Ideas for magazine advert

Ideas for my magazine advert. 

I wanted my magazine advert to be similar, if not the same as my album cover as this will be 'Blonde Louis' debut album. It is conventional of new bands to use the same or similar image in all of their advertisements as it increases their brand identity as a band. Therefore it would be clearer to their target audience. 

I want my advertisement to feature in music magazines such as Q and NME as people who buy these magazines are into music and new upcoming artists. It is also a great platform to promote the band as they are very popular brands using synergy to create websites and music channels. This means that I will be advertising to a wider audience. 

Below are some examples of magazine adverts and the inspiration they have gave me. I wanted the magazine advert to be quite simple. I have been inspired by the 'Wheres Wally' books for my digipak something which I want to incorporate in my magazine advert. I thought that it would be a good idea to take lots of different photos of the band from the shoulder upwards and merge them together so it create some image. I also think that it is extremely important to have the band on the advertisement so the audience can familiarise them with Blonde Louis.

Research into magazine adverts

Research into magazine adverts

After researching popular album advertisements I discovered that the artist usually uses their album front cover as the advertisement image. As you can see here this album advertisiment is the same picture taken from there album cover so people can recognize it, if it was a different picture the audience my be un sure of what album they are trying to promote. 

Another convention of magazine adverts is that  there is not a lot of text on the image. The use of buzz words is a very popular factor as it persuades the audience to buy the album. Phrases such as 'Out Now' which is capitalized puts emphasis on the fact that the album is out and easily accessible. 

Moreover there is usually some sort of rating on the advertisement. This is given by the magazine company themselves. Usually people buying the magazine value their opinion so it is a benefit to the band/artist as if the ratings are good them people should buy the album.  

The artist/band also adds additional information of the advertisement which may not be on the album. For example they usually put the website on and places where they can download the music instead of buying it form a store. This opens up the artist to 'branch out' or synergies into different media platforms increasing the audience and giving them different ways to access the the album. 

Feedback from final digipak

Feedback from my final digipak

I was really pleased with the overall product and thought that it was important to get feedback to show how I have improved from my initial ideas. 

Firstly the main point of focus was on the use of font. My peers explained that the use of the same font throughouty digipak  created continuity and added a quirky style to the product. Furthermore they thought that it was a effective idea as the font has become part of the bands brand identity. This is used by artists such as 'Blur' and I wanted to incorporate it in to my digipak. 

Secondly, the front cover of the digipak reflects the indie genre due to the lighthearted nature. One of my other ideas was to have the band posing in the garden. However I decided not to do this as it wouldn't reflect the personalitys of the band. This is why my peers commented on the use of the nada repeated images pulling different faces to highlight their youth.

The only criticism of my album cover was that there are not props of instruments, however when I showed them the insert which is the instruments then they agreed that it was a better idea to put the instruments elsewhere as it doesn't take the attention away from the band.

The most commented on element was of the use of the blonde wig. They thought that it was a comical twist on the name 'Blonde Louis' and makes the album stand out because of the irony. 

Final digipak

Final Digipak

Album Cover 

The album cover is fun, cool and youthful. I was inspired by the Beatles 'Hard days night' album which had a similar concept of the band members faces being duplicated. I used a variety of props that have been inspired by 'Wheres Wally' such as the glasses and matching tops. Instead of red and white stripes I chose to use check shirts which is a popular type of clothing for indie bands, I also used sunglasses intead of glasses to give it a trendy vibe. Most importantly i used the prop if a wig to relate to the bands name 'Blonde Louis'. This adds an element of intertexuality. Furthermore as it is their first album it's conventional of the band to have their image as the main focus point as this shows brand identity so their fans can see what type of people they are.  The reason I used the name 'Blonde Louis' as the album title is to follow the conventions of new albums as they often use just the name of the band or artist to promote their brand image and get the audience family with their name. 

CD Disc

As the front cover is quite bold in appearance I wanted the CD to reflect the same style but tone it down in terms of images. I decided to go for a plain white background with the bands name 'Blonde Louis' in bold lettering that followed the theme. I thought that having just the band name was very effective as when the person opens the album the CD reinforces the name to the audience. Also it is clear who the band are. I was influenced by a british indie band 'Arctic Monkeys' as they have done CD discs like this. 

