Magazine adverts

Magazine adverts are a very popular method of promotion used by many artists, both large and upcoming. 

Whilst carrying out my research into the design of different album magazine adverts, I noticed that there were two main different layouts used. In the first style, I noted that the main focus of the advert is often a picture of the artist. This allows people to be drawn in as it may feature a large artist or an artist that they like. In these examples, the artist is positioned towards one side of the frame. This allows for all information and text to be written towards the other side of the frame.

It is also very popular for artists to become the main centre of focus by placing their picture directly in the centre of the shot. This creates a clean and sleek design, with the text often being placed above and below the central image of the artist. Including an image of the artistr on the advert is likely to draw people in as they may recognise the artists face and wish to continue looking at the advert because of it.





Another popular design is the main image of the magazine advert being the album art used. This encourages people to relate the advert with the album, making them more likely to be interested in looking further or seeing out the album to buy it.

It is a very important feature of magazine adverts to include certain details about the upcoming album and its release. All adverts that I have looked at have included the name of the album and the release date. Some adverts also include some additional information such as a website link for the artist and also some well known songs that are featured on the album. Including these extra details would further help to encourage people to go out and purchase the album.

Album inspiration

When I first began researching album covers, this one really stood out to me due to its positioning and the colours used. The central position of Bowie in the forefront of the cover isolates him and makes him appear lonely. This is a look I wish to achieve in my album cover as it follows the narrative of our video. In this cover, I also really like the use of colour.  As much of our music video follows the idea of my character working out her sexuality, I like the idea of using colour on my album cover to signify this.

 Similarly to the first cover, I really like the positioning and use of colour in this cover. The positioning of the character isolates her against the plain background, allowing her to stand out. The presentation of her from the back creates mystery in the cover, a feature that I would like to include in my own album cover. In contrast to the first cover, I like the use of black and white here as it adds to the mystery behind the cover. As much of my music video is in black and white, this is feature that I would like to include in my album cover.

This album cover is very eyecatching due to the use of bright, bold colours. I really want to incorporate colour in my album cover as it would resemble my character finally accepting herself for who she is. Similarly to the other covers, I really like the positioning of the main feature in the frame as it once again allows them to stand out from the background that they are on.

This is my favourite album cover out of the ones featured. I really like the simplicity of the cover due to the positioning of the main feature. I wish to incorporate this same idea of isolation of the main featuire on the cover in my design as I believe the simplicity of the design would help to draw people in.






Similarly to the previous album cover, I really like the positioning of this album art. The position of the main focus in the centre of the frame but placed in the distance creates a mystery around the cover. I also really like the contrast between the colours in the sky compared to those at the bottom of the frame and I will take inspiration from this in my own album cover.

Digipaks

What is a digipak?

A Digipak is a style of packaging used for CD's. They are typically made from card stock with a plastic insert to hold the disco in place. The most common style is the 4 panel digipak that is designed to open up in the same way you would open a book. Digipak's with higher numbers of panels are also available as they provide more room for artwork to be included in the product. Digipak's give the CD an expensive and professioal look in order to entice the consumer. Digipak's will include well designed album artwork and will be protected with specialist printing finishing options including matte, lamination and embossing.

Digipaks used to be a viewed as a limited edition of an album as they were sold in far lower quantaties and at far higher prices. Due to developments in use and ease of technology, digipak's are now more widely available than ever.

Features

• They usually have a gatefold like a book, allowing for more room for graphic art to be displayed
• They can have multiple panels, ranging from a simple 4 panel to an 8 panel set

Examples of Digipaks

The advantages of digipaks

There are many different advantages of selling albums in the form of digipaks

For the industry..

• Companies are able to charge more for selling digipaks than for the standard CD
• More creative freedom
• Being economically friendly encourages a good view of the company

For the consumer...

• Can be a collectors item
• Often include bonus features such as videos, pictures and bonus tracks
• Less likely for damage of the disk to occur

Iconic album covers

Whilst carrying out my research into digipaks and album covers, I decided to look into some iconic album covers in order to gain inspiration for my own. 

The Beatles hold title to owning some of the most famous album art in history. Their use of bright colours and quirky designs is what makes them unique, allowing them to become eyecatching for the consumer. The art used for their album 'Sgt Pepper's lonely hearts club' is a very famous example, becoming popular due to the broad use of bright colours. The busy frame creates an interesting image, allowing viewers to become interested, encouraging them to wish to learn more.






It is very popular for bands and artists to feature themselves on their album covers, as it allows the album to be recognised easily. This second album cover is also a very recognisible example from the Beatles. As the cover was shot on the famous Abbey road, this album art has become a very popular image for fans to recreate. Doing this created an interest around the album which encouraged people to wish the listen to the album.

It is a very popular concept for the artist to be the main and only focus of their album cover. The cover for David Bowie's album 'Aladdin Sane' features Bowie's picture in the direct centre of the frame. This central positioning of the artist allows consumers to instantly recognise the album as belonging to him, instantly attracting fans. The placement of his image on a plain background allows him to stand out within the frame. I really like the use of colour in this album art. It is subtle and discreet yet adds a lot of depth to the cover as a whole.

This album cover of the album 'Queen II' by Queen is one of the most famous pieces of album art in history. The main image is a shot taken from their Bohemian Rhapsody video that is not actually included on the album itself. I really like the central positioning of this cover and the simplicity of the album name. The placement of the image over a plain back background allows the band members to truly stand out within the centre of the frame.







This iconic example of album art is very different to the others displayed above. This is largely due to the fact that the artist is not included on their own album cover at all. Instead, the band Green day chose to use a graphic design that closely relates to the contents of the lyrics featured throughout the album. I really like this album cover design as its simplicity makes it unique and eye-catching for its consumers.

The Goodwin music video theory

Goodwin's theory suggests that a music video must to contain 6 sperate elements in order to be successful. These elemements are:

• Genre conventions
• Visuals match upwith lyrics
• Visuals match up with music
• Star representation
• voyeurism
• Intertexuality

Genre conventions

Visuals and lyrics

This element suggests how Goodwin noticed that the lyrics of a song either coincide with the video or contrast with them entirely. The idea of a music video running alongside the lyrics of a song creates an emotional connection between the two. Having the video contrast with the song lyrically creates a sense of mystery, forcing the viewer to think about the deeper meaning behind the video.

Visuals and music

Goodwin realised that the relationship between the chosen song and the video can have a great impact on the final product of a video. This relationship can be illustrative, amplifying or contradicting.
Goodwin believed that the most effective style of video is where the visuals correspond with the beat that the music follows. Artists may choose to feature synchronised transitional shots with the beat in order for their video to run smoothly alongside the vocals.

Star representation

Star representation refers to the star's identity and the different characteristics that make them unique. It speaks of the way that the artist is presented in the video in terms of costume, moves and appearance. It aims to create a sense of identity for the star, attracting people to the video, encouraging them to wish to find out more about the artist and the other songs that they have to offer.

voyeurism

This is where the viewer is allowed to see something that they wouldn't usually, enticing them into the video. This can be displayed in many different ways including:

• Intimate locations e.g a bedroom
• Frame within a frame
• nudity/revealing clothing

Goodwin discovered that females will often be sexualised in this way as a method of enticement. This will be done through camera shots and editing, focusing solely on the body of the woman in the frame. 

Intertextuality

This is the idea of referencing something or someone that already exists in a music video. This is often done as a way of engaging the audience with existing products that they already know and enjoy.

The history of music videos

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