Magazine advert feedback

I have completed my magazine advert design and want to again get some feedback as this was so useful in the production of my digipak. It really allowed me to understand and gain the opinion of my target audience.

My magazine advert is a half page as my artist is a newly signed artist. This subtle sized advert is appropriate for the indie/ pop genre.
The advert has clear links with the digipak and music video which creates a strong and consistent house style which abides with Goodwin's theory that different media platforms are linked visually.

Here are some quotes from the feedback questionnaire.

Do you feel that the advert links well with my digipak and music video?

'You can see a certain house style'    'The pictures link both'

'The collage demonstrates the quirky feel'

Do you think the advert is bold and attention grabbing?

'Yes the bold font make it stand out'   'The bold fonts draw you in'

Do you feel that the advert will attract the attention and appeal to my target audience?

'Yes as the bold font and colour makes you look at the advert'

'You look and see straight away its girly and vintage which will appeal to target audience'

Is there anything that could be changed or improved?

'Could put what some magazine think'

I think the idea of adding quotes from magazine reviews is a great idea as evidence of musical talent and acclaim really appeals to an indie target audience.

Digipak feedback

I have completed the first draft of my Digipak. Here is the Digipak.

I wanted to gather feedback from my target audience. I have done so through a feedback video.

I have received some really useful feedback from the feedback group. Here are some quotes from their positive feedback:

What do you feel is good about the digipak?

'Clear house style'          'I definitely think its really girly'     'Get a sense of fashion and style'

This feedback suggests that the house style and mise-en-scene is effectively communicating the girly and quirky artist identity.

Do you think it suits our target audience?

'Its young and quite funky'      'It appeals to girls'

I wanted to create an artist image that would appeal to our young female target audience in a personal and unifying way. It seems from the feedback that this is understandable through the digipak.

Do you feel that it suits our indie/pop genre?

'Unique and bright'       'Artist style looks quite indie'     'Different shots of artist are quite indie'  

'Quite different with the different textures'

I really wanted to communicate a clearly combination of pop and indie. The feedback suggests that the digipak has achieved this look.

I asked the group is there is anything they would change or improve, they gave some really helpful ideas and suggestions. I agree with this suggestions and these are the changes I am going to make:

- Add title on front  This will make the artist name and brand more memorable (a requirement often requested by record companies)

- Move bar code down to make it look more like a conventional digipak 

It is important to create a professional looking digipak in order to appeal to my  young music knowledgeable target audience.

- make links to website and extra content clearer and brighter 

Creating a strong artist/ audience relationship is very important. A digital and online form of communication will appeal to my target audience greatly.

- Remove the glue stick image as it looks out of place 

I want the design of the digipak to be cohesive and understandable.

Audience feedback on Font

In order to make the decision on the font colour I want to gather some audience feedback.
I have developed the idea for a collage background for the digipak which communicates the vintage, feminine and quirky look and mise-en-scene that I want to achieve.

I want to see how the fonts work with the background.

I have requested feedback by email. Here is some of my feedback:

Natasha Lee:

Hey Grace,

I think the pink one looks best. The middle one doesn’t really stand out enough.

I love the collage background – looks very quirky and effective for genre.

Hannah Davies:
I think they all look good. But I prefer the pink colour font as it stands out from the collage background. Also as our target audience are girls it will be more appealing to them.

From the feedback I have learnt that the pink font and background are considered the best combination that will appeal to our target audience most effectively.

Digipak Design

Here is the first design idea for my Digipak. I have tried to include a vintage, feminine but quirky feel; various shots types with a focus on close ups; and a musical focus with images of performance that will appeal to the indie/pop audience.

Front Outside
The front of the digipak design includes the artist name and album title in my chosen font: 'Poplar std' as well as close up image of Nina Nesbitt. In the photograph I want Nina to be wearing the hat she wears throughout the video in order to create a memorable and consistent artist image. I also want her to be holding a guitar as focus on musical talent and performance really appeals to a pop/indie audience. The close up will also appeal to the young female audience because of its personal, relatable tone.

