Final Digipak

Final Magazine Advert

Evaluation Question 4

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Evaluation Question 3

Evaluation Question 2

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Evaluation Question 1

Please press start and wait for the images to load. Navigate the mind map by either using the forward and backwards arrows in the bottom middle of the window, or by clicking and dragging around the board, using the zoom in and out tools in the bottom left of the window. You can also make the board full screen by clicking on the icon next to the zoom tools in the bottom left corner.

Merchandise

After completing the final drafts of the promotional package, the feedback from the focus group inspired me to consider the brand identity as something that can be continually developed. Reoccurring motifs such as the band logo and main image from the ancillary products could easily be transferred to merchandise, which is often a part of an artist's revenue.

Looking back to my digipak analyses, Reckless Kelly's website featured a 'store' section, whereby t-shirts, vinyls, mugs, and stickers were all available to purchase with the band logo on them, which forms Reckless Kelly's brand identity.

Considering these options for the artist of my promotional package, I checked their Facebook page to see if they had any existing merchandise. It appears at one point they sold t-shirts, which demonstrates that they would be open to the idea of furthering the brand identity through merchandise.

Because of this, I transferred varying designs taken from the promotional package onto the items below using Photoshop, demonstrating the possibilities of the continuation of the brand identity in forming the band's 'star image'.

I really like the idea of the promotional package becoming more than the music video and ancillary products, demonstrated through the t-shirt and mug designs above. Also, considering that the magazine advert advertises that the album will be released on vinyl, conforming to the fact that the indie sub-culture fuelled the revival of the vinyl. For this reason, I also designed a vinyl sleeve featuring the same layout as the digipak track list, but with fewer songs as the vinyl medium cannot hold as many as a CD or digital alternative. This continues the brand identity across another ancillary product directly aimed at the target audience.

Overall, a strong brand identity through reoccurring motifs and visuals has enabled me to create merchandise and ancillary products that are aimed at the target audience.

Feedback from Artist

Satisfied that I have a final draft of the music video, I sent the link to the artist of the track in order to gain their opinion on it. The response I received is below.

This positive feedback mentions the psychedelic colours, demonstrating that by including these in the introduction reiterates this aesthetic across the promotional package. They were very keen to use this for their own advertisement, showing that they are pleased enough to want to use it, which is a lovely response. Because of this, I am satisfied that I have created a promotional package which is positively received by the client.

Music Video - Second Complete Draft

Above is the final draft for my music video. Amendments from the previous draft include:

• Changes to the introduction, including adding the same photo from the ancillary products in order to strengthen the brand identity across the promotional package, as advised by my focus group. By cutting to the beat and alternating between vibrantly coloured psychedelic patterns from my digipak planning, this enabled me to both engage the audience through the visuals whilst strengthening the relationship between the track and the visuals. These psychedlic patterns also connote the indie-psych genre.

• Refining the lip syncing. After watching the complete video the whole way through, the matching of the lip syncing to the track was not as strong as it could have been, so I altered the placement of each clip in the timeline to strengthen this.
• I also verified my Youtube account in order to create a custom thumbnail featuring the artwork from the digipak, strengthening the brand identity further.

Overall, I am very happy with this video. Having never used After Effects or Premiere Pro before this project, the skills I have learnt through the construction of this video have only strengthened as the process continued. Whilst it did take very long to complete, I feel that this is part of a cohesive promotional package that I will submit to the band - The Plastic Dots - in order to gain their opinion as well.

Focus Group Analysis

Evidence

Below are two recordings of the focus group, utilising both visual and voice recording as outlined in my planning in order to retain as much feedback as possible from the session. I edited the voice recording using Audacity, before creating the album artwork to be uploaded on Soundcloud using Photoshop.

Analysis

After reviewing the feedback received from the focus group, I used Piktochart to analyse and respond to the comments received. Overall, I found gathering information through a focus group an effective way to gain qualitative feedback, enabling me to ask follow up questions unlike in hot desking, whereby the questions are set with no opportunity for me to change them during the process.

Music Video - First Complete Draft

These drafts shall be presented to my focus group that is planned for the 9/03/15.

Things that have changed since the previous draft:

• The video is now complete. There are still elements I want to change (some sequences towards the end that are similar, the long introduction) but such adjustments will be more dependent on the audience's feedback.

