Thursday 23 March 2017
Friday 17 March 2017
Tuesday 14 March 2017
UPDATED: Q2 - How effective is the combination of your main product with ancillary texts?- BEN RODWELL
In order to create a coherent brand identity for 'Bad Sounds' (the band I had chosen), synergy needed to be apparent between my music video, my CD panels and my advert. I feel that all three of my products are clearly linked both visually and thematically as a result of specific design and layout choices.
The repetition of the font and logo throughout my print productions again creates a strong visual link between them. I used the logo on all the CD panels as well as on the advert to reinforce and establish the logo to the audience. I decided to use an edited and original font as the logo for my band as I thought that not only was it visually interesting but also it provided a clear and recognisable brand for the band. By using an inverted font, the logo also creates a thematic link to the music video's theme of duality; there are two sides to the font and only one of them is being shown. The combination of a distinctive font with the logo of the band also helps create the minimalist look of the front cover as there are
fewer items on the front cover. I feel that by creating a distinctive logo and then using that logo across all of the print productions, a very strong and coherent connection is made between them. All the pieces have been branded by the logo and are therefore clearly part of Bad Sound's release. The logo helps bind all of the pieces together and as well as this establishes the bands identity and brand.
In addition to this the use of the same font throughout all of the print productions again establishes a clear visual connection between them all. I used the font 'FFF' for all of the small font on the CD panels (such as the track listing and small print) and on the advert (for the quotes). I chose FFF as although it was a bold, sans serif font, it was also recognisable and original and so effectively created the link between the print productions., Had I used a common font such as Times New Roman, audiences would not necessarily assume that the pieces are connected because so many things use this font. However by using the same, original font across the productions audiences will understand that the productions are all linked. The font is effective at creating a link between the productions because of its originality and because of identifiable it is.
Finally, the visual links created by the colour scheme and the composition of the photos furthermore establish a thematic link between the print productions and the music video. The contrasting dark and light colour schemes used on the CD panels and the advert and the face paint in the music video establish the theme of duality between the two products. The direct contrast between the dark and the light link with the portrayal of internal conflict between the good and the bad personalities of one person; the dark representing the bad and the light representing the good. While the visual style creates a strong and obvious link between all productions, the thematic link is more subtle and will appeal to audiences who are looking for metaphorical messages in the productions. By referencing the narrative of the music video in the colour scheme of the print productions, a coherent and sophisticated link is created which I feel will appeal to my target audience. As Bad Sounds music is creative and original I feel audiences who like their music will also appreciate the complex and metaphorical thematic link between my productions.
Theorists
Levi Strauss' theory of binary opposition could be effectively applied to thematic link between my music video and print productions. Strauss stated that humans invent opposites as a way of understanding and categorising the world we live in. For example, Strauss would state that we understand the meaning of 'rich' because of our understanding of 'poor'. Other examples of binary opposites are hot/cold, men/women, black/white and good/evil.This last example is especially present in the thematic link between my productions. As well as the clear visual links, the theme of duality or inner conflict between your good and bad sides links my productions. Strauss would state that I am binary opposing someones 'good' side with their 'bad'. The audience will quickly understand this binary opposition and furthermore my productions as a whole as the opposition is a traditional one used in media; a huge majority of films use the opposition of good and bad and their conflict as a central narrative. This is because it is accessible to all audiences. By repeating this binary opposition in both my productions, I have strengthened the coherent link between them.
In addition to this, Barthes' media theories could be applied to my productions. Barthes stated that narratives are made up of codes such as enigma codes and action codes which help engage with the audience. Furthermore there are two types of texts: closed and open. Closed texts have a specific meaning where as open texts have multiple, ambiguous interpretations. The repetition of codes in both my productions as well as the open nature of my texts helps establish a strong link between them. For instance both of my texts use an enigma code to maintain audiences attention and engage with them. The use of close up, heavily edited photos in my print productions makes the audience question who or even what the photo is of and in y music video, the face paint of the main character mirrors this. By creating a sense of enigma in both productions, the audiences are drawn in and engaged as they try to resolve the questions they have. In addition to this both of my productions are open meaning they don't have a set interpretation. Instead they are more ambiguous allowing audiences to draw their own conclusions. By creating two texts that are both open to interpretation and use enigmatic codes, I have strengthened the link between them.
