Final Album cover digi pack

The theme I was using when making my album cover was 'Seeing things in a different way' I think this matches my song choice Polarize very well. I've also decided to stick with the black and white theme that I used on my practice album cover because I really like the effect it gives and It also makes my other effects look better as they are contrasting colours and allow me to use grey in between. It also works with the black and white effect that I use in my finished music video so this creates a link between all 3 pieces or work. My video, poster and album cover.

The actual title of the album is a cut-out effect on Michaels face and uses that instead off a fill in the text. This is because of my theme  'Seeing things in a different way' as we are seeing Michael's face in a different way. I also added a lens flare effect as it matches the song 'Polarize' as polarize sunglasses remove glare from someone sight and the song is about polarizing the way wee see. I placed it in the same position as I did in my poster for continuity purposes.

The back of the album consists of other 21 pilots songs and I found the record labels they are signed with and added them too. I found a barcode and a parental advisory image online as well to try and achieve a professional look. I have added some 'fake' copyright text on the back whereas my draft didn't include this. I wanted to do this to try to add even more professionalism to the whole digi pack.

I didn't want to use the same effect on Michaels face as the poster on  my album cover because I want to show as many different ways you can see the same image to match my theme of 'seeing things in a different way'.
 

The inside of the album resembles when Michael is happy and has 'polarized' so he can see vibrant and happy colors. I was trying to make it so that when you open the album you will be struck by such a contrast just like you are in my finished video.

I used Michaels face from the poster on the cd because this will improve the continuity between my album cover and my poster.

Outside cover

inside cover

Audience feedback - Ancilary tasks

 

 

 

This is some of the feedback that I received when asked about my two ancillary tasks, the album digi pack and the poster.

The feedback consisted of many positive comments and especially the continuity between the two posters.

 "the poster looks really professional and is well edited" - Owen Smith

The poster's most frequent comments were about the use of the lyrics over Michaels face and the lens flare was praised too due to it working with the songs meaning and the continuity between the two pieces.

"its just a well-rounded and professional looking ancillary task" - James Huxtable

The digi pack received good comments too because the disc in particular uses the same image from the album cover and they liked that because the continuity between the two packs. They also liked the album cover and the used of titles and they understood that it represents the meaning of the song.

Album cover ancillary task research

I decided to do some research into what makes the best album digital packs.

here are 7 of the key points I picked up on.

1. Don’t print lyrics unless you have sufficient space

Are you thinking of cramming the lyrics to 12 songs onto a four-panel digipack? Where are you going to put the album credits, copyright info, and crowdfunding thank-yous? Who’s going to be able to read that tiny font anyway? Lyrics in the album packaging are great – if you can read them. So if a six-page booklet insert or a giant foldout for your LP edition aren't realities, use the internet as a way to augment your album art and avoid clutter. Post your lyrics on your website in a dedicated section that shares design elements with your album. Then, print the URL to your website's lyrics section on your album packaging.

2. Envision your album cover as a thumbnail

The majority of people who encounter your album will do so online. They’ll see a smaller version on  digital music platforms like iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon, or on review sites and blogs. Often it will appear as small as a thumbnail. Before you commit to an album cover design, shrink it way down. Does it still capture your attention? If so, you’ve got a winner. If not, try a different approach for your album cover.

3. You might not need your artist name or album title on the cover

Conversely, because most people will see the album online (where retail stores, blogs, and review sites will display your artist name and album title next to the cover), it's less important that your band name and album title appear in bold on the cover art – though that approach worked wonders for The Black Keys. In fact, you might not need them there at all, especially if your CD or vinyl package comes with a sticker on the shrink-wrap that does have your artist and album name. You can let the internet (and that sticker on the packaging) do the magic of conveying the facts, and then use that extra visual space for some great design.

4. Album covers with faces get more attention

We don’t really have any hard data to back up this claim (though it'd be interesting to look into), but for many of us at CD Baby who see hundreds of new album submissions every day, it seems like album covers that feature actual human faces draw more attention to themselves than ones that have... something else. Maybe it's just that feeling of personal connection which comes from seeing someone's eyes, or that you can get an instantaneous sense of the artist's musical style and aesthetic based on his or her fashion, posture, the setting of the photo, etc. But something about those covers (when done well) seem more immediate and engaging.

5. If you’re not going to feature a human face, make sure your design is striking and original

Your album design shouldn't just look cool. It should convey something about your musical style and even your personal beliefs. For a great example of a record that breaks the rules and sends a message with its album art, check out Aphex Twin’s Syro, where the cover shows an itemized list of every expense that went into creating and marketing the record (instrument costs, promotional meet-and-greets, advertising, etc.).

6. Minimalism is in


DJs are still heavily reliant on CDs, and they need to be able to pull your disc off the shelves quickly. It's for this very reason that many stations don’t even accept albums sent to them in thin sleeve packaging.
This is probably related to number three and number four above, but the starker the image, the more it seems to capture our attention. Maybe the modern sensibility is, "Things'll get shrunk, so things should stay simple." After all, it'd be really difficult to make out all the faces on the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s when reduced to a thumbnail. A NYT article from a few years back talks about this album art phenomenon in more detail.

7. Print your artist and album name clearly on the spine

Imagine your CD is sitting on the shelves of a radio station library. Can you find the disc among all those other albums? Many



From these 7 points I've decided that I will try to create a minimalist album cover so i'm thinking black an white for that. I want to use a face as apparently that grabs more attention so i plan o use Michaels face (my actor) on the cover. I also need to take into consideration about what to include on it but what i do know for sure is that i will put on a website address and other important copyright information. Finally, I want to make sure my album cover is original and striking. I will try and achieve this on photoshop as i know some cool original effects i could use.

Here are some example of album covers that i think are particularly good examples.