• The first 3 sequences after the introduction [1][2][3]. These sequences have been changed a lot throughout the construction of this video. As they are towards the start, they set the tone for the rest of the video, so I want these to encompass the videos aesthetic to engage the viewer. The overall flow of the video between each sequence was the main consideration of mine even from the planning stages, and with the previous drafts, I felt that the contrasting imagery and grading created a quite disjointed aesthetic, going from an otherwise dark fluid sequence to a light, cityscape scene. In this draft, I was keen to keep the cityscape sequence [2] as it is quite different from the other shots, deciding to invert it to form a dark blue to a white/cream/blue grading. This made the features of the face and body more pronounced, highlighting the lip-syncing which denotes the performance aspect of the video, following Lynch's 1984 theory that all music videos contain at least one aspect of performance, narrative, or are conceptual. Following this, I decided to change the first shot of this sequence [1] to better suit the grading of the second shot. Using similar imagery from previous drafts, this particular footage changed from blue to cream grading, hence including the main colours from the sequence, strengthening the flow of the video. Because of these two changes, I also altered the grading of the third shot in this sequence [3] to better fit with the overriding blue palette of the previous two.

• First chorus, last line sequence has also been altered, the new version is [4] and the previous version is [5] . Featuring fireworks as outlined in my planning, I felt that whilst this was effective, James's face was too visible, loosing the subtlety from the previous sequences. I changed the grading using the Curves tool in After Effects, hence reducing the contrast the figure has. I also reduced the Tint on the overlaid fireworks footage, generating a more purple hue which mimics a similar palette from the previous sequence.

• The lacking definition within the hands on the instrumental sequences [6] was especially noticeable in the darker shots. In order to reduce the flatness and create the impression of 3D, I altered the keying to better isolate the green screen footage of the hands. I also used the Levels tool to adjust the shadows and highlights of the footage. This was repeated for each shot in both instrumental sections.

• I intended for the video to become gradually darker as it progressed, following the increasingly darker lyrics. For the third chorus, I originally had a fairly dark grading [8] however this was slightly too dark for it's position along the timeline, as well as appearing quite similar to the previous sequence. In order to maintain the level of visual interest, I overlaid multiple video channels to create a moving background, creating sequence [7]. Whilst I am pleased with this shot, it does appear similar to sequence [9] which comes two sequences later. I will put this to the target audience to see if they notice this similarity, and if it needs to be changed.

Focus Group Planning

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Physical Ancillary Products Drafts

In order for the focus group to give truthful feedback on the ancillary products, I made high quality prints of the advert and the digipak, enabling the audience to view the products as they would be should this promotional package be put into production. This also allowed me to view the quality of both products, as well as the legibility of the text. I deemed these elements fine, but I shall see if the target audience have any criticisms to either of these points.

Hot Desking Feedback for Ancillary Products

Magazine Advert First Draft

Referring back to my planning, I transferred my exact layout design to these first drafts, utilising the logo and handwriting font from the digipak. The vibrancy of the image is especially eye-catching, making it suitable in grabbing the audience's attention, fulfilling the purpose of an advert. This also features the digipak front cover, strengthening the brand identity.

In order to promote brand identity across the ancillary products, I also created a monochrome advert to correspond with one of the digipak drafts. Whilst this is effective, the patterned versions above are more eye catching and follow my original planning.

Digipak First Draft

Digipak Construction

Font

The thank you note in the digipak is a space for the artist to write a sincere note directed to the fans. I wanted to portray this personal aspect through the font, and decided to create my own using my own handwriting to demonstrate this.

Using the website myscriptfont.com, I downloaded the template below that I then opened in Photoshop. Filling it in using a pen tablet, I was able to transfer my handwriting digitally, before uploading it to the website. This then converted my handwriting into a vector font which I am able to use within the digipak.

 

Barcode

As my planning outlined a monochrome design, rather than placing a found image of a barcode that often is either not transparent or features a conventional black banding, I decided to create my own. This enabled me to create a white transparent version that I can edit at any point. Using Photoshop once again, I created a brush 1px wide and 100px tall, and added this to my brush presets. From here, I changed the spacing of the brush to 100% and the count jitter to 120% causing the random banding that forms the actual barcode.

After placing this image into InDesign, I decided to remove the '3' and '0' from the edges of the barcode to create a more streamlined aesthetic that fitted well with the otherwise linear composition.

Outside Drafts

When constructing the digipak, I decided on these variations below. Whilst these are subtle, I intend to print each of these off to see how they look in print.

