Analysis

Digi Packs, Album Covers and Tour Posters

By Matthew Wood

Introduction Here, I have created a short presentation in which I have put together a series of images that I have used for inspiration. These 'mini' analysis's will explore my thought process as I tackle the different elements that compose either album cover or digipack. I have also selected a few tour posters which we referenced during the creation process.

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Album Covers This first cover I chose due to the illustrative art style and the use of negative space that complements the subject. I also like the use of the cursive font. The second image makes excellent use of the pastel coloration, I appreciate how the cover has been kept simple in terms of layout. I also like how the portrait isn't to overwhelming and that it’s a simple close up of the artist raw emotion. The last cover I chose as it makes use of mixing both portraiture and illustration together, this aesthetic is very pleasing, the purple also works well with the blue however, I don’t believe that the title font works so well with the composition.

Album Covers Part Two This first cover isn't to appealing in terms of composition however, I do appreciate the black stripe that pushes the image into the background, it adds additional depth to the piece and implies that there is a deeper meaning to the piece.

Again much like the previous page I have chosen this second cover due to illustrative design yet, what is unique about this beatles cover Is that illustrations are complemented by added portrait, this combination of both real life and fictional creation might be something worth exploring later on during my development stages.

Flower Boy The text starts from the left as we typically read from left to right. The artist name is placed however, it is left white as it shouldn’t be overpowering the main title.

Both the title and artist name are in the background as Tyler himself has been placed in the foreground Parent advisory has been placed in the bottom left corner, it ay not be as noticeable however, due to the simplistic style of the cover it is quite apparent meaning that parents can easily pick up and see the warning before making the purchase for younger audiences.

The art work corresponds with the albums name as his face is covered in flowers and is clearly drawing attention from insects.

I believe that this style is quite vintage and outgoing which perhaps may draw audiences due to its originality, this outgoing technique might be something to consider when designing my own cover as I don’t want it to go hidden beneath an abundance of old CD’s.

Superimposition has been used to layer multiple different images over the top of one another for instance, the background texture would have been applied over the portrait to give the image an aged aesthetic.

Again the artist has stuck to a pastel pallet using very faded colours that complement one another to form something that is artistically pleasing to look at.

The positioning of Tyler himself is also to be noted it allows for negative space to be filled with additional imagery that adds to the cover, I often notice how album overs can be quite clustered yet I much prefer the minimalistic look.

The outfit he is wearing gives the audience an impression to what the artist is like.

Most people have a tendency to judge from the cover so by covering his face we are only left to judge this character by his attire which allows viewers to make their own judgment to whether or not Tyler is something they would be interested in.

Gorillaz What I like about this cover is that it makes use of only one tone, it again relates back to that notorious comic book style that audiences adore and love; this could be something that I could use within my own medium as I am quite fond of the monochromatic aesthetic that this cover gives of.

The use of negative space draws out attention towards the band which has been centered within the cover, I believe that the white background was the perfect choice for this image as it gives of the impression that this group is on a blank canvas, and that there story has only just began.

The title itself has been placed underneath the focal point making it the second attraction, its almost as if we are supposed t know the band/creator by simply looking at the image as if it is a staple to their success.

The red of the title complements the green hues running through the imagery thus creating a pleasing aesthetic which when placed against the white it quite pleasing to look at.

After looking at this cover I began to notice how lifelike the tires of the buggy looked, it is almost as if they has been superimposed onto the illustration, this then further as a indication that this is the Gorillaz as there videos consist of a mix between virtual reality and reality itself.

Lastly, the parent advisory label has again to been stuck at the bottom of the cover to reassure audiences that there is strong language within this product.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis – This Unreal Mess I've Made This cover has made use of the artist successes as a makes sure audiences knows that they are award winners by outlining them statement with a golden circle.

The illustration here clearly isn’t the focal point as I believe it is shared with the title. Both take up the same amount of space and seem just as important as one another.

The red here is complemented by the gold creating a royal look almost to suggest that this music is beyond our status and that we should be graced with its presence.

I personally don’t believe that this has as much as an effect on the audience when compared to the other covers however, it is still pleasing to look at.

Macklemore has also made use of superimposing a scratched look to the cover adding more depth and texture to the piece to make it look less bland.

Finally, the parent advisory has again been placed in the bottom right corner to warn viewers of the content inside.

What I have learnt bout these posters is that its best to split them into three sections, largest being the image/illustration, second being the title and the smallest being the details themselves.

Tour Posters

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This is made obvious by the formulaic style in which these posters have been composed. They also appear very stylised and graphic and its clear to see that a lot of thought about colour, font and imagery has gone into the design.

Personally, I prefer having the imagery to the right much like the middle poster. I prefer to have the details to be the last thing the audience sees as I want to captivate their attention first so much like cherry bomb my ideal poster would have the text placed underneath the imagery. I also like how on the third poster the title has been blocked in it solidifies the text and creates a distinct border between imagery and text perhaps this would be worth considering when designing my own poster.

Tour Posters Part Two I have noticed these posters can be somewhat simplistic, these two in particular remind me of different comic covers, I would like to explore this idea of crossing between two mediums by mixing both music and graphic novels together.

