Digipak Feedback So Far:

Front Cover Positives:

• They had liked the image that I used and liked how it had been brightened, they felt it made my image look less a photo and blended into the background of my front cover well.

• They also liked the font that I had used. They liked how it was thick and bold against the white border. They also felt that as I had picked a font that was thick and bold; additionally they liked how it stood out against the white border.

• They liked how I created all my borders to look like a polaroid as they felt it was a different design to most pop music videos. Additionally, they felt that it suited well into the title of the album.

Front Cover Negatives:

• Although they liked the placement of my image, they still thought that in some parts it was too dark. They felt that I could have digitally lightened my image more. Furthermore, they disliked how my image stood out against the background of my front cover; they felt that I could have blended the image into the background more.

• They disliked the location of the image that I had chosen. The felt it was too dark to see and it was unclear where the location was. Furthermore, they felt this took away from the image and they thought to improve this I could blend the image into the background or chose another image with a better location.

• Furthermore, they disliked how on the photo that I had chosen the female’s face was hidden. They thought it would have been better if I had used an image which displays the female’s face and her expression.

Spine Positives:

• They liked how used the same colours that I used on my front cover. Furthermore, they liked how simple that they were.

• They also liked how I used a white border behind my text. As they felt that by using a white border it brought out my text more.

• They liked the idea of using music notes in between the spaces of my text. They felt that these music notes did help bring out the text more.

Spine Negatives:

• Although the liked the music notes, they felt that the second one looked too rushed and they felt that this made my album look less professional.

• They also didn’t like how the music notes were the same colour as my text. They felt that if I used a different colour for them, then they would have looked slightly better.

• Furthermore, although they liked the concept of the music notes they felt that didn’t really go with my chosen font due to the way that they had been drawn. They felt that if I had used an image of them rather than creating them on Fireworks then this would make my spine look better and more professional.

CD Positives:

• They liked how I used a different colour than my colour scheme. They also felt that the colour purple was a good colour to use as they felt it bright and eye-catching and linked into the conventions of pop CDs; as pop CDs tend to use bright colour schemes.

• They liked how I used the music notes from the spine behind the title of CD as they thought that they linked well together. Additionally, they felt that it added to the cd and would be more interesting to look at rather than a plain block colour CD.

• They liked how I used the colour white for the title of my CD as they felt it complimented well against the purple. Furthermore, they liked how I used a colour from my colour scheme as they felt that it showed that I still linked back to my current house style.

CD Negatives:

• They didn’t liked how random dots had been placed near my music notes. They felt that this made my CD look less professional.

• They also felt that I had placed too many music notes on my CD and this caused my CD to look a bit cramped. They said to improve this I could remove most of my notes and make others bigger as this would make my CD look more spaced out.

• They disliked the colour scheme of my CD was too dark. As they thought that I could have chosen a better image as my CD case as they felt it was too bland and dark.

Booklet Positives:

• My target audience liked how I had included lyrics on my booklet. They felt that it reflect my main actor's facial expression well. Furthermore, they felt the use of lyrics could showcase the song's importance.

• They also liked how I had used a black font and uses capitals for my text, on the poliard. They felt by the use of capitals this could emphasise the lyric; furthermore, as the other lyrics were in lower-case letters they felt that by placing 'She's like Oh My God' in capitals this allowed to be highlighted on the page.

• They also liked the image that I had chosen of my main actor. They felt that it was a good representation of the lyrics. Furthermore, they liked the placement of my image was in the centre of the page; as they found that it was the first thing they noticed.

Booklet Negatives:

• They also liked the image that I had chosen of my main actor. They felt that it was a good representation of the lyrics. Furthermore, they liked the placement of my image was in the centre of the page; as they found that it was the first thing they noticed.

• Although they liked the white boarder that I had used, they felt that it stood out too much against the cream colour. They felt that I should have blended the white boarder into the cream background instead.

• They also felt that I should have used an image that concerned on my main actor's face more. They also said that they had found the image’s location to be quite distracting at times. Furthermore, they disliked how my image was slanted. They felt that this made my cover look slightly messy and less professional.

Back Cover Positives:

• My target audience liked how I had used a different style image compared to the image that I had used on the front. They liked how I had used a long shot image as they liked how they could see the location of my image and my main actors outfit.

• They liked the layout of my back cover. They liked how I had placed the track in the centre of my page, as they felt that they were highlighted to the audience’s attention. Additionally they felt that everything was spaced out well and this made my back cover look lore professional.

