There was lots of feedback on my digipack, but here's the main summary:
The font used for the legal information was slightly too large and should have been smaller. The SONY logo should have been placed lower.
The font for both "CRAVING' and the track setlist could have been the same as the handwritten "Pearl Beckett" to make it more coherent. The handwritten font received a lot of positive feedback, for giving it a more "personal" feel that adheres well with a pop genre.
There was a lot of positive feedback on the color palate used of pink and blue, and white accents. The illustration was an interesting way of highlighting the female pop artists in the middle, which is a common way of composing the position of pop artists.
A band logo is a huge part of the band culture, as it becomes a recognizable emblem that often reflects the genre and ideology of the band.
Band and artist logos, appear on the t-shirts, stickers, and merchandise sales.
It can become cultural as well, fans will learn how to draw and perhaps get it tattooed, etc.
There are lots of things that play into this, but to focus: mainly Simplicity and Font
There are 7 types of logo:
Abstract mark
Mascot Logo
Combination mark
Emblem logo
Lettermark
Pictorial Mark
Wordmark
For example, the Rolling Stones Logo is big blocks of color that print easily, the bright red is attention-grabbing and aggressive, the tongue looking almost vulgar and cartoonish with the contrast between the red, black, and whites.
This is a perfect
This emblem has been used to sell merchandise and is now an easily recognizable symbol of the band.
My own design:
I designed a logo for a metal band called "The Daggers" I used knife imagery to connote a more violent ideology that suits the genre of the band. The print would be easily recognisable and something the band could create stickers, t-shirts, and other merchandise for. It's also something they could print other drums or their guiters.
It sells physical music- as Vinyl and CD sales come back into fashion, people are more likely to buy an album of some of their favorite artists if they like the look of the artwork, that they can then display. this means that the artwork sells the product.
It showcases the ideology of the band. Through colors, print, and visual images, artists can express their genre, taste, and beliefs, this helps them gain popularity with their target audience who would like the genre or ideals the band/artists present through their album covers. It's so the artists can build a fanbase of people who will find identity in the artwork they embody.
The Beatles' Album cover
The albums they create can become an iconic image that lots of people will recognize, which can mean they become a USP.
For example, the Beatles' famous album, Abbey Road, resulted in London changing the lights to accommodate the number of pedestrians trying to get a picture walking on the iconic crosswalk.
There are certian rules that most album covers are required to follow, and that all new artists follow.
What has to be on an album:
On the Front:
The Name- on the front the name is the biggest part of the album cover, the album title is actually smaller, this is because the artist is being sold, not the album independently
The album name- this is usually styled or drawn, or completely random, however, the font and style always adheres to the genre.
Parental Advisory sticker- If there is any profanity within the album, that sticker is required. This is required on the front cover.
On the Back:
Track list- Numbered and in order, (both the front and track names are conventions themselves, meaning that they also adhere to the genre)
Legal information- Studio that made it and key legal people (producers, legal production people), often a studio logo as well.
The term "star" in Dyer star theory refers to the blending between creating an artificial idea of a person that both relates to their audience while they maintain a brand that is carefully controlled to produce revenue and sell their music, by selling the star themselves, their are marketing their "image" and creating a fanbase and identifying a specific target audience.
The star is a created image - this means most things surrounding them will be fabricated to sell them and their ideology, for example, most of their social-media posts will be well planned.
ICONIC IMAGERY- unique selling points that aid in the creation of the image of the artist and their easily recognizable props or traits. For example, Michael Jackson's iconic white glove, or Freddie Mercury's mustache.
Exapmle Artist- Little Mix
Little Mix, the band was founded in 2011 by Simon Cowell on his hit t-show the X-factor, where they were signed by his record label and came out with heir first song "Wings" after singing "Canon ball" on the show's season finale.
The Band's ideology stood for female empowerment and took a very pro- feminist stance, making sure to highlight their own confidence and gained a following of young girls who looked to them as role models. Due to this, many of their videos and photos are advertised towards stereotypicaly feminine magazines and products.
First of all, music videos were recorded live performances on Top of the Pops, and this changed when suddenly MTV was used to sell the songs of popular artists, eg. Madonna.
Youtube presents an equal platform for all artists, unlike previous Top of the Pops or MTV, which had rules and regulations around where and how they could post. Therefore the market is massive and endless, this means the platform created endless competition, so artists need to stand out. This means that music videos have changed due to their platforms. This means that artists were able to use cheaper equipment and advertisements to publicise their music. Music videos are no longer selling the song, but selling the artist. This means some videos, like OK GO, are most well known for those, rather than their albums.
For instance, the highly popular band One Direction, for their first single, “That’s what makes you beautiful” the music video was simple and cheaply made, but advertises their ideology as a band.
They are all individualized, but maintain the same look. Since their audience is primarily young girls, they are not only advertising themselves to their audience, by filling their video with them laughing and hanging out at the beach, but also, their themes aren't offensive or taboo. Ultimately, these boys are being sold as fun, young, good-looking pop-artists, who their young audience can admire, and parents don't mind buying concert tickets for.
Andrew Goodwin believed that the narrative within a music video could be split into three categories:
1.Illustration
When the video tells the story of the lyrics. This music video tells a narrative, like a short story within the song. Sometimes this means that the lyrics match up exactly with the actions of the music video.
For instance in Vance Joy's Riptide from his first debut album Dream Your Life Away, rather than create a narrative within the music video, they literally show the images of exactly the lyrics that they are singing at that moment.
"Riptide"
They illustrate the lyrics exactly.
"I was scared of dentists and the dark"
"Running down to the Riptide"
"I love you when you're singing that song"
2.Amplification
The images amplify the lyrics as a narrative may be used to convey a deeper meaning that would not be picked up on the lyrics alone. This has more of an allowance for a performance or lots of dancers.
For example, the music video for Katy Perry’s California Girls from her PRISM album, there was an exaggerated, sweet, "Candy land" theme, that uses bright colors, dances and big sets to create a stereotypical feminine utopia, using a lot of pink, or "girly" imagery. The music video amplifies the girly, feminine, over saturated pop theme.
While the original song is just about how "California girls" are, but the music video plays on some of the language used in the lyrics, that otherwise the people listening wouldn't have picked up on, for instance she talks about being "so hot, we'll melt your popsicle".
3.Disjuncture
When the video has nothing to do with the lyrics at all. The video is a completely separate concept, that has no meaning towards the song
The music video for Calvin Harris' song "Im not alone" follows no narrative at all, and doesn't seem to hold any specific sort of meaning, there are two minor stories being told, a boy in the woods and a man in a cave with women in cages, who are also his backup dancers, however, the song bears no themes or indications towards either of those topics.
On Friday, we were asked to create 3 social media posts for a new artist that promoted their music, engaged their audience and tell the artists story and connect to the public.
Here's the posts I created to promote a fake artist, Ivory.
I created a hashtag for her called #aksivory, where her "fans" and audience could ask her questions, or post about her "merch" or merchandise, and she would be able to directly engage with it, this also spreads her name around to other instagram pages, and builds a wider audience.
