Draft of Digipak

Drafts of digipak

 

After researching and looking at other existing products, we cultivated ideas that would help us with our creation of the digipak, we found what the generic conventions of a digipak where, and then began to create drafts for our digipak. Doing this helped us to condense all of our ideas into one main one which would then be the one that we would shoe case the world. We received feedback from the audience which enabled us to make any changes or add anything that was needed in the creation of our digipak, in order for people to purchase the product.

Draft 1:

Analyse your use of conventions using PEER

• I have included an image of the main artist on each cover who is looking away from the camera, she is wearing all black which is captured through a medium close up shots and medium shots. This is conventional as it makes the artist look mysterious and unknown to the audience. 

• The title of the album is 'Reaction' which highlights the differing nature of the album and artist which will evoke a reaction from the audience.

• Low key lighting and dark colours including reds, purples  and blacks have been used on the each cover to reflect the dark and mysterious atmosphere and mood. This is conventional as it encourages the audience to want to find our more, making them want to buy the album. 

• The mysterious nature is further reinforced through the typography which differs and contrasts with the dark colours as it is white promoting the artists innocence and vulnerability. This is also conventional as it is expected for the typography to reflect the mood and the artists persona through the colours and shapes. 

• The overall layout is neat and consistent as the information is spaced out revolving the main image. This is conventional as it draws in the audience to the digipak. The layout is also simple as it only includes simple information. 

• The information I have included on the digipak includes the title of the album on each cover expect the inside cover which is simply of the artist, in order to reinforce the name allowing the audience to memorise it. On the back cover however, there is a list of singles that will be on the album, a barcode and a parental advisory lyrics label. 
• The language I have used is simple and lacks formality as I want the audience to be  able to relate to the album and artist and be able to understand that it is aimed at them which is conventional as the information should reflect the audience and their social class. 

• The sub images I have included on the covers also promote the artists unique nature as she is looking away from the camera and is intrigued in her activity. 

• Adorno and popular culture- The digipak goes against hegemony as it goes against conventions appealing more to a niche audience. The images of the artist also resits conventions as the female artist is dressed as a character and does not look relatable to the target audience or like a role model. According to Adorno's popular culture theory, the digipak is targeted at 'The masses' as the genres within the album include alternative R&B, hip hop and electronic which is not appealing to the 'bourgeoise', also, the digpak reflects this through its modern and urban look. 

• Through this digipak, NYX is promoting her differing ideologies and values as she is dressed against conventions which is supported by her body language. 

• Hebdige's subcultres : The digipak goes against hegemony suggesting that it may not appeal to a mainstream audience due to the dark mood created through the dark colours. 

Audience Feedback: Katie- 19

What do you like about it?

• Front cover

- The title is clear 
- Looks consistent to the rest of the campaign 
- Artist image is relatively clear 

• Back cover

- The image is complementary of the front cover 

- Most of the conventions are evident 

• Inside cover

- Edited well, enhancing the star image. Consider using the same editing technique on all the covers

• CD insert

- Good image, all images work well with eachother

What did you not like about it?

• Front cover

- The artist looks lost within the image
- The lighting is to dark 

• Back cover

- The artist looks lost in the image and therefore the star image needs to be enhanced

• CD insert

- The artist looks upset in the image, so consider changing the image.
- The editing technique looks different to the one used on the inside cover and the one used on the inside cover should be the one you go with. 

How can it be improved?

• Front cover

- The artists name needs to be put onto the front cover
- The layout of the title and spacing needs to be reconsidered 
- Parental advisory logo should be put onto the front 

Back cover

- The title does not need to be repeated onto the back cover 
- Typography of the songs should be consistent with the tile 
- One more song should be added to the track list 
- Production details need to be added onto the back cover

CD insert

- The title does not need to be included on the CD cover


Draft 2:

Analyse your use of conventions using PEER

• I have included an image of the main artist on each cover wearing all black which is captured through a medium close up shots, medium shots and medium long shots. This is conventional as it makes the artist look 

• The title of the album is 'Reaction' which highlights the differing nature of the album and artist which will evoke a reaction from the audience.

• Dark colours including purples and blacks have been used on the each cover to reflect the dark and mysterious atmosphere and mood. This is conventional as it encourages the audience to want to find our more, making them want to buy the album. 

• The mysterious nature is further reinforced through the white, bold typography which differs and contrasts with the dark colours as it promotes the artists innocence and vulnerability. This is also conventional as it is expected for the typography to reflect the mood and the artists persona through the colours and shapes. 

• The overall layout is neat and consistent as the information is spaced out revolving the main image. This is conventional as it draws in the audience to the digipak. The layout is also simple as it only includes the vital information that is necessary. 

• The information I have included on the digipak includes various images of the artist, the title of the album on the front cover, the artist name on all covers in order to reinforce the artist's name allowing the audience to memorise it. On the back cover however, there is a list of singles that will be on the album, a barcode, production details and a parental advisory lyrics label. 

