Advert - Michael

Magazine Advert Changes from Draft to Final - Michael

Even when creating my first draft I was aware that I wanted to make a obvious visual link between my album cover and the advert that I would create. I decided I would do this by incorporating the image used on the front cover  onto the magazine advert. In my first draft i decided to put the image in the middle of a white border and used the band's name as a visual statement by making it bold, black and by locating it at the top of the poster. Originally I liked this advert as I believed it looked clean and simple but I was recommended, through feedback from a friend, to try a different design as this one may not look as good in a magazine, as the white border makes the page appear smaller.

In my second draft included all the same information, but instead of keeping the same layout, I moved it around. I focused the majority of the white space on the image and only left a small rectangular shape at the bottom for the text and information to go. I also made the band's name a lot more predominant by changing the color of the name and putting it over a black background. I did this as the band's name is very important as people will need to remember it i it is to be advertised properly.

In my final draft I left everything the same as the previous, except for the colour at the bottom of the advert. It was suggested to me by a friend that I make this section of the poster black to make the white text pop even more than it did before. I tried this and kept this idea as I believed that it made it look as if the over image was carried on and the space beneath the two figures was a lot larger, further adding to the desired professional appearance.

The final changes I made to my magazine advert were minimal. I removed one of the star ratings as I believed it looked a little clustered. As well as this i simply changed the names of the companies that had given ratings. I decided that the previous names didn't fit into the correct genre, so entered magazines and companies that did. 

Creative Journey (Digipak) - Michael

As part of my research and development for the creation of my digipak, I came up with many different ideas and took inspiration from many different sources and other forms of media that already existed. This document represents the 'creative journey' that I took to end up with my final media product.

In the top left hand corner of my creative journey piece, I have included three photos that broadly represent examples of 'Levitation Phototgraphy'. I have taken photos in this style in the past and found that they always have potential to look professional and intriguing. I was always interested in using this kind of photography when creating my own digipak so that I could give my own cover something interesting and a little different, so that it could stand out from the crowd..



The next section of my creative journey represents the stage in  my planning where I decided that I wanted to include both band members on the front of the digipak. When planning my own digipak, I thought of albums I knew myself and liked with a theme of two people on the front, I took inspiration from albums such a Pink Floyd's 'Wish You Were Here' , Biffy Clyro's 'Only Revolutions', The White Stripes 'Get Behind Me Satan' and Fleewood Mac's 'Rumours'. These album covers played an important role in aiding when making a decision on whether to incorporate the band on the front of the cover.

After deciding I would use both band members on my cover, I got an idea from the White Stripes album, that I had already took inspiration from. On this famous album cover the duo are shown in front of a red curtain. This gave me the idea to find other albums featuring a similar theme. I found  that Eminem's 'The Eminem Show' was very similar. I was so inspired by watching Kings of Leon's music video for 'Charmer', as is set in a sparse theater in front of a dark red curtain.  

After finding inspiration in all of these different examples, I ended my creative journey by taking a photo that incorporated all of these visual styles. I used the photo I took, alongside some minimal text, to create a digipak cover I was proud of and that fitted into a genre I was aiming for.

Feedback Received from Draft Magazine Advert - Michael

Feedback Received from Draft Digiak - Michael

Draft Magazine Advert - Michael

Draft Digipak - Michael

6 Panel Digipak Decision - Michael

When planning for my digipak, I had to choose on the style and design of my media product, but as well as this I also needed to make a decision on the practical element of my digipak. I used the site 'DiscWizards' to research and locate different types of digipak and the wide variety of shapes and sizes that were available. This site would also give me a template as a basis for the creation of my digipak.  In the end I decided to make a 6 panel digipak, meaning there would be six panels all together in both the inside and outside of the album casing. I decided to pick six panels, as opposed to four, so that I could fully make sure I was able to both follow and defy conventions whilst maintaining the same theme throughout. I researched and looked at many albums to help me aid me in my decision.

Digipak and Magazine Analysis - Michael

Digipak and Magazine Advert Analysis from michaelwilsonasmedia

Magazine Album Advert Analysis - Michael

Digipak Analysis - Digipaks I Own - Michael

King Krule - 6 Feet Beneath the Moon (2013)

When researching digipaks and the common conventions that they follow, I found King Krule's 2013 album, 6 Feet Beneath the Moon, very interesting. This album goes against many conventions as neither the front cover or the middle two panels contain any text. The only text is down the spine of the package and on the back cover, where the track listings are placed. The middle panels are filled with one long connected image of doodle appearing drawings, graphics and photos of random objects, such as plants and broken speakers all placed next to one larger image, in the corner, of Archy Marshall, otherwise known as King Krule, the artist of this album.  He appears to b drawing in a book which makes it appear as that he has drawn the images on the middle two panels. 

I am intrigued by the graphic design on this cover and would be very interested in doing something very similar when creating my own digipak. I am also very fond of the colour scheme used on this album, as it is very simple and minimal.the majority of the 4 panel pack is black and white except the background faded blue on the middle panels. 

Cage the Elephant - Thank You, Happy Birthday (2011)

This digipak is one of my favorites that I own. The cover and inside panels are all graphic design and interest me greatly due to the abstract nature of the artwork included. The appearance of the font used and the drawings make the album seem as if they've been drawn on and annotated freehand. In contrast to the cover and the artwork the CD from the package is completely blank and stands out against the rest of the casing. I like the idea of the simplicity of this in comparison to the rest of the digipak.

