My Digipack

Below are the steps and designs I used in order to create my digipack. I found this task really enjoyable, as I was able to apply my ideas and actually begin to craft my pack. Through using the computer programme 'Photo-shop', I have not only learnt new skills, but have also become aware of the different effects I can use to enhance my digipack. Some of these effects I chose to use on the panels of my pack and they are displayed below.

The first frame of my pack I designed was the outer front panel.

Outer Front Panel Pictures:
Before I could begin designing this panel, I needed to decide on what idea I would be using. After much thinking, I chose to follow the main design on my first flatplan, which would include a close up shot of somebody's face. To get this shot I wanted the photo to be of a male, as the artist of our chosen song is a man. From this I took several photos of my friend Joe, as I felt he would suit the album cover and make it appear professional. Below are some of the photos I took:

This photo is a clear shot of Joe and was a possible contender for the actual photo I chose to use on my front panel. As you can see it consists of a close up shot of his face, however when analysing all of my photos, I felt it lacked a certain creativity. I decided to take my photos on a white background, as it would become easier for me to edit if I wanted to change the colour.

One reason for me choosing not to use this photo was because of the way his collar on his shirt is positioned. The idea of turning the collar up would have looked more effective had Joe not worn his tie. This makes the image looked slightly cluttered and this is something I wanted to avoid for this shot.

When taking this photo Joe was distracted, which caused him to look the other way. For this reason I am unable to use this photo for my panel, as his attention is drawn elsewhere instead of looking at his audience.

I like this photo a lot. Not only does it include a pair of glasses to add visual effect to the image, it also displays Joe posing with his facial expression, which again allows the image to become eye catching. The one problem with me using an image like this, is that I want to rub out Joe's mouth and replace it with the title of the song. By doing this on this photo, the overall appearance would look odd, which is why using a photo such as this one, could become problematic.

Here is the image I chose to use for my outer front panel. As you can see it is a clear close up shot of Joe and includes props such as the glasses. I decided to use this image as it eliminates problems that occurred in the above photos, such as the different facial expressions, looking in the wrong direction and appearing too cluttered. Although this photo displays Joe wearing a different shirt to the other photos, this wont become a problem, as the ideas I have for this panel will disguise his shirt and allow it to blend with the rest of the photo.

Photo Effects:
The following photos are a step by step guide as to how I changed and created my chosen photo to fit the design for my outer front panel. My first idea was to remove Joe's mouth from the photo, as I wanted to replace it with the title of the song. I felt that this design would have relevance to my song, as the title of the song is a question and in order to ask the question you have to use your mouth. This way the question symbolises the mouth and doesn't just make the panel look like a random design.
To disguise Joe's mouth I used the clone stamp tool on 'Photo-shop'.

Here is the result of using the clone stamp tool. As you can see I was able to mask Joe's mouth by blending segments of his chin and cheeks together, leaving him mouthless. At first this image can appear quite disturbing, but hopefully when extra colour and font is applied, it will appear more exciting.

Having disguised Joe's mouth, my next step was to decide on what effects I would be using. After much deliberation, I knew I wanted to use bright and bold colouring, as this would enable the panel to stand out. With this in mind, I opted to play around with the contrast of the photo, when I came up with the below image:

I love how this photo looks. Not only does it consist of bold colouring, but the definition of the white from the glasses becomes the main focal point of the image, providing the image with depth and character. The contrast and brightness settings applied for this photo are: Brightness= -51 and contrast= +100. As you can see, through using this setting I was able to merge the colour of his shirt with the overall display of the panel, allowing all features of the image to compliment each other. In addition, the brightness of the red definately captivates the eye. This allows my digipack to compliment certain aspects of the video, through the use of a red Mini Cooper. By making a specific colour run throughout each section of my work, I feel, gives it a more professional appearance and ultimately allows each section to merge with one another.

The last few steps I needed to accomplish in order for my outer front panel to be complete was to include the title of the song and name of the artist. For the title of the song I initially wanted my font to be black, but in order for me to position my text in it's relevant place (where Joe's mouth would have been), I felt black would not have blended well with the surrounding colours and may have become unreadable. This is why I opted to write it in white. In addition, as white already features in the background of the panel, by placing the text in this colour too, I was eliminating the possibility of my colours clashing.

For the name of the artist, I was able to use black font. At first I was indecisive as to where to place this piece of information, but taking into account the size of the main image and the remaining space, I thought it would look best at the side of the panel, at a vertical angle. This way the text is clear and readable and doesn't interfere with the other elements the panel consists of. When deciding on style of font, I knew I wanted to use something that would represent the genre of music our song falls under. After looking at a selection of fonts, I decided to use one called: Future Millennium. This is a bold font and one that would most definitely stand out. It connotes boldness and energy and this is fundamentally the end result I wanted to achieve.

Here is my final design for my outer front panel.

I am very pleased with how my outer front panel looks. It includes all the elements I originally wanted to incorporate and I believe it appears bold and in your face and would catch the public attention if they were to walk past.