• The language I have used is simple and lacks formality as I want the audience to be able to relate to the album and artist and be able to understand that it is aimed at them which is conventional as the information should reflect the audience and their social class. 

• The sub images I have included on the covers also promote the artists unique nature as she is looking away from the camera in most images and is intrigued in her activity. 

• Adorno and popular culture- The digipak goes against hegemony in a way as it fails to appeal to a mass audience as it goes against some conventions. According to Adorno's popular culture theory, the digipak is targeted at 'The masses' as the genres within the album include alternative R&B, hip hop and electronic which is not appealing to the 'bourgeoise', also, the digipak reflects this through its modern and urban look. 

• Through this digipak, NYX is promoting her differing ideologies and values as she is dressed against conventions. 

• Hebdige's subcultres : The digipak goes against hegemony suggesting that it may not appeal to a mainstream audience due to the mysterious mood that is created through the dark backgorunds. 

Audience Feedback: Amy- 20

• Strengths: 

- Clear consistency among all panels

- Good use of image manipulation

- Artist representation is good

• Weaknesses: 

- Bit of an artist overload

- Inside panel should outline name with more images of artist

- Parental advisory logo to be placed elsewhere

- Production information should be added

- Consider removing name from the back 

Draft 3:

Audience feedback: Sam: 21

Strengths: 

- All panels are consistent and reflective of one another

- Good use of image manipulation

- The artist has been represented in a clever way as she poses differerently. 

- I like the way the inside image is portrayed in an effective way as the artist name is made up of a collage of images of the artist. 

Weaknesses: 

- Inside panel should outline name with more images of artist

- Consider removing name from the back cover and CD insert cover.

- The skeleton should be changed, with a different colour of effect placed on it. 

Conclusion:

The number of feedbacks that we collected has allowed us to create our final digipak. the changes that where made during the drafting process allowed us to eventually come up with a final digipak, we underwent some changes with the images of the artist, after we got feedback letting us know that the images that we previously had where changed due to the fact that people saw it as too dark and did not give a star image, we decided to change the background to give it a more mysterious and effective. Other changes where also in the typography to also enhance the mysterious vibes. The drafting process was helpful as it enabled us to finalise our ideas into one.   

Planning- Digipak Information

Artist Name:

When deciding on an artist name we wanted to ensure that we promoted originality therefore we choose the name; NYX for our artist. NYX is a different kind of name that is different from the norm. We chose this name as It is simple straight to the point, easy to write and say and also catchy, hence why we believe that this name is suitable for our artist as it reflects her persona and establishes what she is about.

 

Album name:

We have decided that we want the album name to be reaction because this is a catchy title and we believe this title will reflect the impact that it will have, due to the audiences reaction to the artist and her music. We believe that this album name is suitable and will bring more popularity to the album, by encouraging a wider audience to buy it. Its very important the name of the album is catchy and appealing to the target audience as it is the first thing that the audience will see, as well as the picture of the artist. When looking for a name of the album we also thought of the simplicity of the album so that it will be suitable for the target audience who will be performing from working class background, aged 18-28

 

Track List:

we have chosen a track list which includes nine songs, they are all similar and all include a similar theme of love, relationships and being able to fulfil your desires. There are common themes link with the alternative R&B genre and appeal to the target audience. 18-28 who are most likely to be in a stage in their life's that will allow them to relate to these themes.

The tracks on the track list include: 

1) Time

2) Jewel 

3) Further

4) Lost

5) Particles

6) Endeavour 

7) Papi Pacify

8) Air

9) Algebra

 

Music institution: 

 
We have decided to choose 'Warner music group' as our music institution as are in international institution and have popular and successful artists signed to them, both mainstream and niche artists, including Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Bjork and Estelle. These artists all promote originality, which is what makes them popular and liked by the audience. Therefore, considering that our artist is also original and unique in that she promotes unique ideologies and values which tend to be considered niche, she will be well suited among the other artists also signed to Warner music group. Moreover, we have decided to choose warner music group as they also cater for various genres including Alternative, which suggests that the institution will be able to work with our artist and make her successful, which is guaranteed considering that the institution are already known for helping their artists to achieve long term creative and financial success. They will also encourage NYX to to produce the highest quality music making her popular among consumers for a long term period. 

Production Name

We have decided to call our production company MCF which is each members initial of the first name (Marlyn, Carlie, Fatma ). This name is effective as it is short and easy to remember, therefore it will work well.

 

Explicit Lyrics label

 
We have decided to add the explicit lyric label to our album cover as some of the songs in the album include explicit lyrics, involving inappropriate and sexual language which is not suitable for under 18s. It is appropriate that we include the label so that we can protect the artist, and the production company, from any troubles that might come along with creating tracks with extensive lyrics. hence why we warned the audience. The genre alternative R&B is known for the bad language, so the lyrics are suitable to the genre. as previously stated the target audience is 18-28 years old, therefore explicit lyrics are less likely to be seen as controversial by this audience.

