My partner and I have now produced the final draft of our Digipak. Overall we are extremely happy with the outcome of our products as we believe it connotes to the genres that we aimed to promote. As well as this we believe it fits our ideal branding. We aimed for our star image and brand to be promoted as ‘ethereal’, ‘powerful’ and a ‘higher being’. Throughout our digipak, there is clear use of media language that help to keep our product inline with the blueprint (Altman) of our brand. The clear use of a consistent bright colour palette across the digipak creates a coherent brand and helps to promote our star as unique and ordinary yet extraordinary. Our use of a modern, bold, sans serif font helps to create a media text that entices a young audience. The use of simple and effective designs throughout the product allows for it to connote to many different ideas, such as a spiritual feel with the use of a ghosting and glow effect on the text used. We feel these elements help to create an exciting and attractive product.

Dyers proposition of ‘The Paradox of the Star’ allowed us to represent our star as extraordinary throughout our digipak product. To create a sense of mystery within our front cover, our star is shown as expressionless and emotionless which contrast the design choices of special effects and other features to give all of our panes and energetic and exciting feel. We wanted to stay true to our mission statement and follow a multi-genre vibe through our digipak and we believe that we have been able to do this successfully. Our digipak product clearly supports the statement; ‘you are able to gather different genres of music within it through different technical conventions and elements’. As well as this there is concise use of the common conventions often found within Pop, Electronica and R&B digipak’s. These conventions included, a close up of the artist facing the camera on the front cover to create a direct mode of address, as well as portraying our star as ‘god-like’ and ethereal’, and finally a psychedelic and hallucinogenic feeling often found within electronica digipak’s.

Changes Made Since Draft 3

• The change of font on “FREYA” on the front cover. This has been done to keep our digipak inline with our social media page, keeping our branding consistent throughout all our products. It has now also been centred.
• We have adapted and changed the colour palette used on the inside panes. The left side has been changed to a cooler blue tone as to fit in better with the other panes. The right-side has become lighter, with the eye being brightened and the blue and pink tones becoming the main feature.
• The spines have been changed to include the new font used for “FREYA”.
• Along with the front cover and spines, the use of “FREYA” in the TV on the back cover has also been changed to the new font to creating coherence.

Overall, as a pair, we believe that our digipak fits perfectly with our mission statement. It is clear the our digipak product offers a multi-genre effect to our audience and promotes an eccentric star image. Finally, we believe that our audience will ‘accept the text’ produced and we are very happy with our final product.

We have now produced the third draft of our digipak, as a pair we feel that the design process is going well and we are near reaching our final product. During this draft, we made the suggested and necessary improvements that were pointed out to us during our last set of feedback. We have enhanced the ghosting effect that is used on the album title, as well as this we have adapted the background of our front pane to create a halo like effect to our artist to help with our image and branding. We have changed the colour scheme on the two inside panes to a lighter palette, this helps the double pane to have a more coherent look with the rest of the album. There has been very little adaptation to the back pane, however we have now included a play/pause button on the TV screen as well as placing ‘FREYA’ in the middle of the screen.

Attached above, is the digital and physical copies of our third digipak draft. By having a physical copy of this draft, we are now able to grasp how our album would look in person and we can gain a different insight into the improvements that still need to be made. It is also important for us to understand how our album is perceived by our audience, so to do this we asked members of our peer group to name which genre they thought our album belonged to. The results that we collected found that the album we have created fits our desired reading of three main genres, Electronica, Pop, and R&B. The results collected are what we had hoped for as the album fits with our mission statement of ‘a multi-genre artist’. Overall we are happy that there is visible representation of these three genres within our digipak.

Overall, our digipak is on the right track for completion, as well as displaying our desired genres to our audience. We have taken the most useful, key repetoire of elements (Lacey) and technical conventions seen within the genres of Pop, Electronica and R&B, while at the same time putting our own personal stamp on the work. At this stage there are very little changes to be made, however we will continue to make them relevant improvements in the final stage.

Whilst producing this second draft, it was important that we consider the reflections and targets for improvement from our first draft.  During the production of this draft, we had the opportunity to look at more images from our shoot and play around with them to find the best fit for our all four panes. In looking through our wide variety of photos, we were able to select the images which best portray our photography skills. Included below is a rough draft of all four panes of our Digipak. These designs are nowhere near completion and there is plenty of room for improvement in our next drafts, however we believe that it is going in the right direction to fit our branding and star image.

During the production stages of our digipak, it is important to get a range of relevant feedback that will help in gaining an outside perspective of our product. Attached below is a screencastify from our teacher which includes feedback on the good and bad aspects of our digipak. This means that we are able to gather a list of what needs to be improved within our next drafts so that we are able to produce a product that best fits our brand.

Teacher Feedback – 

This screencastify outlines what our teacher likes about our digipak so far and what could be improved in the coming drafts. Overall the feedback we have received on our second draft is mainly positive however there are changes that need to be made in order for us to have a successful final product.