Conclusion
In conclusion visual links are created between my media texts through the repetition of the colour scheme, the similarity in the composition of the photos, through the repetition of the logo and through the use of the same font throughout. Furthermore these visual links also help establish a thematic link between my pieces; the dark and light colour scheme establish the theme of duality in my print productions which links to the metaphorical narrative
of my music video
 |
| My CD cover uses a bold colour scheme and portrayal of someones face to create metaphorical meanings as well as a link to the music video |
 |
| Screenshot from my music video |
There is a clear visual link between my print productions and my music video. The most obvious visual link between music video and print productions is the face paint used on the main character in my music video and the editing style applied to the photograph on the CD cover. The strong contrast between light and dark on the faces of the music video and print productions respectively create a readable and coherent link. While the placement of the two colours is not identical on both faces, the repetition of strong contrasting black and whites on both is enough to show an obvious stylistic link between the two. As well as this, the metaphorical significance of the portrayal of the faces having light and dark sides reinforces the theme of duality which runs through music video and print productions. The dark is representing the bad and the white is representing the good. By using both colours on one face it implies that everyone has both good and bad personalities within them. Additionally the repetition of this technique acts almost like a motif throughout the productions, giving the band a unique signifier or symbol. Building upon this the repetition of the dark grey colour scheme throughout my print productions further reinforces a coherent synergy between my productions. By using a dark grey background in my back and front CD panels as well as my advert, it is clear to audiences that they all belong to one release and band. The use of this dark grey background in combination with the white font further reinforces the thematic link between the products via the inferred reference to duality. I feel that by using a similar colour scheme throughout both my music idea and print productions, a clear and coherent link is created which audiences can instantly read and understand. In addition to this, by using this colour scheme to portray the faces of the main characters in both productions in a certain way, the main theme of duality of all of the productions are linked and effectively portrayed.
 |
| The logo creates an interesting visual style, provides an effective symbol for the band's brand and links to the theme of duality |
fewer items on the front cover. I feel that by creating a distinctive logo and then using that logo across all of the print productions, a very strong and coherent connection is made between them. All the pieces have been branded by the logo and are therefore clearly part of Bad Sound's release. The logo helps bind all of the pieces together and as well as this establishes the bands identity and brand.
 |
| The small font used on my advert for the quote is repeated on my CD panels to create a coherent link |
Finally, the visual links created by the colour scheme and the composition of the photos furthermore establish a thematic link between the print productions and the music video. The contrasting dark and light colour schemes used on the CD panels and the advert and the face paint in the music video establish the theme of duality between the two products. The direct contrast between the dark and the light link with the portrayal of internal conflict between the good and the bad personalities of one person; the dark representing the bad and the light representing the good. While the visual style creates a strong and obvious link between all productions, the thematic link is more subtle and will appeal to audiences who are looking for metaphorical messages in the productions. By referencing the narrative of the music video in the colour scheme of the print productions, a coherent and sophisticated link is created which I feel will appeal to my target audience. As Bad Sounds music is creative and original I feel audiences who like their music will also appreciate the complex and metaphorical thematic link between my productions.
Theorists
Levi Strauss' theory of binary opposition could be effectively applied to thematic link between my music video and print productions. Strauss stated that humans invent opposites as a way of understanding and categorising the world we live in. For example, Strauss would state that we understand the meaning of 'rich' because of our understanding of 'poor'. Other examples of binary opposites are hot/cold, men/women, black/white and good/evil.This last example is especially present in the thematic link between my productions. As well as the clear visual links, the theme of duality or inner conflict between your good and bad sides links my productions. Strauss would state that I am binary opposing someones 'good' side with their 'bad'. The audience will quickly understand this binary opposition and furthermore my productions as a whole as the opposition is a traditional one used in media; a huge majority of films use the opposition of good and bad and their conflict as a central narrative. This is because it is accessible to all audiences. By repeating this binary opposition in both my productions, I have strengthened the coherent link between them.
In addition to this, Barthes' media theories could be applied to my productions. Barthes stated that narratives are made up of codes such as enigma codes and action codes which help engage with the audience. Furthermore there are two types of texts: closed and open. Closed texts have a specific meaning where as open texts have multiple, ambiguous interpretations. The repetition of codes in both my productions as well as the open nature of my texts helps establish a strong link between them. For instance both of my texts use an enigma code to maintain audiences attention and engage with them. The use of close up, heavily edited photos in my print productions makes the audience question who or even what the photo is of and in y music video, the face paint of the main character mirrors this. By creating a sense of enigma in both productions, the audiences are drawn in and engaged as they try to resolve the questions they have. In addition to this both of my productions are open meaning they don't have a set interpretation. Instead they are more ambiguous allowing audiences to draw their own conclusions. By creating two texts that are both open to interpretation and use enigmatic codes, I have strengthened the link between them.
Conclusion
In conclusion visual links are created between my media texts through the repetition of the colour scheme, the similarity in the composition of the photos, through the repetition of the logo and through the use of the same font throughout. Furthermore these visual links also help establish a thematic link between my pieces; the dark and light colour scheme establish the theme of duality in my print productions which links to the metaphorical narrative
of my music video
Friday 10 March 2017
Tuesday 7 March 2017
Sunday 5 March 2017
Development of initial ideas to final productions- BEN RODWELL
After obtaining feedback from my teachers about my initial ideas, I decided to make some adjustments to them. I wanted the final products to be as strong and professional looking as possible and so taking on board 2nd and 3rd opinions, I felt was vital.