• Furthermore, they felt that the lighting of my image was better on my back cover. They liked this as it allowed my image to be presented more clearly.

Back Cover Negatives:

• My target audience disliked the location of the image that I had chosen to use. They felt it was too boring and bland. Furthermore, they suggested that I should have used a location with a white background. Or they suggested that I should have chosen an image from my video instead.

• Although, my target audience liked the layout of my back cover they felt that bar code stood out too much. They said that to improve this, I should have blended bar code into the back cover.

• Although, they liked my back cover my target audience felt that I should have included white borders or used the theme of poliards on my back cover; so that I could have shown a constant use of that theme throughout my digipaks.

Development of Spine:

Draft 1:

I decided to use a cream colour background for my spine; as I have used this colour throughout my other panels on my digipaks and this can display how I have used a constant house style throughout my digipaks. Furthermore, I decided to use the colour cream often connotes to themes of relaxing and calming, this can suggest how the album includes relaxing songs for the target audience. Furthermore, I liked how the colour cream has complimented my other use of colours well.

Draft 2:

I then placed a white rectangle and left the background as a border for the rectangle. I decided to use a white rectangle as throughout other panels of my product I have constantly used white rectangles as borders for my text.

Draft 3:

After this I then began to place the artist's name and the album name onto my product. I decided to use the font 'From Where We Are' as it was thick and bold against the white background.

Final:

I then decided to place music notes in the spaces between the text. I decided to use music notes as I had planned to use them on my CD and this could display how I have used a constant house style throughout my products. Furthermore, I decided to use to further add interest to my spine, as I felt before without them that my spine looked dull and boring.

Feedback On Final Poster:

I decided to gain feedback on my final poster, to see if I had effective achieved my intention of making a pop poster effectively. Furthermore, it allowed me to gain an idea of what my target audience liked and disliked about my poster, and also what improvements they felt I could make on my poster.

Pros:

• They said that they liked the layout which I had chosen and that they thought I had filled the space effectively.
• They thought that I had used a good selection of colours that complimented each other well and were eye-catching to my target audience.
• They also liked how I had mentioned a single off my chosen artist's album, because it can show an example of my chosen artist's work. However, it can also be effective as it can attract people who know that song rather than the artist's name.

Cons/Improvements:

• My target audience said that the image that I had used was okay. However, they thought that the location which I had used for my image could have been better. They suggested that if I were to improve my image that I should a better location with clearer lighting to enhance the quality of my photo.
• My target audience disliked how the stars which I used for the review were white, they felt that it were difficult to see even with the pale border behind them. To improve they suggested that I should use a black outline around the stars, or to change the stars to a different colour, such as red - which could then display that I have used a constant house style within my poster.
• They also thought, despite the fact I had used precise information, that there was too much of it at the bottom half of my poster. They felt that it took away from my poster and they thought as there was too much of it that the information would stop the key-detail information, such as where to buy the CD from, being seen by my target audience. They said to improve this I could possibly cutting down on some of the writing that I used such as 'with many more prizes!' or 'Buy the CD. Join the SwifieStakes'. Furthermore, they felt that information, such as 'Win a chance to meet Taylor Swift' and 'includes 3 exclusive voice memos' could be placed within more kickers around my poster; as they are information which can attract the audiences' attention rather than inform the audience about the CD release.

Development of Digipaks: CD

Draft 1:

I first created my CD by using the shape tool in Fireworks and drew a circle. I then decided to draw to other circles within the center of this circle, to make it look more realistic. I have decided to colour the bigger circle purple. As the colour purple is a bright colour and this can display how I have used the convention of bright colours in my products. Furthermore, I felt that colour purple was effective as it was bright and eye-catching.

Draft 2:

As I didn't want to have a block colour CD, I decided to experiment by adding music notes around my CD. In some ways I think this has worked okay as I think it adds interest to my CD, however, in other ways I think it has made my product look unprofessional and messy.

Draft 3:

After I had finishing placing all of the music notes, I then decided to place the album's title within the center of the CD. I have decided to use the font 'From Where We Are' as I have commonly used this font for my texts that are main headlines. Furthermore, as it thick and bold it easily stood out against my CD.

Draft 4:

I then decided to place an image behind my CD for the case. I chose an which didn't link to my other images; as I had decided to display how my CD was a contrast to the other panels within my digipaks. I chose an image with an sunset location as it could connote how the album was the ending of the artist's old style, of country, and the beginning of her new style, pop.