 

Planning - Digipak Brief

Oasis Academy Hadley 

5 South Street

EN3 4PX

Fatma.Mustafa@oasishadley.org

Date: 11/12/2015    
Album Title/artist: ‘Reaction’ by NYX
Project Manager: Fatma Mustafa, Marlyn Ukah and Carlie Cokell-Smith
Release Date: 30th January 2016
Product Overview:

 

NYX is a British songwriter and singer who began her career signing and performing three nights s week in Central London’s most prestigious and popular clubs and bars including GAY bar, ROADHOUSE and SCALA. As she become more recognized and her reputation grew, there was a higher demand from customers attending these venues for NYX to perform more frequently, therefore, she began performing six nights a week until one day her unique talent was identified by the studio director for Warner Bro’s Records, who decided to sign NYX to their record label. As a result, NYX started to perform in more well-known locations in London and outside London including the O2 Indigo arena, Barclaycard arena and Sheffield arena, as well as performing in other countries, including New Zealand, Switzerland and Spain. This increased NYX’S popularity immediately and within 2 years, she become globally identified by a mass audience, ages 18-28 from different ethnic and social background and developed a strong, international fan base. Due to this fame, there has been an increasing demand for her new album release.

The Album concept:

The concept of NYXs album Reaction, will be to connect her to her fans and the rest of the world,from ages 18-28, from different ethnic groups and social backgrounds, particularly those from working class and skilled working class backgrounds, who will be more likely to relate to particular ideas and the Alternative R&B genre. it will allow her to express her authentic self through the use of her music, which she also took a part in producing. The album reinforces NYXs ideas and beliefs, allowing people to get a clear picture of who she really is as a person. However we will ensure to make the album and its content appealing to the mass media, by including artist who are already in the spotlight. This album has not only just been created to increase her popularity but also to allow her to create a path for other niche artist out there like her, however we are creating the album to increase NYX’s popularity within the music industry making her more internationally and globally well known like other successful artists and boosting her star image. Moreover, this album will increase her chances of reaching top 10 in the music charts.
 
Why are we doing this?

NYX's album will bring success to an international and possibly global scale and the creation of an advert will support her in doing so. The designs of the advert will mirror those of her digipak, the specific characteristics have been created to please our audience visually, the typography, font and colour scheme have been clearly thought out by our team and also NYX herself in order to represent her to the audience The themes within the album will include, love, relationships and fulfilling your desires, with the mood reflecting this. Therefore, the consumers will be able to understand the Alternative R&B genre through the album, encouraging them to listen to her music.
 
Comparable products
 
 
                                                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

We think that Lady Gaga, Rihanna's and Owl Eyes album covers are different and unique, because they evoke interest through their darkness and simplicity which is what we want from our album. Therefore we will use these albums to help us cultivate an idea of what we want our digipak to look like when we start to create ours, as it is important that our album looks just as professional and engaging as possible.

What is the reaction we want?

 
The demographics of our target audience includes, skilled working class people of different ethnic backgrounds, particularly female, aged 18- 28 who an relate to the artist and the music video. We expect the audience and consumers to feel they have a clearer understanding about the artist what she is about, enjoying her music and being able to relate to the certain themes and ideologies she portrays throughout. In a way we want our audience to listen to NYX as a method of escapism, allowing them to escape from their problems. We are also hoping the target audience can build a different relationship with NYX, one that differs from other mainstream artists, as NYX is original and should be recognised for maintaining this quality.

 

How will we know it worked?

The number of sales, and the sale figures the album receives will determine the success of the album, allowing us to decide if the album is popular and appealing to a mass audience. We will also host a focus group allowing a group of consumers that reflect our target audience (aged 18-28, different ethnic groups, working class/ skilled working class) to look at our first drafts of our album designs and provide us with feedback, which will allow us to make the required changes and develop on the criticisms, making the final draft appealing and suitable to our target audience meeting their expectations and interests. Making the album appealing to the target audience is crucial, as this factor determines the ultimate success of the album, therefore, we will ensure we are fully aware of the information revolving around our audience, including similar products they like and what they like about it, their average earnings, their hobbies/ interests etc. Understanding these factors will help us to make an album that the audience will like and will be able to afford.

Launch dates

NYX’s campaign dates:

Press campaign: 6th January 2016
TV Launch: 10th January 2016
Album Release: 30^th January 2016

Limitations:
When creating this we may struggle with consistency as we are responsible for creating many more than just one product so we must make sure that all the items that we have created have similarities so that its consistent throughout. in order to make sure that this is the case we will keep editing and keep the lighting and typography similar.