If i were to change or enhance anything on the panel, I would look to integrate other effects that could allow the panel to look more visually exciting. Having said that, had I included anymore effects, the panel may have become to chaotic, which would take away the visual effects and layout of the panel.

Inner Left Panel:

The following design is my finished inner left panel. Again I chose to use the design I had originally used on my first flatplan digipack; the idea of repeatedly writing the title of the song, but changing the colour and size of the font.

As you can see, I have chosen to use the exact same colours as those featured on my outer front panel. By doing this the overall appearance of my digipack can be deemed more consistent and allows it to look professional. In order for me to use the exact same colours as those on my front panel, I used the eyedropper tool on Photoshop. This entitled me to copy and transfer the precise colours I needed, which made it far easier for me to finish this panel, as I knew I had the correct colouring.

When contemplating text sizes, I wanted to make some of the font stand out above others. There is no specific reasoning as to why I chose these exact sizes, except wanting to make the panel look visually exciting and I think this is achieved by alternating between the text sizes I chose to use. I was able to space my text well enough that allowed the panel to not look too cluttered, this again will enhance the visual effects of the panel, which will ultimately enable the type face to be easily read.

In order to strengthen this panel, you can see I opted to incorporate three pairs of the glasses that were featured on the outer front panel. My main reason for doing this was simply to create a more enthralling caption for the audience to look at. This involved rotating each pair of glasses and placing them randomly over the text.

I really like this panel. Not only does it ooze bold colour and compliment the outer front panel; but it also, I feel, can easily be related to the genre of music 'electro-pop' and being my main goal, allows me to feel upbeat about the overall appearance so far.

Outer Back Panel:

When it came to creating this panel I became frustrated as to what design I should use, as I failed to come up with any ideas on my flatplans. After much deliberation, I thought it would be a really good and different idea, if I were to use a photo that showed the back of Joe's head. This way the digipack would feature his face on the front page and the back of his head on the rear. After taking numerous photos, I was again left with the decision of what photo I should use. Below are some of the photos I took:

Here is the first photo I took. When looking at the image, I decided not to use it as I feel the shot is too close to Joe's head and it also looks scruffy and poorly taken. Although the image doesn't show a lot of detail, I felt a better image could of been taken.

The neighbouring image is the photo I chose to use for my outer back panel. This time I took the photo further back which allowed part of Joe's collar to feature. I think the image looks better having the collar there, as it gives substance to the photo and overall makes the image look better; which should hopefully improve my finished digipack.

Having now decided on which photo I would be using, my next step was to decide on the colour theme I would use for the panel. In order to keep it in check with my previous panels, I opted to use the same settings as those applied to my outer front panel. Change the contrast settings. After placing my image in the centre of the panel, I changed the contrast settings to the exact same as the ones on the front panel; Brightness= -51, contrast= +100. Next, I needed to consider where I would place important information such as song titles. When looking at what space I had to play with, I figured the best and most effective positioning would be in the centre of Joe's head. Here, it would stand out and be easily readable for the audience.

After positioning my text, I chose to again use the same font as those on my other panels, as this would make the overall design of my digipack look consistent. What's more, I used the exact same colouring as those featured on my other panels for the font and this was again done by using the eyedropper tool.

In regards to the important information displayed such as the barcode and artist details, I chose to place these in fairly simplistic places. As you can see the barcode is featured in the bottom right hand corner, this is common on a majority of digipacks, but I feel that where I have positioned my main focal point (the back of Joe's head), the barcode would look odd if placed anywhere else. As for the website featured at the bottom of the pack, I chose to position this hear, as it allowed me to play around with the colours (as it was placed over black) and also highlights Joe's collar in the image, making the panel more visually enhanced.

I am really pleased with how my outer back panel looks. Not only does it compliment the other panels, it also (I feel) stands out through the bright colour used. If i were to change anything on this panel I would possibly add more information regarding FrankMusik and ways in which his fans can contact him, i.e. My Space websites. But overall I am very happy with how this panel appears.

Inner Right Panel:

I found it quite difficult to design this panel. I initially wanted to follow the layout of my first flatplan (to repeatedly write the name of the artist, similar to that featured on my inner left panel), but when contemplating how the overall image of my digipack would look, I figured this would overpower the pack and take away the eye catching effects the other panels consist of. After much thought, I took this problem into consideration and decided to leave this panel with a simple layout. As you can see from my inner left panel, I rotated a pair of the glasses so only half of them were showing. Having done this, I thought that I could place the remaining part of the glasses on the inner right panel, giving the effect of the glasses being placed on both panels. Although this design is very simplistic, I feel it does enough for the panel to stand out. In addition, this panel is where the CD would be placed, taking up a large amount of the panels size. With this in mind, I again feel that I made the right decision to keep this panel minimilistic with its design, as it would look far too overcrowded had I attempted to illustrate a more jam-packed design

Overall I am very happy with how my digipack has ended up. I love the use of colour and boldness of the text and feel that each panel is relevent to not only the song (especially the outer front and inner left panels) but also the genre of music (electro-pop), vibrant and energetic. The last thing I did for my digipack was to upload it to my Facebook page and gain feedback from my friends and family on what they thought of it and where I could impove. Below are some of the comments:

Here are comments for my outer front panel:

As the picture is small (click on picture to enlarge), I will write next to it what the comments say.