Positives:

• The front cover image fits well and looks professional.
• The use of the echo effect on the title ‘Faces in the Crowd’
• The style of our back cover is effective
• Our teacher is confident in the design of our front cover as it is simple but effective.
• There is clear use of the typical conventions of a Digipak

What needs to be improved:

• Increase the echo effect on the title to create more of an effect.
• Move the artists name into the centre of the cover.
• Remove the text box outline on the front cover.
• Include the album title as a song title.
• Include the artist name on the spines.
• Include the copyright information on the back cover.
• Try different fonts on the back cover to create a more mature look that better fits our genre.
• Adapt the middles panes to a lighter colour palette so they fit with the rest of the digipak.

We have made effective progress on our digipak, finalising our designs will be simple and easy to carry out. Overall, we are pleased with the design and layout of our digipak, but we understand that there is still room for improvement within certain elements of the design. Throughout the digipak, our use of photography and design is coherent. The colours and effects used our also tie in to the designs within our social media page. The use of similar design techniques helps to create familiarity between our products, as well as representing our star properly and efficiently, and helps to create a suitable brand image.

Front Cover:

Included above is the first draft of our digipak front cover. The draft we have produced is no where near completion or perfection however it has allowed us to combine our images with other digital design elements to gather an idea of what will work within our digipak. During the production of our first draft, there was a specific criteria that needed to be followed. It included:

• The use of camera and photoshop to gather a variety of images and to create and manipulate enticing and engaging images.
• A wide variety of Mise-En-Scene to help communicate meaning to our audience.
• An imaginative and creative use of DTP to combine image, text and digital design together.

In order to compile our first draft, it was important that we focused on the criteria listed above. To help ingage the audience, there is a clear use of direct mode of address through the use of a close up shot of our artist, in doing this it helps to create a sense of involvment for our audience members. Our use of a bright colour palette helps to create feelings of excitement and mystery the fit with our ideal star image. The use of lighting and MES also add to our star image with the creation on an edgy and eretheral theme. To fully achieve our ideal star image we chose for our model to have a neutral facial expression as to not give our audience any clue to what the album might be like. The last point of the assessment criteria is yet to be completed however we will focus on this in our next drafts.

Back Cover:

The back cover of our digipak include similar elements to our front cover, with the use of the same typeface a neutral facial expression on our model as well as a typical composition of our artist in the centre of the cover. The back cover of our digipack needs to follow the same assessment criteria as our front cover which is listed above. For our backcover we have also included an image from our shoot however in post production it has been digitally manipulated to add to the pshcadellic background. Currently we have only included our list of song titles and barcode, within our next draft we intend on including the copyright, music group, branding and year of production. Including those finer details in our next draft will help us to achieve our whole assessment criteria. Our back cover design in also no where near completion and we intend on playing around and adapting other images, chosing certain designs and effects as well as playing around with different colour effects, we will also need to include the designs for our spines.

As we have now produced a first draft of our front and back covers of our digipak, my partner and I are now able to continue with the design process while adapting and improving our designs and changing neccessary elements to best fit our star image. We know that our first draft is very simplistic and extremely far from being completed, it is crucial that my partner and I think about the path we would like to take our branding and star image down. In doing this it will help to ensure that all elements of our work fit well together as well as following the typical conventions of a pop digipak.

Digipak Contact Sheets:

Included above are the contact sheets from our photoshoot for our Digipak.  Before we took our photos, we looked at the typical conventions for a Digipak from our chosen genre of Pop and gathered ideas on what we would like our Digipak to look like. The typical conventions of our genre tended to be bright colours, low key lighting and the artist on the front pane.

During our shoot, we used a projector to create the swirl and line effects on our model to help portray a unique idea to our audience. It was also important that we took a variety of shots from different angles and distances so that we were able to have a wider range of images to choose from when creating our first drafts. Within these photos, we made sure that there was a direct mode of address, close ups, long shots, midshots as well as different poses.

We found this shoot to be successful for multiple reasons as my partner and I had planned effectively before hand able to take plenty of photos, which has allowed us to use our time shooting efficiently and has allowed us to complete the shoot with a sufficient amount of images to complete our digipak.

As we are doing our Digipak shoot at school, my partner and I have not created a Risk Assessment as it was not needed.

Digipak Mock Up:

Attached below is a handrawn mock design of the digipak my partner and I would like to create. In doing this task we were able to visulise and compile our ideas together as well as having a clear and consice plan when we come to producing our digipak through Photoshop and Indesign, which will help my partner and I to stay organised and keep on track with this task. Below we have included the types of images we would like to use, as well as different fonts and a brief colour palette.

When we began to produce our mockup, we looked at a variety of different album covers within our genre to help inspire us for our own designs, with no intention of copying these sources as we need our digipak to be our own original work. During the designing process of our mockup it was crucial that we thought about the key techinical conventions of a CD album cover and layout within the genre of pop, this included features such as bold text, brighter colours, digital design aspects, our cover star and song titles which will help our audience to accept the text that we produce.

Our Front Cover will consist of our artist, her name and the album name, “Faces in the crowd”. We aim to feature our artist in the centre of the cover as a direct mode of address towards our audience, as well as the album title at the top of the cover in a bold font which will allow it to stand out from the background. We will compile these features together with a bright, coulourful palette allowing us to express an energetic, unique artist while following the repetoire of elements best suited to the typical conventions of our genre. During our shoot we intend on using a projector in the white studio to project different patterns and colours onto our model to help infer and convey our different and unique star image.

