Digi Pack First Idea

Album Cover Idea

Our first idea for the album cover came about after we filmed certain shots with the balloons, we felt that the bright colours fitted in well with the theme of the song, and would also look good on an album cover. The first thing we needed to do was produce a rough sketch of how we wanted our cover to look, making sure that we included crucial information such as; the artists name and the album name. As brick walls are seen a lot in our music video, we felt that we could incorporate this on our album cover, to make the two pieces flow. Until we edited the photos we had taken, we were unsure whether to keep the bricks the original colour, or to make them white on Photo shop to make the balloons stand out. We felt that white would be more creative and appealing, however we did not know how the balloon strings would look. The next thing we decided was to have the balloons arranged in a line across the album cover. We wanted them to look like they were floating, however we needed to make sure that they looked presentable and in the right order. Each balloon would be a different colour, with a letter on the front to spell out the title of the song. We hadn't yet decided whether we would write the letters on ourselves, or whether it would neater to edit them on Photo shop. We decided to have the letters in black, so that they would stand out and be easily seen by the audience. Our target audience research showed us that the majority of people preferred conventional album covers, therefore we felt that we should keep it simple, but make sure that it attracts their attention. Our research also showed us that people think it is important to have the artists name on the cover, therefore we decided to have the name 'James Gomez' in the corner of the cover, in either a yellow or black font. We will decide this when it comes to editing, as we need to compare each colour with the balloons and the background. We want the artists name to be clear, so we will choose a font that will be easy to read. We feel that by using the bricks in all of our pieces, will give us great synergy and make our productions more appealing to our target audience. When it comes to editing the album cover, we need to make sure that the balloons are bright, and that the brick wall background looks presentable. We feel that as a group, we successfully created an idea that meets the typical conventions of an album cover, and provides all the correct information that the audience would be looking for.

The next thing we had to do was plan our inlays, again we conducted research to find out what type of information was included on an inlay, and how well they link with the album cover. We looked at other A2 media inlay designs to see how they structured them.

       CD Inlay Research

One good feature of this inlay is that they have included a CD tray to make it look more realistic and presentable. They have used a transparent CD tray so that the background image is clearly seen. The image they have taken is very basic and does not show a lot of editing technique, however it does look like the lighting has been adjusted, which shows they have thought about the appearance of the image. The second inlay image is again very basic, however the editing technique they have used makes the image look blurred, this is a popular technique in modern day albums. Both images look like they have been taken on a good quality camera which is important as if the image is not clear, the audience would find it less appealing. The images flow well next to each other as they do not overpower each other. One thing I feel this inlay is lacking is the song lyrics, these are included in most CD inlays, therefore as a group we have decided to include the lyrics. I feel that these inlays do not catch the audiences eye, as there is a lack of colour, however after looking at the album cover I can see that bright colour was not included, therefore they are link well.

Again this group have decided to make their inlays very basic, however the use of the black and white effect makes each one look very professional. The pictures imply that they are the artists, this was an interesting decision as images of the artist usually go on the front cover of the album. The images are very good quality and the way they have edited them and the lighting makes them stand out. The fact that each member has their own instrument makes them seem more like a band and also adds to their persona's. I do think that the inlays should have more information on them, they have not included a CD tray or a lyrics sheet which would have improved the production as a whole. They have not included the records label logo or the artists name/albums name on any of the inlays, which makes it less interesting for the audience. One positive aspect of this production is all three inlays and the album cover flow well together, they have used the same colour scheme and image size which adds to the look of the production. 

This group have decided to take a different approach to their inlays as they have included unconventional features such as a digital scan code. This shows that they have put a lot of thought into how the audience can access the tracks and any additional information. They have chosen to use a black background which makes the images they have chosen stand out. One feature I really like is the enlarged microphone image, this looks very professional and also links in with some of the other images. They have included a CD tray and information on the production of the video which would please the audience. Some of the images they have taken are not as good quality as others they have used, they also haven't used a lot of editing techniques on the pictures, which could have improved the inlays. Although I find the idea of lots of images a creative idea, I think they could have put more thought into where they arrange them as some are overlapping onto the other inlay which wouldn't look professional if the album case was actually made. It seems as if the images used are screen shots from their music video, I think that they could of taking additional images just for the digital pack to make it more original and interesting.

Our inlay Ideas

We have decided to used the brick wall as a basis for our inlays as we feel this would flow well with our album front cover. On one inlay we have decided to use a graffiti font in order to write on the wall, we will do this using photo shop. We have decided to include smiley faces, our artists name and the song title on the wall. We will use a range of colours to make them stand out on the wall. They will be evenly positioned on the wall to make it look professional. We have decided to spray paint them on so that we make sure we are happy with the outcome. We will include a CD tray on this inlay. Our second inlay will be a lyrics sheet, as research shows us that the audience like knowing the lyrics. This inlay will also have the brick background, as we want both inlays to flow well when next to each other. We will chose between a black and white font, which we will decide when editing the inlays. We want the lyrics to be bold and clear so that they can be easily read. Along the panel of our album we will have the artists name and the song title. We feel it is important to include this information as it is good promotion and also informs the audience. We have decided to make the panel black as we want it to stand out against the brick walls. We need to make sure that the images we use are clear and not blurry, as they need to look professional and appeal to the audience. Using photo shop will allow us to make any changes that are needed, such as adjusting lighting or adding any effects. We have not yet decided whether we will include production information on the inlays, as we feel that they should also be on the back cover of the album. Also we do not want the production information to take focus away from the lyrics inlay. All three inlays plus the album front/back cover needs to be evenly aligned so that it looks presentable.

On the back cover we plan to again have the brick wall as a basis, this is because we want it to match the front to a degree so that it looks professional. The main feature of the back cover should be the song titles, this is because this is what people will look at when buying the album. We want the song titles to be clear and central so that its what the audience is drawn to first. Aside from the lyrics we also plan to have an image of our artist James Gomez at the side, this is because we want the audience to be able to identify who's album it is. We may edit the image on Photo shop, however we do not want it to clash with the brick background. We will also include information regarding copyright and production details at the bottom, as this is typical with any album cover. We will also put a bar code in the bottom right hand corner, as all albums have one of these in order for them to be purchased. We will make sure that the bar code is a suitable size so that it doesn't look out of place. We have decided not to include any other images on our back cover, as we do not want it to be to crowded or to take focus away from our song titles. As we have only had to make a music video for one song, we needed to come up with other song titles in order for our back cover to look realistic. We looked at other album back covers to see if all the song titles related to one another, it showed us that in most cases the song titles have no immediate link. Therefore we all came up with two song titles to include that are suitable 'pop' song titles. The back cover needs to look suitable against the panel we have designed, otherwise the production as a whole will not look correct.

I feel that the planning process for the digi pack was very successful, as we made sure that we conducted enough research for our production to look realistic and appropriate for our target audience. As a group we also had our own roles which meant that the planning process was well organised, which meant that we had enough time to edit the images well.