Development of My Final Poster:

Draft 1:

I first began making my poster by deciding the layout and where my kickers, image and information would go. I decided to create my kickers as geometric shapes such as as rectangles and squares within other geometric shapes; my intentions were to create them to a similar style of polaroids, as that has been a common theme throughout my digipaks- displaying how I have used a constant house style throughout all of my products. Then I drew rectangles for my banners - I decided that I would use two banners of different shades of purple. Additionally, I decided to place a rectangle to mark out where I would place my image.

Draft 2:

After this I began adding information to my poster. I first decided to add information to my kickers, making sure that each kicker advertised something different. I decided to use a sans-serif font for my kickers as it is a modern style font and would appeal to my target audience. I decided to create further advertisement of mentioning a song which is included in the album. Finally, I decided to add the title of my poster as well as mention the release date of the album.

Draft 3:

I next created a tag-line for my poster, "party like it's 1989" as it a convention most commonly used on posters. Next I wrote out the basic information - advertisement such as offers and contesatans that people could win, where the cd is available to buy and a website link - showing people are able to gain more information about the album.

Draft 4:

I next decided to include a review from a well known music magazine, 'Rolling Stones'. I decided to do this as it would show my target audience what other people thought of the album, making them more likely to buy it. Then decided to copy the company label onto the my poster, to showcase the label behind the singer.

Draft 5:

After this I decided to plan the image that I was planning to edit into the polaroid that I had made. I did this so that I would have a better idea of how big my main image would be.

Draft 6: 

Finally I replaced my image with my edited version that I had created. I liked the edited version better as it allowed my target audience to be able to see what my digipaks look like.

Development of Digipaks: Front Cover

Draft 1:

To create my digipaks I first made the background cream. I decided to use the colour cream as I liked how it complimented well against the colours white and back. I then placed a white rectangle in the center of the page. After this I then placed a black rectangle around the top half of the rectangle, and I did this so that I would have an idea of where to place my image.

Draft 2:

I next decided to place the artist's initials and the album's name on my cover. I decided to place them on the bottom half of the white rectangle, so this could suggest the idea of a poliard. I decided to use the font 'From Where We Are', as it was thick and bold against the rectangle. Additionally, I decided to use this font as it was a handwriting style and this could further infer how the artist had placed a personal touch on the product.

Draft 3:

I then decided to place my chosen image into the space of the back rectangle. I decided to use a medium close up shot of my main actor flickering her hair. I decided to do this as it could imply how the album includes dance tracks. Furthermore, I decided not to show her face as it could add a tone of mystery to my products. I decided to place my main actor into a top, which includes my main artist's face so that it can display the support that the artist has. I dislike this image however, as I feel it is too dark to use for a front cover.

Final:

I decided to edit the image on Photoshop by digitally increasing the brightness and slightly decreasing the contrast of the image. I think this has worked well as now the image quality isn't lost due to the darkness.

Development of Digipaks: Booklet

Draft 1:

I decided to create a similar layout for my booklet, like on my front cover. I decided to create a white rectangle against the cream background. I then placed a black rectangle over the top half of this, as this was where I planned to place my main image. My intentions were to create a polaroid that was similar to my front cover.

Draft 2:

To make my product look more like a polaroid, I decided to add the lyrics to the rest of the white rectangle. I decide to use the lyrics 'She's like 'Oh My God' as they are commonly well known lyrics from the song. Similarly, I decided to place the lyrics in the font,'From Where We Are', as it was thick and bold. Additionally, I liked how the font reflected the style of handwriting, as felt this could further add realism to my polaroid.

Draft 3:

I then decided to place the image on my cover. As my image wasn't width enough to fit the whole black rectangle, I decided to slightly rotate the image so it is slanted. In some ways I think this has worked okay as I was able to keep all parts of my image; however, I dislike this as it can make my product look messier and less professional. I decided to use an image of my main actor with a shocked facial expression as it displays a visual representation of the lyrics.

Draft 4:

As I felt that the black borders around the image were too bland, I also decided to include other lyrics from the song. I decided to use the lyrics 'my ex man brought' and 'his new girlfriend' as they were also well known lyrics. Furthermore, I also decided to use them as they were the previous lyrics before the line 'She's like 'Oh My God', I decided to place these lyrics in the same font as the other lyric, so that I could display how I have used a constant house style throughout my product.