Comment 1: "I like your use of colour, and how this is continued throughout the digipack., although I think that the title on the left-hand could be a bit bigger".

Comment 2: "I think it looks great, agree with above comment, love the colours, writing could be a bit larger, great".

From looking at these comments, I am really pleased with how people have percieved my digipack. I fully take into account their comments on possibly enlarging the text and see how by doing this, my pack may stand out

more and become clearer to read.

Inner Left Panel:

As the picture is small (click on enlarge) I will write below what the comments say.

Comment 1: "I like the use of colours and I like the theme of the sunglasses being carried on. I also like the different sizing of the writing".

Comment 2: "I like the font as I think it reflects the artists genre - pop well and is similar to other media products I have seen from Frank Musik. I think the colours are bright and stand out catching the viewers eye".

Outer Back Panel:

As the picture is small (click to enlarge) I will write the comments below.

Comment 1: "I like the fact that you have linked the front and back cover together by using a person".

Comment 2: "Like the links between the front and back cover, also the fact that the colour theme has been continued".

Evaluation:

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

My digipack only consists of three main images, so the ancillary texts play a huge role in the promotion of my pack. The only image my outerfront panel contains is the close up shot of Joe's face, which therefore makes the surrounding texts important to convey specific detail. As you can see I have replaced Joe's mouth with the title of the song "Gotta Boyfriend" and feel this particular text is very effective as it appears as if Joe is asking the question "Do you have a boyfriend?".

In regards to the artists name, I feel this text is also effective, as to where it is positioned. By placing the text vertically down the page and away from the main image and other text, my panel looks sharp and neatened, providing the audience with a clear and consistent panel.

My outerback panel is really consistent with my outerfront panel. Again, it only consists of one image, the back of Joe's head and by keeping to the idea of changing the contrast of the image, I needed my texts to stand out and be relivent to what information this panel should contain. You can see that I stuck to the same colour theme as that featured on my other panels, as I wanted my panels to be consistent and I think the colours work really well with the surrounding colours and themes. I really did not want the colour of my text to clash with the contrast settings and feel that where I have positioned my texts make them effective in providing the audience with relevant detail.

In addition, the small print I added, i.e. Frank Musik's website address and the unathorised copying symbol provide key pieces of information. I feel these texts are effective as they provide the audience with important information they should be aware of.

The last panel that contained text was my inner left panel. I think the ancillary texts displayed on this panel are really effective, as they are bold and bright, enabling them to stand out. My final image is used on this panel (the glasses). I think that the glasses work well with the text as they compliment each other colour wise and by using the same font as that featured on my outer front and back panels, my panels are made to look consistent and relevant.

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

From reading my audience feedback, I have learned what features are liked. In regards to comment 2 for my inner left panel, I really like that they have recognised a similarity between my digipack and already existing products of Frank Musik, that being the style of font I have used. This has allowed me to gain confidence in my work. I fully take into account the comment on possibly enlarging the text on my outer front panel. I have learned that through me making the font bigger, it will stand out more, which may help captivate the audience.

I am really pleased with my feedback for my digipack and I can now see, from another point of view, what could change in order to enhance my pack. This has been really useful!

How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

For research, I used the internet to analyse already existing digipacks of the same genre, in order to gain an understanding as to what kind of display I needed to create to make it relevent to Frank Musik and his style of music. After drawing my flatplans, I then used a scanner to upload my drawings. I did this so it would be easier for me to evaluate them and also so I could display them on my blogger page. When constructing my digipack, I used three media technologies. Firstly, I used my digital camera to take the photos of Joe. By using a digital camera, I found it really easy to upload my images onto the computer and it discarded any complications involving me using my photos. The second piece of media technology I used, was a computer. Without the computer I would not have been able to create my digipack, let alone write my blog. The final piece of media technology I used was the computer programme "Photo-shop". I love this programme as it allowed me to learn a vast amount of skills that helped me improve on my original ideas I had for my digipack. I found "Photo-shop" relitively easy to use, however sometimes struggled in coming to grip with all the different effects I could use.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

When comparing Frank Musik's real digipack to mine, there were only a few similarities. As you can see, the main similarity is the close up shot of someones face. After analysing Frank Musik's digipack, I thought this idea was really powerful and stood out. Another similarity is the minimal colour tones used. I have only used four main colours, whilst Frank seems to have used three.

In relation to the font, I feel that although my font is slightly different to that featured on Frank Musik digipack, they both connote similar meanings. I.e. boldness and almost appear retro.

My digipack slightly challenges Frank Musik's pack, in regards to brightness. On the "Complete Me" album, Frank only uses one promient colour = pink. I on the other hand, have used two promient colours and blended them with black and white. After researching the electro-pop genre, I was able to see that it's music is vibrant and fun and I feel that I have incorparated this into my digpack by using fun and energetic colours.