The above outlines my original design intentions through the planning. I decided to use the Arial Black font throughout to match the logo, listing the track names in a more graphical fashion. I personally find this combination slightly too impactful and linear compared to the circular front panel. Despite this, I do like the way the tracks list is arranged, filling the space well without becoming overcomplicated.

After printing these to get a sense for each colour, I actually really like the darker spine which is especially effective in linking these panels together. The thank you note on a panel on it's own is also rather impactful, which is evident in print, connoting the directness of the message to the fans.

Retaining the format of the track list, I used my own handwriting font that I created originally for the thank you note alone. I find this font impactful yet not overwhelming, with greater emphasis on negative space within each letter. In my research, I liked how The King Blues used handwritten font for each of their song titles, and this method transfers well to this digipak.

For this design I used grey as the background for the spines, but when this was printed the black version above was more aesthetically pleasing. I want to develop this design further, starting with changing the spine background colour.

Possessing the same features as the previous design, this version features quite an unconventional continuation of the spine through the different coloured background. This was quite effective for the back panel, however the inside flap with thank you note was really ineffective, with the off centred text and blank space distracting from the main message. The back panel is more successful, however the legal text and barcode would need to be shifted to the right to balance the layout more. Although, because the black spine was really effective, I won't be continuing this design due to the need of a different coloured spine.

A more obvious use of the psychedelic design than that in the planning, this is significantly different to the other drafts. The burst of colour on the front is balanced with a more muted purple taken from the front image. The white text contrasts against this background effectively, with the track list in a more conventional layout, integrating the circular design from the original logo also. The use of Arial Black from the logo follows what I had outlined in the planning, yet the handwritten thank you note does not overcomplicate the product, almost making this addition more personal.

I find this design slightly too dark, especially comparing it to the otherwise bright and vibrant video. Whilst the design is effective digitally, I found that it lost definition when printed. I think a brighter image will portray the otherwise colourful indie-psych genre more effectively, appealing to the target audience once more.

The previous pattern did not transfer well to the spine design, so I decided to use an image I had taken during the planning stages which had a greater amount of colour. Personally, I really like this design. It encompasses the vibrant indie-psych genre, as well as holding a slightly muted palette which can be likened to the 70s aesthetic. Accents such as the coloured spines create cohesion across the design, and is something that I believe can be developed for the inside sections.

With the success of the previous design, I used another photo from the planning process. Looking at the composition in general, I like how there is a greater variation between the black and white text, as the previous example I found the dark 'bonus tracks' buzz words quite distracting. The circular logo on the front panel is very eye-catching, but overall I still prefer the previous example as it appears more cohesive across the three panels.

In order to develop the previous example more, I shall change the logo to the circular example from the last one, as well as either tone down the buzz word colour, or change the thank you note colour to draw the attention away from this section. I also need to align the barcode with the track list and ensure that each section is to the correct width.

Inside Drafts

Developing the three most successful outside drafts, I looked back to my research in order to conform to conventions of a digipak. Each feature a pocket, CD with info, and the logo in the centre. The central logo is a clear focal point, reinforcing the brand identity which is especially vital as they are an unsigned and emerging band. The CD features the band logo once again, as well as the track names and durations, with the latter otherwise absent from the outside. Legal information conventionally circles the outside using a text on a path, with the disc logo also added to follow conventions. Upon viewing these drafts, I find the first and last versions most successful, spreading the focal point across the product, with an even dispersal of colour which is lacking from the middle draft. I shall show the two drafts mentioned to the target audience in order to gain their opinion on these versions.

Construction Update 13/02/15

Currently, the first verse, first chorus, first instrumental, second verse, and second chorus are edited. This is a significant change on the previous construction update, as my skills have improved in After Effects the time taken to construct each section has reduced, enabling me to be more efficient in the same amount of time.

Throughout the planning stages of this video, the instrumental sections were a strong consideration of mine, and due to the conceptual nature of the video, I decided to wait until I had edited up to this point to view how variety can be added in this sequence. The video so far is constantly focused upon the protagonist's head in either close-up or medium close-up in order to encourage the audiences engagement, with eye contact strengthening this throughout. With the aforementioned variety in mind, I wanted the instrumental to focus upon something other than the protagonist, deciding upon hands for their connotations of expression. This expressive nature is suitable for editing to the music, with the various movements reflecting the fluidity of the overlaid ink. The assortment of movements means I can transfer this to the second instrumental, with the continued use of the double exposure aiding the consistency of the video.

