How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
As a group we have tried to ensure that the artist has a specific theme throughout all the products designed. Initially, whilst planning we decided that we would film our music video in black and white, this was to highlight her “dull” life, before she had expressed herself. Therefore in the production of the website and CD cover, because I was in charge of the initial designed, I ensured that these designs had kept with the theme of the original intention of the music video. During the second draft process of the CD cover Tom had this idea of splitting the CD design in two, one side showing the character’s (in the debut single) vulnerable personality (below left) and one showing the character’s “confident”, “violent” persona (below right). These images were executed in the booklet in the CD case to reinforce the “split personality” theme shown in the music video. To reinforce this main theme we had acoustic and big instrument tracks to represent the two sides of the artist and if we were writing the songs for the able, we would ensure that the lyrics of the songs link to the theme of the overall artist. However when I designed the first few drafts of the website I kept very much to the “vulnerable” personality, with just little sections representing the characters “broken” personality. Whilst in this stage Tom found a certain font online which reinforced this “broken” idea, which I then pasted in to the design. This text design had broken looked very distorted and had a “brick” texture, this represented the “toughness” and “confident” side of the character, however it also illustrates that she has been metaphorically “broken” , representing her heartbroken emotions. This, therefore added a section of the “rocky” personality to the website and was then reinforced at a later stage by me inserting some photos of Sophie in the “corset” costume.
As Richard Dyer has noted: “a star is an image constructed from a range of materials”
For pop music these materials include:
• the songs (their lyrical themes and musical structures/genres)
• the record covers (singles and albums and the image of the star they present)
We have tried to follow Dyer’s conventions in our ancillary products. This has hopefully been achieved by the “lyrical themes” and “genres” of the music video which are also evident as themes on both the website and CD cover.
Advertising – CD Cover + Website
In terms of advertising, firstly the CD cover has a main image of the artist lying on a guitar. This immediately gives the impression that they potentially could play an instrument and has a passion for music. This will hopefully increase the positivity of this artist in the audience’s mind, therefore encouraging them to buy the artist’s album due to its genuine, authentic feel. Usually members of the public are affected in the decision about an artist due to their publicity and actual personality, which comes across in interviews. Due to the fact we are unable to do this; we have ensured that the personality of the artist has come across, not only in the front CD image with the guitar but also in the CD booklet with personal messages to her fans. This will hopefully increase audience engagement with her CD cover, adding a personal feel, therefore could result in purchase.
The website has a similar effect, by having photos of Sophie, almost giving the “Picture frame” effect, and arranged in a way like sideboard full of photo frames would. This “photo frame” idea, came initially from the shots in the music video where the vulnerable character reminisced the positive times of her life with her boyfriend. Therefore this effect has reinforced this theme, but changed the perception of viewing. Now, on the website, the audience are looking at the character, therefore hopefully feeling involved within the product and therefore encouraged to explore the site and find out more information about her.
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