Final Poster So Far:

So far this is what my final poster looks like. I have used the font 'From Where We Are' to highlight information such as the artist's name, the album name, the release date and the tag-line. I decided to use this font as it was thick and bold against the page, this caused it to stand out against the page - making it more eye-catching to my target audience. While I used fonts like 'Thin Font' and 'Arial Black' as they were san-serif fonts and modern fonts would appeal to my target audience as fonts present the text clearly on the page. On the left hand side of my poster, I decided to use the conventions of kickers to advertise the CD. I created my kickers to look like polaroids, as I had used the theme of polaroids throughout my digipaks. I chose an image of my main actor smiling while holding a copy of the CD. I decided to use this image as it can display how she is happy about the album and its release date. Furthermore, it could suggest how the album contains positive themes. I like how the image included a copy of her holding the CD as it allows my target audience to know what the CD looks like. I have also used the convention of borders on this poster to highlight key-information, such as more advertisement and the release date. Some advertisement that I have included on my poster is 'win a chance a meet Taylor Swift'; this will be effective in attracting my target audience as fans of the artist will want to enter opportunities where they can meet their idol. Additionally, I have include the convention of a review on my poster so that my target audience will have a rough idea of what other think of the CD. Although I do think the use information that I have used on this poster is precise I do think it looks a bit bottom heavy. Throughout this poster, I have used a colour scheme of cream, black, white and purple. I used these colours as they were the colour scheme from my digipak and this can display how I have used a constant house style. I also included the colour red as it was bright and eye-catching colour; I thought this would be effective in attracting my target audience. Furthermore, it can display how I have follow pop conventions by using bright colours.

Development of Digipaks: Back Cover

Draft 1:

I first decided to place the logo, bar code and a white rectangle down the right side of back cover. I had decided to place these here as I wanted to present the track-list within the center of the page, so that would be the first thing that my target audience saw.

Draft 2:

I then copied the copyright information into the white rectangle. I decided to use the copyright information so that I could add a tone of realism to my back cover. Furthermore, I decided to use the font 'Thin Font' for this text, as it was a modern san-serif font.

Draft 3:

I then placed the track list within the center of my back cover. I had decided to place this here so that I could follow common conventions from existing products. Furthermore, as my track list 

has been placed in a hot-spot then this is the first thing that my target audience will notice. I have decided to use the font 'From Where We Are' for the track list; as it was thick and bold font that stood out against the page. Furthermore, as I have commonly used this font throughout the rest of my product to highlight key information.

Draft 4:

Finally I decided to place my image towards the left hand side of the cover. As my image was too width, this has caused the track list to overlay with my photo. In some ways I think that this has worked well as the track list is showcased clearly. However, in other ways this has made my product look slightly messy and less professional. I decided to use a long shot image of my main actor, so that the target audience could clearly see the outfit which she was wearing, which is similar to her outfit within my video.

Digipaks: So Far

Front Cover:

On my front cover I have decided to use the theme of polaroids as I felt that they were effective in reflecting the album's name; as polaroids often represent the ideas of time and age. I decided to use a colour scheme of white, cream and black on my front cover as I felt that these colours reflected the album's name. Furthermore, I like how the colours complimented each other. I decided to use the colour cream as it connotes the ideas of being relaxing and calming, and this could suggest how the album contains songs that are relaxing to my target audience. I decided to the use the colours white and black as they both connote sophistication, which is something that my products and artist aim to be. I decided to use the font 'From Where We Are' for the artist's name and the name of the album. I decided to use this font as it was a handwriting style font. As I felt that by using a handwriting font this would further reflect the theme of polaroids that I planned to use. Furthermore, it is effective as it can suggest a personal tone to album, showcasing how the artist has placed a personal touch on the album. I decided to use a medium close up image of my main actor. I wanted to use a medium close up so that the outfit which my main actor was wearing was displayed. The outfit which my main actor is wearing is a t-shirt of my chosen artist. This can instantly portray the importance of the artist and the support that the artist has. I decided to include a photo of my main actor flickering her hair because I wanted to showcase the singer dancing but I didn't want to use a blurry photo. Similarly, I have used an edited version of this image on my front cover instead of the original photo; as the original image was lost due to the photo's dark exposure.