Back cover

I wanted the back cover to follow the same simple and bold theme but also look different to the front and the CD. I followed conventions of digipaks by putting the band on the back cover which is used alot in first albums. Moreover i wanted to challenge conventions as the text is usually central. I wanted to place it in a unique place to highlight the indie genre as they often don't follow what other artists do. I think it adds a unique element. I also used two types of barcodes. The first is the standard barcode, but the second is a QRCode so the buyer can scan this on their smartphone and accesses different content relating to the band. I also used the record label 'Columbia' which is a rock/indie record label to so that that is the type of music they will be producing.




Insert

For the insert I didn't want to have the band in the image, but instead i used the props of the guitar, drum set and keyboard. I did this to reflect the genre of the band as being indie as no instruments have featured in my digipak other than this. Moreover using the bands name over again reinforces the brand identity but also gives it a pop art feel which I was trying to achieve.

Digipack- trials

Ideas for an album cover

First attempt- Blonde Louis album cover.

This is my first idea for my Blonde Louis album. I think that it captures the band image well as it shows them as young fun people. Moreover the setting is in rural countryside which reflects the indie genre. However I think that it is missing something in terms of creativity. I don't believe that it looks like an album cover but more like the back of the album. One element that I like is the positioning of the text as it is clear and easy to read. Another is the props of the music instruments, it clearly identifies them as a band and their style of music.


































2nd attempt- Blonde Louis album cover

I prefer the second idea of the album cover to my first because I feel like it looks more professional. I used a filter to make the image seem unique. Also the style of the image matches with the font as it is cool and quirky. However this is not the image I want to use because I feel that it needs to relate more the the title of the band as it such a unique name.

3rd attempt- Blonde Louis album cover

Out of the three album cover this is my favourite. I love the boldness of the images and the retro pop art feel which reflects the 90's era. I also feel that it relates to the indie genre as well the the band pulling faces giving it a fun element. Also the white background makes it look a lot more professional than the first one and the pop of colour makes it stand out to the others. I think that the blonde wig shows the link between the band name and the image clearly.

Font ideas for my digipack

Font idea's

Below are some font ideas for my digipack. I think it is important to have a clear font so that you can read it straight away which saves any confusion for the audience. Moreover it is also imperative that the style of the font is unique, this identifies the band's image and also the genre of the music. If the font is in bold bubble writing then you would associate it with  the pop genre, whereas if it is edgy and harsh then you would relate it to the indie genre.

Above are some fonts that i may use for my digipack. I have selected a variety of fonts all of which I think are 'cool' in some way. I have ask my class for some feedback on what font they prefer. This way it makes it easier for me to choose but also it allows me to see which one is more effective.

The results

1st font- 3

2nd font- 0

3rd font- 1

4th font- 2

5th font- 0

The first font was the most popular. They said that it reflects the cool edge look the band have. Moreover it has a youthful vibe to it which attracts my target audience. This is the font I will be using for my digipack.

Digipak Idea/Inspiration

Digipak idea

I wanted my digipak to be fun and interesting as often the indie genre is just this thus conforming to the conventions of an indie album cover. I decided to base my digipak on the hit selling books 'Wheres Wally'. The idea came about as the name 'Blonde Louis' focus's on the features. Every time I think of 'Blonde Louis' i think of a young boy in a blonde wig. Moreover the indie fashion involves stripes and the nautical trend, similar to that of Wheres Wally.  I think that is very significant that they named their band 'Blonde Louis' as it shows they think the image is key to the band. Therefore i had to incorporate the name with a intertextual element as the name is so unique but simple as it based on a person and their features. As Blonde Louis is an indie band their style is often quirky and retro referring back to the 90's as this was the influence when they were younger. Wheres Wally is also a quirky book from the 90's which was predominant in many childhoods. I though that incorporating this intertextual link between to different forms of media, into my digipak would create a fun, interesting and quirky style drawing two different audiences together. 

Instead of them dressed up as wally I though to use a blonde wig and guitar instead on the glasses, therefore it still keeps an element of originality. The Blonde wig referees to the name on the band and the guitar will reflect the genre of the band.

I also found inspiration from one of the Beatles album as I like how simple it was I was thinking to incorporate this into my digipak maybe on the cd. The other inspiration came from the Beatles album 'A hard days night' as I though I can incorporate the pop art style into my album cover.