Website Research: Calvin Harris

Website Research: Paramore

Website Research: Tiesto

For one of our ancillary tasks we have to make a website for our band. This is because most if not all popular artists have a website, personalised to give new information and updates about the artist to the fans. There are certain things that you are likely to see across several websites, for example...

Digipak Development: Photoshop (2)

In this version of my digipak creative process, I decided to make a blurry, doppelganger effect by having several of the same shot overlay eachother and change the opacity of them to make them seem transparent and ghost like.

This fits in with the theme of our music video as the doppelganger effect shown looks like a persons impaired vision after taking drugs. It is mysterious as she is looking away from the camera, showing a disconnect with the audience.

The font used at the bottom is very thin and simple which is in keeping with the house genre. I also added a drop shadow on the image to mimic the effect the image. It also gives it a 3D appeal to add dimensions to the digipak.

I wanted to reference other digipaks such as Rihanna's 'Loud' by having the digipak look simple, without the name of the artist, but with the name of the single. This makes the front cover look alot neater and tidy, rather than overloading buyers with information.

Digipak Development: Photoshop

Digipak: Sketching Development

 For the first development of the digipak I chose a picture of the lead singer where she is looking at the camera connect with the viewers. This applies to the male gaze theory and the idea that the audience like intimacy between them and the artist. This is also quite a simple design as there isn't much distracting from the face. This is very much a typical pop/house album cover.

To develop it further I would like to add colour to it and make it either natural or colourised to add symbolic meaning to it. I would also develop it by adding titles and fonts, along with what is commonly found on a digipak front cover.

Digipak Inspiration

Digipak Photos 3

Here is the final set of photos for the digipak from day 2 of our music video shoot, here we have the front singer in a dark, mysterious room dressed in alien, extra terrestrial make-up inspired by Katy Perry's music video E.T. We did not want to go as extreme as she does as we still wanted the singer to look natural and human. We also used colour and motion to create cool effects in the images.

Digipak Photos 2

In this slideshow we have the photos from Day 1 - Part 2 of our shoot where we went to Leyton Underpass. Here we have a much more mysterious and almost 'Indie' like presence to our band and it also includes the two male members in some photos. Here the front singer is dressed in all white which is contrasted with the rustic, dirty brick of the underpass walls, this would be to symbolise that she is in a place where she does not belong. Adding to the idea of a crazy drug trip.

Digipak Photos: Day 1

In these few photos we took from the bedroom scene of our music video, we can see our front female singer having fun and playing to the camera. This would be great for our digipak as it shows intimacy towards the fans and viewers as we have clear view of her face. It is also great as the background is colourful and almost childlike showing that our image as a band is much more carefree and wild.

Digipak: Rihanna 'Talk that Talk'

 Here we have another version of the album cover for Rihanna's 'Talk that Talk'. We can see the contrasts in this album from the previous one I analysed. This album cover does not have any colour and is instead a monochrome theme. This makes it seem more sophisticated but also darker and more mysterious. Here Rihanna is trying to portray a darker, more edgy side to her star image, to show her fans that she isn't just one note. She can do more than just be feminine and sexy. Like the previous album, she does not include her name on the front, just the name of the album. This represents her incredible notoriety and star image, as we know who it is from just looking at her. Her pose looks very irreverent as smoke is coming out of her mouth, symbolising the use of drugs or cigarretes. The font of the R is jagged and edgy, fitting with the style of this album, that being rough and more sinister. This album also has a 'parental advisory' symbol on the front showing that this album is much less child friendly, showing Rihanna breaking away from that 'Good Girl' image.

Next we have the CD to the digipak. The CD is again fitting with the monochrome colour scheme. This time the design is of a Newspaper with Rihanna's name as the main headline. This could again represent her star image as she is extremely famous. The bold print stands out and brands this CD as Rihanna's. The newspaper could also nod to old media and how she has been around for a long time making music. The top banner says "Talk that Talk" which could mean that this album is much more abrasive and in your face. Her music and her message is loud and clear.

Finally we have the lyric sheet which has all the titles of the songs in this album in bold black fonts. Some of the song titles are in different fonts which adds to the feel that every song on the album is different and unique. Not one song is similar. Portraying Rihanna as a creative and unique artist. The lyric sheet also looks like a newspaper as its laid out in columns, printed in black and white with similar newspaper fonts. Having a lyric sheet in the digipak allows Rihanna's fans to sing along to her songs and get to understanding what the lyrics mean. This strengthens the relationship between Rihanna and her fans.

Digipak: Rihanna 'LOUD'

Taking a closer look at Rihanna's digipaks we can analyse different meanings and interpretations for the message she is trying to convey to her fans...
 For example, if we take a closer look at the font used to represent Rihanna's digipak it is very plain and simple. The text is thin making it seem near invisible, the fad also adds to the transparent feel to the text. This could be due to the fact the album title is unimportant, drawing more attention to the face and her star image rather than a certain message for the album. This font very much fits with the pop genre as it is subtle, understated and does not take away from the artists face.

In this section of the digipak, we have a close up of the stars face, which covers the entire front of the digipak. This draws great attention to her facial expression which is relaxed, as she seems to almost be asleep or unconscious. This could represent this album as being a chill out soundtrack. On the other hand, her facial expression could be showing deep passion, which is fitting with the overpowering use of red, which typically symbolises passion. This tells the buyers and audience that Rihanna is passionate about the album and the songs contained. Her facial expression seems to contrast that of the title as this doesn't scream 'loud'. It could have a deeper message in that her thoughts are loud but she is unable to express them, except by song.


 In this image We have the back three panels of Rihanna's digipak 'Loud'. Here we see Rihanna laying down in a rose bush. The colour red still stands here as the red of her hair and the roses match. This again shows her passion and love for her music. Her pose looks again unconscious, which could represent her state of mind, being lost in passion and love. The rose is typically symbolic of a great love but it could have a hidden, deeper meaning, maybe alluding to the phrase "every rose has its thorn" as it appears that Rihanna has passed out or died in the rose bush.

Finally we have the CD itself. The CD is designed with a rose image which covers the entire surface. This could tell buyers that the CD is the rose or the flower which contains all the love and passion within it, as it has all of her songs. It seems almost like Rihanna's gift to us as fans. The rose as said before is a symbol of love and the CD is designed to be a 2D rose.

Overall, this entire album seems to be conveying messages of love, passion and femininity. As her poses are quite feminine, delicate and passionate. The connotations of the images used represent that of love and passion.