Ashley Fian-
Richmond
Guide Through The Construction Of My Ancillary Products
Editor
Camtasia // Final Cut Pro // Photoshop
REC
The inspiration for my idea came from many different albums or things I saw. I tired to get as much inspiration from POP albums as this is the genre Im working in. Looking through different albums I started with the most popular with the conventional POP artists. This included Taylor Swift '1989' and Nicki Minaj 'Roman Reloaded' As soon as I saw these albums I got the idea of the hand written font which has been seen on albums such as Jessie J 'Alive'. However I had to keep in mind my music video and how I would use synergy throughout the three different products therefore this lead me to using the close up image with our main synergy with the gold and silver temporary tattoos on her hand. But also the use of the hat from the video and even the costume which is shown on the inside of the digipak and advert. I wanted to make it bright as the music video was colourful and vibrant.
PLANNING
As our teacher told us to start thinking about our draft, I tried to figure out, time wise how much time I actually had to complete my digipak. When I figured out I had two weeks at first I was panicing as two weeks wasnt a lot for me, personally as I would have to adjust to using Photoshop. Because This would waste time which I did not have espeically if I wanted top marks I would have to study ahead. This meant during my christmas holidays I would learn how to use photoshop and how I was going to make my idea a reality through Photoshop. As a result this lead me to different tutorials on the basics of Photoshop and from this I started to understand the different effects Photoshop had to offer.
I wanted to try the effect with another picture just so I could see if I'd like it and because I had never used Photoshop before I didn't want anything to go wrong with the pictures I would use for my digipak. As a result of different tutorials above is a picture of my first attempt.
CONSTRUCTION (Digipak)
The first thing I had to do when constructing the front of the digipak was to cut out the Image from the background. I did this by using the magic wand tool
CONSTRUCTION (Back & Inside Digipak)
The video above demonstrates how I used the effect but with the picture I plan to use for my digipak cover. Bare in mind this is just practice and not the final cover.
to blend with the background and make the edges
smoother shown in the video above. This was followed by making the background like a canvas by changing the filter to texture.This was followed by changing the variance and brightness to get the black and white effect. After this stage I had to change the image into watercolour to get a painted effect this was then followed by selecting different brushes, changing the sizes and colours using the size and direction section shown in the image on the side to achieve the end result. I kept unding and redoing the brushes because some colours did not go together or because it wasnt the right brush.
The back of he digipak consisted of me first creating a base using watercolour brushes followed by inserting the track list I pre-done and saved as a picture. This made it easier for me, by placing it on Photoshop as I have come to realise that its hard to use text while theres a picture behind as its hard to move and adjust them. After this stage I just inserted the finishing conventional touches such as the bare code and record label logo, copyright information and artist website
The screenshots above show my struggle of chosing the appropriate layout and colour. Because of how colourful the bakground is text is hard to read at first there was a lot of text however when I asked people if they were able to see it they said it was hard to read, therefore I
had to shorten it to thank you but because I
alternative.
wanted to use the space I had to try find an
To create the inside I used the technique that I used when making my front cover. However I used the two pannel template to make sure it was the right size for the inside
The three pictures above show the different layouts I was considering as my final back cover. I had to take in considerations the digipaks Ive seen and how they've delt with space but as well what works good for my back cover. Because the writting and the way its layed out takes a lot of space the conventional elements had to be on either one side or the other. However because the copyright information is conventionally at the bottom I did so but this was comprimised as it had to be smaller which may not be suitable. However at the end I adjusted the layout and nothing is comprimised with the back cover information being centralised.
DIGIPAK DRAFT & INSPIRATION
Explanation...
When re-cheking my work, I not only refernced my work to actual digipaks but also to other students work just to make sure I had all the elements. I mostly wanted to check the CD of the digipaks because I had intentionally covered my image with the CD. From my feedback, people would ask if I knew the image would be covered and I did. This was because I wanted the 'thank you' to have its own space due to font issues therefore I couldnt position the image on the other side. when researching if this was a good idea I discovered that the 'thank you' for debut albums are important and stand out and this wouldnt have been the same if it was hiden behind the CD.
OPTIONAL COVERS
Within the progress I wasnt totally satisfied with the first cover I had created therefore I created an alternative with a picture that came close second for my front cover because the synergy was 'in your face'. However when I asked people (mostly female students) for feedback on what cover would best appeal to them since they were my target audience, they were divided which made the decision harder. Both represent the artist well and have strong links with the music video interms of mis-en-scene and the bright effect that I did with watercolour brushes.
Although both synergies are clear the first image shows the hair more which is also a dominate part of the video and the digipak. The first cover also has a stronger link because of the colour use is less dark and more vibrant which correlates with the poster. Not to mention the image I used is more 'poppy' and visually for my audience is more appealing. while the other is quite mysterious which isnt the message behind my video. Its about having fun and being silly which is shown more within the first cover Therefore my final decision was the first cover as it has stronger links to the other auxiliary products however moderations will be made to the size of the album name.
Due to font issues with the orignal poster I had designed, a teacher advised me that I should use a clearer font. This would solve the issue by making my magazine advert look more presentable however this caused me to go over the two font rule.
THE
EXTRA FONT SITUATION
Throughout the whole stage of designing and making my products, I have been thinking about the links between the products and how I could explain my choses when it came to the evaluation. To justify the extra font I have tried to use the fonts all over the digipak and advert so there is some sort of continuity for example, the spine and the small details on the back cover like the website addresses.
Although there is an extra font I didnt just select the first clear font I saw. I picked the one which would be most effective and would go with the overall digipak if I was going to spread the font all over it.
