Digipak Feedback

' I like how the image on the front cover is two images together, like Lucy is stalking Louise! I also like the red drop shadows on the text, putting it all the way through is good!'

'I like the collage of images used for the inside page. It links in well with the rest of the project!'

'I like the back cover, the cloud effect look really good! The bar code makes it look realistic, like it has just come off a shelf!'

'The image on the CD is powerful and stands out. The fonts on the front cover and on the CD are different but thats my only criticism'

Digipak changes

After a few changes to our first attempt of the Digipak, we are now happy with the final result (seen above).

Front cover:
To start with I changed the the image that appears on the front cover of the Digipak. I used a clip from the music video of me on the park in the graveyard. I then cut Lucy the 'vampire' out of another image that was similar. The clip I used was a snapshot from the music video when Lucy is moving down the path but when she appeared on the opposite side to me. I then inserted the small image of her on to the photoshop page and decreased the opacity to make her appear less dominantly on the image. I then added in the two titles, adding a red drop shadow to both to bring in a colour to the front cover.

Inside:

To create the inside page of the digipak, I started by creating a new file in Adobe Photoshop with a black background. Then, going through the final cut of the music video, I got about 30-40 images using grab on the Mac computers. Inserting all of these images ended up being more time consuming than I first predicted. However, I really like it think it is a great improvement to the digipak, making appear more professional.

CD:
Using the same image as the first attempt at creating the digipak, I cut out the image of me holding the champagne glass full of blood, I cut out the main image using the quick selection tool in Adobe Photoshop CS4. I then added three separate titles with each word in the band name being a separate title. I then added effects to these three titles. I added both stroke, adding a outline feature to the letters, and drop shadow which is effective when the words appear overlapped at the top of the CD. I then wrote the album name in the same font that appears on the front cover , creating a clear house style. To make the product appear more realistic, I added font saying "ALL RIGHTS RESERVED CITY ROCKERS LIMITED" which is the record label in charge of the band.

Back Cover:

To create this back cover, I opened a new file in photoshop that is the same size as the other squares with a black background. I then rendered the image using 'difference clouds' to create the foggy black and white image. I found that this image compliments the front cover as similar colours are used and also, it made me realise, that using a image like before made the back cover appear quite busy and over complicated. I then added the track listing using the same font as the front cover, helping to create a coherent house style over the product. To make the product appear more realistic, I added a barcode to the bottom right and a 'parental advisory-explicit lyrics' symbol to the bottom right. I also added a small piece of text similar to the CD reading 'ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY CITY ROCKERS LIMITED'. These small features largely add to the realism of the product, ensuring that this product will fit in on any shelf in a music store.

Above is all of the images combined into one and adjusted so the images appear as they would on a digipak, done using Adobe Photoshop CS4 and the Free Transform tool. Overall, I like how the final Digipak has turned out and I am glad that I changed this product.

Digipak First Try!

Above is our first attempt of creating the digipak. We used images from the music video to create a strong link between the two products. However, after viewing the product as a whole, we decided to change the digipak. The group and our teacher thought it lacked a clear coherent house style. Also, the choice of fonts on the front cover are more appropriate for a horror movie rather than a band. Involving coloured and black and white images meant we could separate each image and not be able to tell that they belong to the same digipak. Its back to the drawing board/photoshop!

Digipak Plan

Here is a range of images produced as an rough idea for each side of the digipak. Producing these images will allow me to go into the creation stage of the digipak with a clear mind of what I wish to create.

Front Cover:

The idea for the front cover is a shot from the music video of the path in the graveyard. This is a quite powerful image and with the appropriate fonts included to create the image, it could have a quite a strong impact. We are still undecided whether to have the image black and white or in colour.

Inside:

The image that will be used for the inside page behind the front cover will be the image from the music video of the girl sitting against the wall surrounding by image. This is a powerful and interesting image and will be good to include as we want the digipak to have a strong impact and stand out against the thousands of other CD's.

CD:

For the CD, I wish to use the image of me with the champayne glass of blood including the background of the graveyard. This image is strong and eye catching, appealing the album buyers and encouraging to watch the video to find out the reason behind these images.

Editing Photos

In order for us to gain the wanted look on the digipak, we had to edit and play aorund with some of the images.


This is the full image which we will use as the front cover for the digipak. On the far left is the original image. The image in the middle was the first edit, with both saturation, highlights and shadows being adjusted. This made the colours on the image pop and made the image more dominant and clear. On the right is the second attempt of editing the image. This time I went the total opposite way, the picture almost looking black and white. Both images are nice and effective but I think the middle image above would work best as a front cover.

Above it the image for the back cover. The image on the right is the original, full sized image. With the image on the left, I have not only edited the image so the colours in the grass and graves stand out more, but I have also cropped the image so only the most interesting and appropriate part of the image is visible. This will be useful as I would not want the full image on the digipak.

Digipak images

As a group, we did not put aside a specific day to take pictures of the main characters for the digipak. To subsitute for this, we will do two things. The first thing we thought of was to use the images we took whilst filming of the various shots and angles that we liked so we could see what the clip would look like before going ahead with the filming. The second was to use screenshots from the music video itself. This will be a good idea as it will create a strong and clear link between the music video and the other two products.

Below is a short slideshow of images that we can use in the digipak created by Fahmina Ali :)

Digipak research

To allow me to see ideally what the band digipak should look like, my first step is to perform a great deal of research.

Above are two images of album covers from bands belonging in the same genre as The Ghost Frequency. The top image is the Arctic Mokeys, a very famous Indie band from England. I like this cover, the simplicity of the image stands out. Also, the laid back and careless attitude of the model reflects the thoughts and feelings of the band. I think it is appealing how even the album name does not appear on the front, it almost appears unnecessary. The band name, located at the top left hand side of the album cover, stands out as it is bordered by a white shape. This album will stand out on shelves and is a good representation of the band. I think it will greatly appeal to the bands target audience.

The bottom image is the Kings of Leon cover for the album titled 'Wasted time'. The image on this album cover is also simple but interesting and intriging similar to the Arctic Monkeys cover. The font is in clear white, standing out against the Sepia background. The image itself is intriging, suggesting along with the album name, that the woman has been captured in wasted time. I believe that this product will stand out on shelves, capturing the publics attention.

Above is an image of the digipak for Lady GaGa's latest album titled 'The Fame Monster 2'. Similar images of Lady GaGa are shown throughout the unfolded pack. This makes it clear to the user who the artist is aswell as increasing audience interest. I like the way that the album name is written behind the CD holder, giving the user something different to see once the CD has been removed.

After looking at similar genres digipaks, I can see that a simple image is all that is necessary to capture attention. I will take this into account when producing the digipak.

Digipak- What to include?

After looking a various digipaks both online and at home, we soon realised that they have their own set on conventions that are clear to see. All the digipaks I viewed have many things in common including:-

• Dominant image on the front, either a logo, band member or actor.
• Band/artist name is clear on legible on the front cover.
• Album name is located either underneath the band name or at the bottom of the album cover. This is once again clear and legible.
• Track listing on the back.
• Bar code located at the bottom of the back page.
• Same style image/background carries on inside the case.

I need to ensure that our digipak meets this set of conventions.