Our Back Cover will again include our artist, however for this shot it will be taken from further away to allow us to include a prop TV. As well as using imagery, my partner and I also intend on including digital design within the back cover as well, this will be featured through the use of the TV screen as we plan on creatign a crowd of faceless people to refer to the name of our album. We plan on having our star leaning against the TV in a relaxed, laidback way whilst projecting a design over her, this will also help us to convey our ideal star image. The back cover will also include our song titles down the left handside so that our model is still fully visable.

The Inside covers will be made up of a colour full background image which we intend on designing ourselves taking inspiration from the image attached below. From this image we intend, on using a similar colour palette as well across both sides of the inside cover to create continuity. However the first page of the inside will also include an extreme close up image of an eye to help convey a sense of emotion within our designs.

Included below is an analysis of an artists Digipak which includes the front and back cover. In order to understand the repetoire of elements and all the technical conventions that need to be used when designing and producing a digipak, it was important to analyse a media text that has been successful within my chosen genre of pop. Included below is an analysis of British singer songwriter ‘Adele'(s) album 21 which was released in January of 2011. During the analysis of this text it was important for me to focus on the main conventions, blueprints and modes of address that are used within pop digipaks.

In completing this task, I have been able to grasp an understanding of the typical conventions, forms and repetoire of elements that are used within the genre of pop. In analysing the portrayal of this artist and the overall composition and design features of this digipak, I now understand the elements that a vital to create a successful media text within the music industry that is able to stand out against the products of other competitors. It is important to that my partner and I are capable of producing a design that catches and holds the attention of our audience. During the design phases of our digipak, we will refer back to this analysis and use key points that will allow us to produce work that portrays similar meanings of albums in our genre as well as allowing us to create and individualist and unique product.

Attached above is a Moodboard that my partner and I created together to help us gather a firm idea of what is appropriate to help create a cohearent brand across all of our branding. Within the moodboard we have included a variety of different albums and album artwork that consist of colour palettes similar to what we plan on using, on top of this, we have also included a mixture of fonts that we could use that would fit the conventions of our genre. Carrying out this task has enabled me and my partner to understand our competition within the industry, the products that they design and the work that they produce. Our chosen genre is pop however we are also gathering inspiration from work produced by R&B Soul, Techno and Electronica genres.

It is crucial that when a star is represent through intergrated advertising within the media, that everywhere that they appear within that media wether its on a billboard, a TV advert or a Magazine interview; their audience is able to form personal viewpoints and opinions of the star, their image and their brand. This means that we need the products that we produce and promote fit our stars image as well as our brand. Included in the moodboard above is a list of our core aims and values for the representation of our star which includes: emotive, quirky, unique, powerful, dramatic and eccentric. By having clear descriptors for our star image, it allows my partner and I to keep focus on our branding and how we aim to portray our star to our audience. The common blueprints above display design and photography as well as vibrant colours, powerful themes and emotive and contrasting images which allow us as a brand to use technical design features such as MES, a direct mode of address and the preferred reading for our audience.

The inspiration photos above relate perfectly to our brands mission statement and help to create an atmospheric, emotive feeling. We want our audience to have a connection with our brand as well as invoking some sort of emotion. We want our audience to feel connected and involved with our products as well as excited and intrigued by them as we need them to accept the text and not reject it. To do this we will follow the conventional repetoire of elements typically within the variety of genres we are focusing on.

Now that we have compiled a moodboard, my partner and I have a clear and concise understanding of how to portray our star image and branding. In doing this task we are now able to begin thinking about design ideas for our digipak using the images above as inspiration for our designs, this inculdes thinking about photography, digital design, lighting, Mise en Scene and fonts. All of these elements will help us to create a product that can compete within the music media industry.

It is extremely important to create a star image when promoting an artists new album, however it is also just as important to build a connection through the star with the audience. Above is a slideshow in which my partner and I have analysed three different artists and how they are represent on a social media platform of our choice. We chose to analyse the Instagram accounts of James Vickery, Ella Henderson and Leona Lewis. In doing this we were able to gather knowledge on how to promote an artist that represents multiple genres.

It was important to focus on the different ways in which artists promote themselves or are promoted as well as building a brand on top of this. This could be done through the use of integrated advertising, synergy and guerilla marketing.  It is also vital that we think about the general conventions often found within pages such as these, having a unique selling point and to be able to compete with competition in the market. We also need to think about the demographics and psychographics that will allow our audience to accept the text, interact with our page, gain information and explore their personal identity. Furthermore, it is very important that we try to create continuity throughout our products such as our digipak. This will be done through the use of a certain colour palette, lighting, costumes and make-up to stay in-keeping with our brand.

All the information that we have collated above will allow us to produce a social media page to the best of our ability. Creating a mission statement for our star is vital in allowing us to portray our star positively within the industry. The research has allowed us to understand the key elements that are needed, and has allowed us to create a plan and pathway for our Instagram page.