In this edit, I have also changed the lightning sequence in the second verse, third line. In the hot design exercise, this shot received mixed reviews as it originally moved from left to right, which some found disorientating considering the otherwise fixed point movement of some sequences. Also, looking back at my pre-production posts, when developing this sequence I liked how the lightning lit up the protagonist's features that are otherwise shrouded in darkness. Considering this, I have revised this sequence, keeping the shot static and with a monochrome palette, allowing me to easily blend the green screen footage with the background. This blend means that as the white lightning illuminates his features, succeeding in illustrating the pre-production intentions as well as adding drama that is referenced in the lyrics (Andrew Goodwin). Hopefully this change, as it is more consistent with the aesthetic of the video, will be better received by the target audience.

Looking back at my planning stages, I had intended for the video to become increasingly darker as it reaches the end, matching the darker, sadder tones mentioned in the lyrics, as well as the lack of resolution evident. The repeated line in the chorus "I just want to go wherever you go tonight" was illustrated using out-of-focus fireworks, yet to enhance this variety I have decided to use an ink in water shot that reminded me of clouds in the night sky. Once again, this doesn't obviously illustrate the mention of "tonight", however the monochrome palette definitely does. Although, this is not quite the end of the video, and as it has already reached black and white, I'm worried that the subtle change to monochrome will be diluted by this early inclusion. I may change this grading to a darker blue colour, retaining the nighttime connotations.

There are still some elements I want to change before I gather more audience feedback. For example, the map sequence of the third verse is quite subtle, with the lighter grading contrasting against the next darker shot. Also, as I am currently constructing the ancillary products, I have been inspired by the psychedelic patterns derived from the ink and water sequences in the video, so I have plans for the introduction to heavily feature this.

Construction Update 5/02/15

Above is the first 30 seconds of my music video. This has been a long process so far, with on average each 5 seconds taking at least 18 hours to complete. From getting the keying precisely right, to looking at what footage fits well with what colour grading, this has been a difficult but rewarding construction so far.

Featuring the first verse, I wanted to group these four sequences by palette, sticking to a mainly blue/teal grading, as well as utilising the cross processing technique developed after researching colour grading. I decided upon this blue colour first due to the opening line "I stood beneath the floating waves" in order to illustrate this line (Andrew Goodwin's theory that the lyrics are illustrated through the visuals), yet this inclusion of the blue began to symbolise the otherwise relaxed nature of this first verse.

The visuals become increasingly dark as the chorus approaches, which was a deliberate attempt to make the bold chorus colours impact upon the viewer, creating a contrast of tone. As the chorus is repeated 4 times throughout the video, I really wanted this to portray the indie-psych genre through the use of bold colour and imagery to entice and engage the audience.

I was quite experimental in creating this sequence, gaining footage from a projection of abstract colours on a wall, creating layers of simulation. This projection created varied results, as well as adding depth and perspective to the footage, that I would not have been able to achieve through using the original flat colour sequence. Because of the variety evident in this sequence, this enables me to transfer a similar technique to the same line as it is repeated within the song.

Continuing the illustration of the lyrics through the visuals, the final line of the chorus "I just want to go wherever you go tonight" features a darker palette similar to the night sky. I first used a picture of the night sky as outlined in my storyboard, however this was not very visually interest, especially considering the length of this shot being conventional with the indie genre's slow pace of editing. Revisiting my primary research, outlined in my mood board was the use of bokeh; out of focus shots of light sources, creating delicate circles of light that are frequently utilised in indie music videos. I realised that the footage of fireworks would have the same aesthetic of the night sky, while adding movement, reiterating this visual interest.

Magazine Advert Analyses

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Magazine Advert Planning

Brand identity is especially important for an unsigned artist such as the Plastic Dots who I am designing this promotional package for. For this reason, I intend for the advert to be a direct continuation of the design choices made in the digipak.

Looking at the planning for the digipak, I was particularly inspired by the psychedelic patterns featured on my mood board blog here. Reflecting the indie-psych genre effectively, the uniqueness of each design also mimics the unique, older-sounding vibe that this band possess. Looking back to my analyses, in the sketch below I have outlined conventional elements that I wish to include in this advertisement.

Looking back at my research,  The King Blues used a handwritten font to illustrate each track name to give them an individual identity. I intend for the digipak to be self titled The Plastic Dots as it is their debut album, but I have researched 70s typefaces in case I use this.

