My Poster!!

This is my final idea for my artist poster!

Image:

The image i have used is set in a field. I decided to make it black and white as it remains bold but allows the other elements such as text and album image to remain prominent. The artist is positioned to the right hand side which i think works really well as it allows space to put the text and image on the left hand side. The artist is fashionably dressed which will make an audience appeal to him because he is well presented. I set it in a field cause the album has a natural theme that i have carried through the ancillary product so it works well with that.

Color & Text:

The main image is black and white as i stated above and which is obvious from the image. The main text is a terquoise color which stands out nicely against the background image. The rest of the text is black and bold which is very prominent. On the main title i added bevel and drop shadow which are effects on Photoshop. Bevel and drop shadow both to similar effects, bevel give the actual letters a rounded 3D effect and drop shadow gives the text a shadow to make it look 3D against the background. The bold colors of the album image stand out well against the black & white image, so therefore will be eye catching.

Initial Ideas (Poster):

These are my drafted initial ideas for my artist poster. I have included annotation to highlight the main areas of interest featured in each design.

My Album:

My Album Cover!!!

Image:

The image shows the artist looking over an empty field, with white light about to conssume him. I brightened the image to make the light in the background stand out more, i feel the use of natural light coinsides well with the title of the album "Illuminations". The position the artist is in standing in is very open as if he has sercomed to the light. I created a wood frame around the image using photoshop, the dark colour contrast with the bright light and shows the darker side to the album/songs. On the frame i tried to create a wood effect to make it more realistic.

Text:

The artist name i made to look 3D by giving it shadow and a bevel on photoshop, the font is of a medium size and overlaps with the wooden frame. The white colours stands out against the dark frame. For the album title i used a different font which is more ittalic and flowing. This text is also white which staands out. I used the word "Illuminations" as a title because it is a bold statement and will be remembered.

Booklet Insert 1:

Page 2:

Image, colour and text:

This is one of the pages from my digipack, showing a section of the tracklisting. I wanted to use three different fonts so they stand out. I used a old fashioned font for the numbering of the tracks and made it bigger than the other writing. The song titles are in itallic, which i think looks ellagant and flowing. The other text i have included is stuff such as the vocalist, drummers, producers etc. The backing graphic for the pages i decided i wanted to make it something that would stand out behind the other elements of the page. The design is very creative and abstract, incorporating different shapes and strokes to emphasize the creativity of the album. In order to make it more interesting i added quotes from the song lyrics and other graphics such as a image of the artist which i cut out using Photoshop and transferred onto the background layer. 

Back Cover!!

Image:

The image i have used pictures the artist sitting in a natural setting. The artist is off center which makes it more appealing because it uses the rule of thirds. I changed the opacity to make it faded so the black text stands out more. I wanted both images to be in a natural setting as the song titles are very natural sounding. The artist appears to be in a dream like state staring at the empty space. Keeping the image simple makes the front cover image more eye catching as if if they were both bold it would be to much. 

Text:

The text is a small font and a basic black in order to stand out. On both sides there is a strip which has the artist name and album title on which would go on the side of the CD case. It is postition to the right hand side of teh case to show the background image



Initial ideas (Front):

These are my drafted initial ideas for my albums front cover. I have included brief annotations to point out important aspects of each diagram.

Initial Ideas (Back):

These are the drafted initial ideas for my album back cover. I have included annotation to highlight specific aspects of each idea.

Analysis Of Album Cover:

Rihanna “Loud”:

Image:

The image used for this album cover is of the artist herself. An extreme close up of her face is used, allowing us to see every detail. Her eyes are closed which contrasts with the title of the album which is “Loud” as she doesn’t look like she is anywhere load, it looks more like she is somewhere serene. She is completely flawless in the image and represents the artist as very glamorous but at the same time powerful.

Colour:

The artist is wearing bright red lipstick with red hair to match. The red is very striking and vibrant which immediately catches your eye. Her skin tone against the red really makes it stand out and to an extent a very “LOUD” colour putting emphasis on the title. Also having no background to the picture and there just being black in the spaces where there would be a background makes the “LOUD” red dominate the image.

Text:

There is very minimal text on this cover. Most albums have the name of the artist as well as the name of the album on the front, but on this album there is the title of the product. Using the word “LOUD” for the title makes it memorable because it is only a four letter word, which is in a way better than having a long sentence because it won’t be a big enough hook for the target market. The word itself is in capitols and a thin font which contrasts with the name as it is not bold, but never the less stands out on the background image. 

Back:

Image:

The back cover image features the artist in a more vulnerable state, sitting with her head to the floor and is a mid shot. This completely reverses the impression we got from the front cover. I feel that the designer worked well to balance the vibrant front with the subtlety of the back cover and is good representation of the music featured on the album, as some songs are powerful and others are emotional. The artist is to one side to allow the designers room to put the text and the image has a heavy tint of pink to it.

Colour & Text:

As I said before the image has a heavy pink tint to it, but still has the colours of her clothes and accessories showing through. The text is a slightly darker shade of pink, to make it stand against the background for readers to see clearly and the text goes down the right hand side.  On the bottom is information including record labels and producers of the album, copyright warning and company logos all in white and finally there are two strips to go in the sides of the album one pink and one red, which has both the artist name and album title.

Aloe Blacc“Good Things”:

Front:

Image:

The image is a mid-shot placing the artist in the centre of the cover. There is a slight low angle to the image giving him a sense of authority. He is smartly dress which compliments the smooth blues music featured on the album. The stance he is in makes him look like he is about to do something, like performing etc. The fact he is smartly dressed gives him his own style and will appeal to the target audience.

Colour:

There is not a great deal to talk about when it comes to colour. The colours are not bold but instead have a vintage look to them. His suit is white and summery as are all the colours such as his bright orange tie which stands out against the white. The use of these colours put emphasis on the title “Good Things”.

Text:The text is very simple and basic, the use of the black and bold font is striking against the toned down colours elsewhere on the cover and portrays the importance of having the name of the artist and album stand out on the page.

Back:

Colour & Text:

On this particular back cover there is no image. Instead the back cover is very basic and simple. In my opinion I find the back a bit boring and as if not a lot of effort has gone into it. The background is an off white/grey, which allows the text to stand out. All the text is centralised with the name of the artist name and album title heading the track listing in the same colour and bold font which was featured on the front. The track listings are not in a list but have numbers before each track corresponding to the number that song is on the cd. The rest of the text is copyright information, producers, record labels and logos which is also in black along with all the other text.

Gavin Degraw “Free”:

Front:

Image:

I like this album cover for its simplicity. The artist is shown at a piano to give the audience an idea of what the music may be like on the album, the image is almost a silhouette of the artist which is really nice. It is a long shot with the main focus of the image to the right of the cover. The artist is wearing what look like casual clothes, giving him his own style and portraying a laid back attitude.

Colour & Text:

The artists name is in bold font and coloured black to make it stand out on the white background. The album name is a different font looking more as if it has been written on the cover, also the colour is a turquoise colour which is the same as the tinted shadow the piano player has. The cover is dark but that is broken up by the turquoise and the white, the fact we can’t see the artists face and its very dark creates an element of mystery. Unfortunately I feel this is a bad use of colour on an album cover as it is not very eye catching and bland

Back:

Colour & Text:

The setup of the back cover is interesting, its design is as if it’s been written on paper and then stuck on, with lines and squiggles etc. The background is off white with a dusting of grey in places matching the background colour of the front. Each track name is in bold, black font the same as the artist name on the front and the numbers of the tracks are like the text of the album title on the front. Other information featured on the back includes the promoters, copyright warning, record labels and logos. Similar to the front it is very bland.