Inspirational imagery

Gemini Tour Poster The layout of this poster is very straight forward, the artist name is first and the tour name in listed underneath. There is then two lists that take up the majority of the poster stating where and when the artist will be visiting that specific location. Finally, the website in which people can find out any additional information has been listed at the bottom of the poster.

The colors of this poster are very surreal, giving of a dream like appearance this is perhaps due to the name of the album ‘Gemini’ as it represents the star sign.

The fact the image Is of a vehicle parked in a local town represents Macklemore's personality and how he is focusing more on himself instead of pleasing others around him.

There's not much to say about the typography, it is somewhat reminiscent of roman numerals however when compared to other creators such as the Gorillaz it can be seen as quite bland and tasteless.

Flower Boy Poster •

Perhaps one of my more favorable posters, this image is very slick in terms of composition as its mixture of graphic design and surrealism is truly mesmerizing.

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The color pallet is again reminiscent of the previous pastel covers that we have seen previously and the use of greens against the oranges creates a harmonious effect that is soothing to look at.

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The text is very limited and the details are vague however, as this is a live show and not tour poster it might explains why there is a lack of information.

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The poster itself has a similar art style to his album cover making t easier for audiences to identify either medium; this idea of using the same image with slight variations is very appealing as it means one can produce an enormous amount of work based around the product without having to go through the trouble of creating individual pieces.

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Again this artist has chosen to show himself within the poster, this allows people to have an insight on the character as we feel closer to him almost as if we have a personal bond with the artist and his music, this gratification means that people are more likely to listen to the product as they are gaining a sense of fulfillment.

Gorillaz Poster This poster has a lot more going on in terms of design; there are two main images, first being the portrait of a band member that takes up the majority of the image and the second being, the bands faces profile running across the bottom of the poster. Again the design reminds me a lot of a comic strip as it uses separate panels to create order and structure to the piece. The background isn’t exactly plain white either, the is a very opaque patterns that almost outlines the text, this would have perhaps been layered in first using photoshop or ink.

In terms of text this poster has a lot more to offer, the production company has been placed in the top left corner of the poster. The bands name has of course been used as he title and it has been colored in red to bring it forwards within the piece as red and blue contract one another being that red is a warmer tone. The sub title gives clarification that this is in fact a comeback tour. Beyond this there is further information giving the time, location and arena that the band will first be playing in and unlike any other poster this medium gives an insight to the price range that people will be looking into when purchasing a ticket.

Personally, I mixed opinions for this poster, I like the design and the illustrations however, I feel that the piece is clustered and somewhat overwhelming; I much prefer a minimalistic style as I feel that it is the art that truly draws the attention from the audience.

Digi Packs Looking at these Digi packs I leaning towards the idea of having the design unfold into one large piece. However, I am also intrigued by the design of having multiple close ups that portray peoples individual characteristics.

I like the use of muted tones within the Tyler the creator cover however, whilst looking at previous album covers I believe that a black and white piece would be more fitting (due to personal preference) When looking at different Digi packs, I have learnt that the text can be limited as the enthesis s is directed towards the imagery however needles to say, there is still information that audience need to perceive yet, it is mainly found within the inside of the pack.

Flower Boy This Digi pack comes with various different rewards.

There has been an artificial scarcity that has lead people to believe that these items are more important than they really are, people will believe they are being loyal to the artist thus boosting sales.

There is a common color scheme that runs through all the different mediums making it easy for audiences to identify the album/band/artist.

These items will usually include a better quality box made such of martial such as plastic, metal and carboard.

Posters, and original artworks will usually be included in these Digi packs to again entice audiences to purchase the product, Digi Packs are usually more ascetically pleasing that an CD case however their contents are more or less the same in value.

The Heist This is a slightly smaller Digi pack that has focuses more packaging than other aspect. As you see it has been textured to create a product that looks like its worth more in value that what it truly is.

I like the color scheme of black and gold and it create a royal effect.

For composition, you can see the spine has the name of the album running across, the front cover lacks in imagery and uses only the name of the artist and album. The back cover also lacks in content as it lists only CDs contents and barcode in which is needed for people to be able to purchase the product.

There is a booklet inside that contains additional information however there is no poster or additional artwork to entice consumers.

I have to say I am fond of the simplistic style and color scheme that the Digi pack uses however, I would prefer to see some imagery within the contents of the product.

Demon Days By far my most favourable collectors addition of the Gorillaz's album ‘demon days’ The set uses additional products to entice consumers to purchase the product as they believe these items are rarer than they actually are in fact, production companies create this artificially scarcity to lore people into buying these products as they believe they are being loyal to their band.

As mentioned in previous slides the art is quite repetitious as it uses the same image with slight variations to make it appear as though there has been more work put into the products than there actually is.

The colour scheme is quite pleasing and I like the use of additional mediums such as stickers, and posters. There is less text hen compared to other products however this has most probably been compensated for with a leaflet within the product, I also like the use of original artwork that has been included as it shows the design process that the cartoonist go through when designing the band.

What I don’t see is a way of consumption, there is no barcode or parental guidance stickers, there is also a lack of comments to show any awards the band has won.