Through conducting research into Digipaks, I gained information regarding their purpose and how they appeal to the target market through specifically selected codes and conventions. Due to carrying out research into digipaks of the pop genre, I gained awareness regarding the impact the employed elements have on the audience and how they are able to infer certain meanings. This is therefore highly important information which will assist when creating a digipak. The gained knowledge ensures that the digipak will be conventional to the pop genre due to it being based upon what is visible in other digipaks. It is therefore more likely to appeal to the target market due to being based upon the expectations held by the audience. Through analysing a digipak of the pop genre, the importance of the artist representation has been emphasised. The audience do not invest solely in what is produced by the artist but the artist himself. It is therefore vital to include images portraying the artist so that the audience is aware of who the artist is. This encourages the audience to form a relationship with the artist as the tone of the digipak is able to infer emotions and potentially signify what the artist is like. This is also achieved through the use of colours which connote varied meanings such as vivid colours implying happiness. The digipak as a whole must be visually appealing in order to entice the audience to purchase the album of the artist which is its main purpose.
Do you think your digipak is conventional to your genre? Consider the colours/connotation, images, layout etc
The digipak I created individually is mostly conventional to the pop genre. The most significant slide i.e the front cover involves an image of the artist holding a guitar. A mid shot has been used in order to illustrate the artist's facial expression as well as to place emphasis on the guitar which acts as significant iconography. It presents the artist's talent as well as being conventional of the pop genre therefore following what is expected from the audience. The artist's costume is also visible. As it is of an ordinary nature, it presents the artist as being down to earth which enables the audience to relate to the artist. The background involves a smoke like effect in order to create a connection between the magazine advert and digipak. This is highly effective as the smoke is visible throughout the ancillary products. The first slide is similar to two other slides which are also images of the artist, providing the audience with various images. The CD also features the artist as well as the name of the album. The tracklist however consists of playing cards; a queen and a king which display the song titles. This further forms a connection between the advert and digipak. The slide also involves a bar code and information regarding the record label Syco which is a convention identified in all digipaks. The last slide is solely text from the artist to the audience; further allowing the audience to build a relationship with the audience as they are able to get a feel of the artist's personality. The digipak as a whole is conventional as it employs the techniques evident in other digipaks of the pop genre. However the colour scheme is purely black and white. This has been used to infer a lack of happiness felt by the artist and how he has felt a struggle which is also evident in the songs included in the album. However the use of black and white may be considered unconventional of the pop genre. As it subverts a convention of the genre, it may be considered to be visually unappealing despite having strong meanings. Therefore to avoid a complete subversion of the convention, the slides used in the group digipak may be modified so that certain elements are in colour or it may be combined with slides created by other members.
Do you think your target audience will be able to build a relationship with your artist?
The target audience involves both male and female individuals aged 16-24. The digipak allows the target audience to build a relationship with the audience through the incorporated elements on each slide. The artist has been shown on 4 of the 6 slides, his facial expression evident on each slide which allows the audience to relate to his emotions. This may also encourage the audience to listen to the album in order to gain an understanding of what it explores. The artist does not however provide the audience with eye contact in order to evoke the audiences'curiosity as to what the artist is feeling which further entices the audience to find out more about the artist. As well as involving images of the artist, the welcome note is highly personal as it enables the artist to directly communicate with the audience which makes them seem like less of a product and more of an ordinary individual the audience can relate to.
What choices and decisions did you make and why?
Within the production of the digipak, many decisions were made with the intention to allow the audience to form a relationship with the artist. The main purpose of the digipak is to encourage sales of the album therefore it is important that the audience view the digipak as highly appealing. A decision made in order to increase the effectiveness of the digipak was to create a connection between the ancillary products. This was achieved through involving elements previously seen in the music video or the magazine advert promoting the album. Smoke is evident on the first slide whilst fire is seen on the edges of the welcome note. The playing cards which also hold great significance have been included on the track list. As well as the choices made regarding iconography, the text was also specifically chosen from fontspace.com. The font chosen is quite bold and typical of the pop genre. It isn't gender biased which is important due to the artist being aimed at both genders. It is also quite simplistic in order to prevent it from taking away the audiences' attention from the artist himself. Through the use of photoshop, the background has been removed therefore the artist has been placed on either a black or white background. This has been used in order to allow the audience make their own assumptions as to why and potentially want to find out why the artist hasn't found his place.
Are your choices and decisions conventional to your music genre and why?
The choices made are conventional as they have been decided on using the knowledge previously gained through research carried out into digipaks. The digipak involves images of the artist which is a significant convention. It provides the audience with a clear representation of the artist through the use of costume and body language.It also involves the welcome note which is evident in most digipaks, enabling the audience to get an idea of the artist. The iconography and costume have also been considered to form an appealing digipak that entices the audience to purchase the product. It provides the audience with an insight of the artist whilst encouraging the audience to ''complete'' their understanding of the artist as mentioned by Richard Dyer in his stardom theory.
What could you change and why?
When analysing the conventions of the digipak, I have become aware of how the colour scheme may be considered to be purposely subverting the conventions. The use of black and white is evident in all of the slides which may be seen as too powerful and not appropriate in regards to the pop genre. Therefore this may be modified when creating a group digipak. As well as this, a number of other modifications can be made such as to the CD as it is quite simple and can be made to look more effective through the use of Photoshop. By making these changes, the digipak may be more appealing and therefore more effective in enticing the audience to purchase the album.
How will this draft assist you with creating your group?
Creating a digipak has allowed me to gain more information on how to appeal to the target market through incorporating conventions. In order to create a digipak that was visually appealing I needed to be aware of the impact the decisions made have on the audience. It also improved my Photoshop skills as this was the programme used throughout the majority of the digipak creation. I therefore widened my knowledge of the programme and the tools within it. The knowledge I have gained will assist in creating the group digipak. Further to this, as each member of the group has created an individual digipak, all of the ideas can be combined to create a digipak that is highly appealing and therefore effectively promotes the artist.
This post demonstrates a good understanding of the choices and decisions that you made to your digipak. You have analysed your design well and have focused on the colours, images and meanings that is created.
ReplyDeleteAim to consider how this product also works well with your music video and how your audience can build a relationship with your artist.