BACK PANEL
During feedback I was told that the back panel was simply missing some elements that are ever present in genuine CD panels. One of these features was a small amount of text outlining the copyright surrounding the CD cover. To address this I wrote a small paragraph outlining the rights and copyright laws to do with the CD and placed this at the bottom.
Another thing I had to change was the position of the track listing. One of my teachers suggested that I line up the right hand edge of the track listing with the edge of the bar-code simply to make the page aesthetically even.
Finally I removed a track from the track listing to make the lyric book I had created work more effectively. The lyric book contained lyrics for 9 songs instead of 10 so I simply removed one track.
ADVERT
Feedback from my teachers and peers highlighted two minor issues with my advert. These were: the Facebook and Tittwer logos were too large and alaso had different corner (one had sharp corner the othe3r had rounded corners. The other issue was that the middle quote looked too long and would look more effetcive if it were split over two lines such as with the last quote.
Therefore I reduced the size of the logos to be the same height as the date. This gave a more coherent style and imprioved the minalimist aestehtic of the final design. In addition to this I smoothed over the corner of the Facebook logo to make it identical to the Twitter one. This again made the advert more visually symetrical.
The alter the middle quote I simply split the text over tewo lines. This reduced the lenght of the quote and furthermore added to ther symetcial visual style of the advert as it was more similar in olneght to the otyher two quotes.
MIDDLE PANELS-LYRICS BOOK
In my initial ideas I had two middle panels which used the lyrics of the album to create the logo of the band. While I thought that this design worked effectively, feedback from my teachers and friends highlighted the simplicity of this technique. Furthermore a suggestion that was made to me was to create some kind of booklet that built upon the idea of combining the lyrics and the logo. Therefore I decided to include as well as the middle two panels of my CD, a lyrics booklet which used the lyrics of the album as a way of creating the logo.
I feel that not only will the lyrics be easier to read for audiences, but including a lyrics booklet makes my overall print productions more complex, interesting and original. While the lyrics of the song are not completely visible and are repeated multiple times in order to create the logo, I feel that audiences will still appreciate the combination of lyrics and logo in a booklet which is easier to read than the middle panels.
The use of booklet increases the complexity and originality of my design; many artists do not include this in their albums. Furthermore I feel this will appeal to my audience as the music of 'Bad Sounds' is quirky and original also.
BACK PANEL
 |
| Initial Idea |
During feedback I was told that the back panel was simply missing some elements that are ever present in genuine CD panels. One of these features was a small amount of text outlining the copyright surrounding the CD cover. To address this I wrote a small paragraph outlining the rights and copyright laws to do with the CD and placed this at the bottom.
Another thing I had to change was the position of the track listing. One of my teachers suggested that I line up the right hand edge of the track listing with the edge of the bar-code simply to make the page aesthetically even.
 |
| Final Product |
ADVERT
 |
| Initial design |
Therefore I reduced the size of the logos to be the same height as the date. This gave a more coherent style and imprioved the minalimist aestehtic of the final design. In addition to this I smoothed over the corner of the Facebook logo to make it identical to the Twitter one. This again made the advert more visually symetrical.
The alter the middle quote I simply split the text over tewo lines. This reduced the lenght of the quote and furthermore added to ther symetcial visual style of the advert as it was more similar in olneght to the otyher two quotes.
 |
| Final Design |
MIDDLE PANELS-LYRICS BOOK
 |
| Initial middle panel ideas |
 |
| 1st page from the lyric booklet |
In my initial ideas I had two middle panels which used the lyrics of the album to create the logo of the band. While I thought that this design worked effectively, feedback from my teachers and friends highlighted the simplicity of this technique. Furthermore a suggestion that was made to me was to create some kind of booklet that built upon the idea of combining the lyrics and the logo. Therefore I decided to include as well as the middle two panels of my CD, a lyrics booklet which used the lyrics of the album as a way of creating the logo.
I feel that not only will the lyrics be easier to read for audiences, but including a lyrics booklet makes my overall print productions more complex, interesting and original. While the lyrics of the song are not completely visible and are repeated multiple times in order to create the logo, I feel that audiences will still appreciate the combination of lyrics and logo in a booklet which is easier to read than the middle panels.
The use of booklet increases the complexity and originality of my design; many artists do not include this in their albums. Furthermore I feel this will appeal to my audience as the music of 'Bad Sounds' is quirky and original also.
 |
| 2nd page from the lyric booklet |
 |
| 3rd page from the lyric booklet |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)