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.