I would like to incorporate certain features of this when creating my own digipak, such as the minimal CD in comparison to the rest of the chaotic cover and inlays. I would also like to incorporate certain types of graphic design in my own case as I feel that without it it may be lacking, I could use the drawings present on this album as inspiration.  Although there is not a huge amount of text or  variety in background colours, this digipak is not minimal due to the vivid and unusual drawings situated all over it.

Arctic Monkeys - Humbug (2009)

Another digipak I am very fond of is Humbug, by the Arctic Monkeys. Many of the covers and packs that I have looked at and took inspiration from have not included an image of the artist or band, however this cover appeals to me due to the nature of the photos used throughout the digipak. The initial cover photo appears not to be staged, but instead to natural. I like the idea of this as it goes against conventions and cliches of normal album covers. A photo that includes band members is also used on the inside covers and panels. An image of two band members climbing a hill is stretch across both of the inside panels. I really like this effect of a larger image being used to fill inside panels and will defiantly look at trying to use this when building my own digipak. Very little text is used throughout this digipak which inspires me to create a similarly minimal scheme as i find that minimal albums have a good effect on drawing in an audience. 

Although the main layout for this digipak appears minimal, the colour scheme is not. On both the back and the front covers the colours are dull, faded and give of a 'retro' feel. The inside panels, however, do not sick to this scheme and use way more vivid colours that make the audience question the location of the image. This sense of mystery and questioning is inspiring and makes me want to incorporate questions into the imagery I use.  

Drenge - Drenge (2013)

I have always been fond of Drenge album covers due to the fact that they rarely use text on the front covers of their albums or singles and because they use interesting photography or graphic design to style their albums. Their first debut album is my favorite. On the front and back covfers the same image of a graveyard is included. This image is interesting as it makes the audience think what thew image is representing. the colour scheme on the back and front is black and white, which seems grim and matches the "grungey" music that the band makes. This colour scheme doesn't continue to the inlays of the digipak. Unlike the outside of the package, the inside is bright and vivid and stands out due to three bright colours. this contrast is intriguing but I don't think I'll use this idea when creating my own digipak as I would prefer to keep a consistent layout.  

 Drenge are a English indie rock duo that are made up of two brothers. The graphic and image on the CD itself shows a photo of the brothers when they were younger. I find this idea equally as interesting and  would certainly consider using older photos of the band members in my fictitious band. 

Design & Drawn Album Covers - Michael

Wavves Album Covers - Michael

Wavves are an American surf rock band from San Diego in California. They are notorious for their slightly eccentric and out of the ordinary album covers. Throughout the years they have used many different styles of covers to compliment their music, whether for an EP, album or single. They have used both photographs and graphic designs to cover their music, which interests me greatly. The three covers that incorporate images inspire me a lot, as all three images used are interesting to me and encourage me to take a similar photo for my cover.

Drenge & Superfood Digipaks - Michael

Both the ‘Undertow’ and the ‘Superfood’ digipaks, shown above, are available in both vinyl and CD versions. This has inspired me to include vinyl covers and packages into my research when creating a digipak for my own album. Other than the medium of the storage of music, these albums have also inspired me due to their designs. 

I am a big fan of all Drenge's artwork and this cover is no exception. All images that the alternate rock duo use on their covers follow a similar style. None of their covers contain writing and all are either a stand alone image or a graphic and are used to make the audience think or to draw them in to buying the album. I will take inspiration from these covers when creating my own, as I like the 'gritty' and interesting vibes they have. Even though the genre of our band does not match that of Drenge's, I believe I can still use this style of cover to inspire my own.   

Although I'm not a big fan of the Superfood album cover, or style of the design. I like how the front cover connects to the back on the CD digipak. One image is stretched across, so when unfolded a whole complete image is revealed. I'd like to incorporate this type of design when creating my own. I have the idea of possibly use an image of the band members on the inside panels. The Superfood album has inspired me to stretch this image across the two inside panels, as I believe this would be an effective look.

Album Cover Inspiration - Michael

Artist: Moose Blood

Album: I'll Keep You in Mind, From Time to Time

I am inspired by this album cover as I like the style and simplicity of it. I will use this album cover as inspiration and for ideas when I create my own digipak. The image of the campfire and the girl behind it will also match scenes in our video, as we will plan to use videos of youth around a bonfire. I also like the minimalism of the sans-serif small white font, I will defiantly incorporate aspects of this cover on my own.

Artist: Eagulls 

Album: EAGULLS

I like this cover as I am drawn to the grittiness of the image used in the background. The logo of the band is also placed on the cover, I like this feature as the logo is quite simple and doesn't distract too much from the image. This cover inspires me to use images that don't incorporate the band members on my cover.

Artist: James Blake

Album: Overgrown

This album cover intrigues me and also inspires me to involve band members in my cover. The photo of the artist, stood in the snow with smoke behind him, intrigues me as it gives away nothing to reveal the type of music on the album. There is also no obvious title or artists name on the front, which draws in a potential buyer to pick it up and look more closely. This album also is quite simplistic due to the lack of font on the cover. This inspires me as it makes me think of whether to include text in my cover or not. 

Artist: Joyce Manor

Album: Never Hungover Again

I like this cover as, similarly to the rest, it follows a minimal style. This cover is interesting as the bar-code and title of the album appears to be like a magazine. I like the font used in this cover and would like to use something similar, but maybe without the magazine appearance.