Whilst I like the idea of using a font with a traditional connotations to the 70s, both of these examples contrast against the band logo due to them all being gothic, bold typefaces. I intend to create a handwritten typeface for the thank you note in the digipak, so this may be suitable for the text in the advert. If not I intend to use the same Arial Black font from the logo.

Digipak Design Planning

When constructing this mood board, I considered both the music video and the indie-psych genre in order to strengthen the brand identity of this promotional package. I particularly liked the psychedelic patterns and faded aesthetic that is conventional of the indie-psych genre, yet I also like Bowie's uniformly monochrome digipak that I analysed. The idea of stripping back the digipak to monochrome, just as the song is stripped back to a retro, 60's sound.

Whilst I like the idea of having a minimal design, as this is for an emerging band, I worry that this bold choice will not impact upon potential fans. Because of this, I have decided to further explore imagery associated with the indie-psych genre, as well as that which can be linked to themes within the music video, strengthening the brand identity across the promotional package.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE MOOD BOARD BLOG

After collating these images together, the abstract patterns and harmonious palettes are something that appear in the music video, so in order to heighten the brand identity, I will try to create some of these patterns.

Constructing these patterns is something that I am fairly new to. Researching further into these patterns, I discovered that there are two possibilities for creating them, either traditionally using oil in water, or digitally using Photoshop. As I am confident in photoshop, I decided to give try this technique, varying the gradient tool and blend modes to create unique and unrepeatable effects. Below is a screen capture of this process:

Screenshot of Flickr Album
The images from this test are in this Flickr album HERE

After experimenting with the creation of these psychedelic patterns using Photoshop, I am quite impressed by the variation achieved in a relatively short time frame. Whilst this creates a fluid aesthetic that is comparable to the indie-psych genre, these can come across as quite processed due to their digital creation. Some of these patterns are also too varied, I personally prefer the more muted designs such as the bottom left version above. I shall experiment more with the creation of these gradients digitally, and should they not achieve the desired aesthetic, I will move to a traditional process, drawing upon my art skills instead.

Continuing layering gradients using Photoshop, this became difficult to predict, with each result varying from the previous. Keen to pursue this technique, using a paintbrush tool, I layered saying vibrant colours on the canvas, before using the liquify effect to turn it into the psychedelic pattern below. The bold, controlled palette possesses an indie-psych aesthetic that I aimed to achieve with the original designs, inspired by my research.

While I like this pattern, I feel that this is lacking the physical, hands-on element that the artistry of the indie genre connotes. I shall reserve this as a strong possibility, but I will try using inks - of which feature heavily in the music video - to create a psychedelic pattern, strengthening the overall brand identity.

Constructing the prints, with pictures of the mixed ink.

Interestingly, the ink designs below were just as unpredictable as the digital designs. Using mainly primary colours, I laid paper in the tray of ink, removing the paper to reveal the patterns below. Personally, I really like these, featuring texture and depth that I have consciously aimed to maintain within the music video. Such connections encourage me to develop these further, combining them with text to see how the digital and traditional designs compare with this addition.

Edited scans of prints that are to be developed.

After editing these prints in Photoshop, mainly to increase the vibrancy as the scanning dulled the images,  I combined them with the previously developed band logo to see if they could be adapted to form a front cover for the digipak.

Please hover over the white circles below for annotations of each image.

I personally liked the last two examples from above the most, but I feel that the photo of ink holds better links to the music video over the version I created in Photoshop, as well as aesthetically possessing greater depth and tone than the otherwise flat digital version.

Whilst I like the photo, I find that the variation in colour makes the band logo quite hard to read in places, distracting from this vital element in order for the audience to recognise the artist. Because of this, I used the layer blend mode luminosity in Photoshop to create a darker yet vibrant aesthetic that I personally really like. I intend to use this technique for the introduction, furthering the link between the ancillary products and the music video.

I also felt that the solid white logo appeared disjointed against the otherwise fluid background, so I altered the transparency of both the black and white versions in an attempt to blend it more with the image. The result achieved this, but they both looked slightly too subtle. The white version was more legible than the black, so when I refined this further, I decided to continue with the original white variation.

An increase in opacity resulted in the image below. This encompasses my design intentions, and in my opinion, if this was not successful as a digipak cover, this could certainly be part of a booklet design as per my original intentions.