Inside right
On the CD is the image of a cupcake; a visual motif in the music video. The artist name and title printed onto the CD will also be a reference to the video with the writing written by hand on white card. This links will create a between the two media platforms therefore creating a artist brand image. The images will also be an entropic combination; they will not be expected to be seen on a CD. I learnt in my research that entropic images appeal to a indie/pop audience as they suit their eccentric and quirky tastes.

Inside Left
This pane has been hugely inspired by the Eliza Doolittle digipak that I researched in which Eliza's name is filled with extreme close ups of her face. I think this is really striking and powerful image that will also work well for my artist, making both her name and appearance memorable and recognizable.
Throughout the background of the digipak I want their to be a collage of patterns and images that will appeal greatly to the female target audience. This will work well with the overall vintage mise-en-scene.

Back Outside
The back pane will include a track list which will be numbered using the images of house numbers we used in our music video. This idea was originally inspired by the olympic ceremony countdown and worked very well in our music video creating a clear link between lyrics and visuals (Goodwin's theory). This will create a recognizable artist image and house style.
The image on the back will be a long shot of Nina performing on stage. This reference to live performance will appeal to the target audience as in my audience demographic research I learnt that live events were one of the audiences interests.
The back pane will include intructions on how to access the disc's extra digital content and will also have links to Nina's social network pages. These wil

Font Experiements

I have began experimenting with different font styles to appear on the Digipak and possibly the advert in order to maintain a consistent artist identity much like the font Florence and the machines name appears in across various media platforms.
I want the mise-en-scene of the Digipak to be quirky, feminine and vintage inspired in order to appeal to the target audience. The font and look of the name and title therefore need to suit and portray this theme.
1. The first font is 'Capitals'. This font is striking and noticeable but I don't feel that it has the feminine look I am trying to achieve.
2. Font: 'Didot'. I like the colour of this font; I feel that it is girly but not too much therefore maintaining that quirky indie feel. But I don't think the font is strong and noticeable enough to grab the attention on the front of a Digipak or advert.
3. Font: 'Desemona'. I really like this font. I think it has a vintage 1920's look but is also quite modern therefore creating a combination that will appeal to the young target audience greatly. The only problem with this font is that I feel that the 'N's are quite difficult to distinguish meaning the name may not be instantly memorized. I feel that it is not clear enough to make a recognizable and memorable artist image.
4. Font: 'Edwardian Script'. I do not think this font is appropriate. It is portraying the vintage mise-en-scene too literally and it weak because of its delicate lines. I feel that this would fail to stand out and grab the target audience's attention.
4. Font: 'Poplar std'. This is the font that I feel will most appeal to the target audience and work well on the digipak cover. It is strong and bold whilst the colour is feminine but with its dark pink tone it also communicates a more edgy, eccentric indie look.

With the chosen font: 'Poplar std' I have continued to experiment with slight variations:
1. Original
2. Smaller size
3. Spaces between each letter
4. No Capitals
5. Grey outline
6. Lighter pink
7. Light blue
8. Mint green

After these further experiments I still prefer the original (1.). I feel that many of the other variations like the spacing between each letter and the no capitals take away from the strong impact the original version has. I do however like the colour variations (6,7,8). I think I will bear these in mind and refer back to them when I have selected the images that will appear on the digipak as the font and image will have to work well together.

Digipak Template

I am now going to begin developing my Digipak. This is the template that I am going to design around.


















I learnt in my Digipak research that close ups are extremely important when trying to appeal to a young target audience as they create a personal, relatable image. This was seen in much of my research of similar artists. I want to use similar shot types in my Digipak.
All of the Digipaks I looked at also had entropic and eccentric design aspects and mise-en-scene, which clearly communicate the indie aspect of the indie/pop genre. I therefore one to integrate this entropic, quirky tone into my Digipak. I feel that this would work very well with my artist as her lyrics are very light hearted and quirky. This will therefore be an example of Goodwin's theory of how a visuals often link with lyrics.
The final thing I learnt from my research that I want to be evident in my Digipak is the large presence and links to e-media with links to social networking sites and extra digital content. Like the artist's FLorence and the machine and Eliza Doolittle I want this to appear on the back outside section of the Digipak. This feature will suit and appeal to my young target audience for who internet and technology is hugely important and appealing.