Introduction to Digipaks : (planning)

For my first lesson after producing my music video, I was introduced to the functions of making a digipak for a music artist using two graphic design programmes given which were QuarkExpress and Photoshop. After given an hour to design a quick sample of a CD front and back cover using photos of the teacher which were on the computer, I designed an Album called 'The Beginning' which I felt suited the genre of Pop/Indie Rock.

Artist:
- Mid shot frame ( allowed me to use crop tool to make it a close up shot / Model stood centre of frame )
- Watercolour filter ( Adds more imagination and bold / Suits the genre more e.g. Calvin Harris style )
- Shadow ( Adding this effect makes the artist the focal point with a thick bold outline )


Layout:
- Split screen ( Splitting the artist's face so half was on each side makes it more of a retro style and it stands out more )
- Logo (Inspired by 'The Jackson 5' album I created a lable using colours black and white with a logo picture and named it Chrisom Records. The white text draws attention to the viewer. )
- Barcode ( Placed on the back cover making it more professional )


Font/Text:
- Artist Name ( Extra bold and big text using specific layout )
- Album Name ( 3x smaller thanartist's name with a faint shadow )
- Tracks List ( Same font as album name / text is spread out to take up space and easy to read )

Personally I am absolutely pleased with the work produced within an hour although this is an activity I do within my spare time so I feel this task will be quite an easy ride for me. I must say that using Photoshop was very difficult as I use a different programme which is Photoimpact 10 but QuarkExpress was really god for my layout and quite straightforward once you get the hang of it.

The strengths of this piece of work would be the layout and colours used since they draw so much attention to the eye. I also kept to minimum choice of colours and effects used.

The one weakness I would say is the fact that I had missed out all the credits and record labels on the back cover which was meant to be done in fineprint next to the barcode. I never had a chance to create the inside covers due to the amount of time given but come to think of it, I don't know what background I would have done anyway.