Booklet Cover:

On my booklet I decided to use a similar theme of polaroid, which I have included on my front cover. My booklet uses a similar layout to my front cover, however, as my main image wasn't wide enough to fit into the black rectangle; I decided to keep the black rectangle as a border for my main image. Furthermore, I also decided to rotate this image so that it was slightly diagonally as I felt it would cause the image to further stand out against the black border. Although, I do think that this does my booklet look less professional. The image that I have chosen to use is a medium close of up of my main actor looking shocked. I decided to use this image as it was a visual representation of the lyrics, 'She's like 'Oh My God'. Similarly, I decided to use this image as I like the location that the image was taken in. I liked the location as it was bright and eye-catching and felt that it would catch my target audience's attention. I decided to use lyrics on my booklet so that I could showcase my chosen song's importance. I decided to use the lyrics 'My ex-man', 'brought his new girlfriend' and 'She's like 'Oh My God', as they were well known lyrics from my chosen song. I decided to use the font 'From Where We Are' as it was a handwriting style font and polariods often include text that are handwritten.

Spine:

On my spine I decided to include white rectangles as a border for text that I had decided to place. I decided to only include the artist and the album's name on the spine, as it is a common convention of spines to only include brief detail. I decided to use the font 'From Where You Are' as I have used this font throughout my digipaks, displaying how I have used a constant house style. Furthermore, I chosen to use this font as I like how bold the text become against the white background. I also decided to include music notes between each word, as I felt that would make my spine look less dull. Similarly, I decided to use music notes on my spine as I had used already used them on my CD. 

CD:

My intention for my CD were to make a panel that would contrast with the rest of my digipaks. I decided to use the colour purple for the main colour of my CD as it was a bright colour. I did this because pop products are well known for using bright colour schemes to grab their target audience's attention. Additionally, I decided to use the colour purple as it can connote ideas of transformation; and this can suggest the idea of the artist's own transformation into the genre of pop. I decided to use the font, 'From Where We Are', for the album's title as throughout other panels of my digipaks I have often used this font to highlight key information. Furthermore, I felt that it was a good font choice as it was bold and stood out on the CD. I decided to place music notes on my CD, as I didn't want to use a bright block colour. I felt by adding music notes this would make my CD look more interesting. I have used an image for CD case of a sunset. Although, this doesn't link into the rest of my digipak and I decided to use this image to further emphaise how my CD contrasts with the rest of my product. I also decided to use this image as sunsets can often symbol transformation; this can further imply the artist's transformation from country to pop.

Back Cover:

While on my back cover I decided to place the track-list within the center of the page, I did this as it is a common convention that is used on back covers. I have used the font 'From Where You Are' for the track-list as it was a font that I have commonly used throughout each panel of my digipaks to highlight key information. Furthermore, I think that this font style has been effective on my back cover as it stood out against the background and image. I decided use the font 'Thin Font' for the copyright information as it was a modern style font that would be appeal to my target audience as the font was clear on the page. On the left hand side of my back cover, I have included a long shot of my main actor. I decided to use a long shot image so that my target audience would clearly be able to see her outfit, which is similar style to the outfit that she wears in my video. I do like this image as I think that my main actor is portrayed in a similar pose that most models pose in; however, I do think the location of the image is dull. On the right hand side of my back cover I have included a bar code, copyright information and the company's logo. As I couldn't use any found images for my products, I have made my logo for the music label Big Machine, which supports my chosen artist. I have decided to include the company logo on my back cover because it can display the support that my chosen artist has for her album.

Overall throughout my digipaks I have mostly used a constant house style. Throughout my digipaks, I have used two selective fonts, 'From Where We Are' and 'Thin Font'. I mainly used the font 'From Where We Are' as it was a handwriting style font as I felt that this could display a more personal touch onto the album. Furthermore, I felt that this handwriting font further emphaise the theme of polaroids that I used throughout my digipaks. While I used the font 'Thin Font' as it was a san-serif font; as san-serif fonts are modern font style this will appeal to my target audience as the text are presented clearly. On my digipaks I have most used a constant colour scheme on my front cover, spine, booklet and back cover of cream, black and white. I think that these colours have complimented well with each. While on my CD, which contrasts with the rest of my digipak, I have use the colour purple. I included the colour purple as it was a bright colour and this could display how I have include pop conventions of bright colour within my digipak. Throughout my digipak, I have also included a range of different shot style images, such as long shots to medium close ups. A common feature within all of the images are that I have included the main actor from my video. I decided to use images of my main actor in different poses as I felt it would quite repetitive and boring if I had used similar poses throughout my digipaks.