Digipak Drafts

Digipak Drafts

Inspiration for Ancillary Products

Analysis of Existing Products

This advert by Florence and the Machine promotes the release of their debut album Lungs. The use of this medium shot allows the audience to see the top half of front woman, Florence Welch, which would immediately alert them to the fact that the advertisement is promoting this artist. The placement of the lungs on her chest creates a more literal representation of the album title, and it showcases that her lungs are like her instrument, and a crucial element of the album's creation. Moreover, the artist's outfit makes her appear to be a pre raphaelite, thus presenting her as a romantic. This may have been an impression which was purposely created by the record label and the band themselves as the album is mostly about love and romance. It could also give the audience the impression that Florence Welch is a more sensitive individual, which in turn could help them to relate to her. To add to this, the background is quite neutral, which in turn creates a very relaxed and natural feel. This might imply that singing and performing for the band comes naturally, and that creating music is what they were meant to do. This kind of rustic vibe is quite common within the indie genre, as it gives the artists themselves a very raw, and realistic image, which in turn makes them appear to be more genuine. 

This advert, created to promote Jay Z, focuses on an abundance of white instruments, piled on top of one another to create what appears to be a sculpture. This immediately creates a message for the audience that, perhaps, this album is a work of art and everything is purposefully crafted and balanced to create the music. This could in turn imply to the audience that a lot of effort went into the creation of this album, thus encouraging them to purchase it. The way in which the majority of the poster features the colour white could by a purposeful move by the label, and Jay Z himself, to tell audiences that he is a simple man, or maybe that he is a blank canvas, and the way in which he uses these instruments allows him to develop himself as a person. The way in which the three red lines are placed in the centre of the image could be strategic, as the album is called 'The Blueprint 3', however the use of the red is a clear opposite. This advert follows some conventions of magazine advertisements as it features some of the tracks on the album, and the release date. 

This is AM, an album created by the indie band, the Arctic Monkeys, who incidentally sing the song I have chosen to put my music video to. The graphic on the front cover of the album is a very simple, white sound wave on a black background. The album title is embedded into the centre of the line, however the general message that this could give audiences, is that the album is very simple, and focuses on the sound and the feel of the music. The back cover is also very simple, with the track names being listed in a straight line, separated once by a straight white line. The white line could simply be separating the songs which have been released individually from the songs which only feature on the album, making it more about function. However, the white line could also be like a heart beat, and on the back, it could possible be perceived as a flat line, which in turn could suggest that the songs below it are a new sort of tone, as the Arctic Monkeys are 'reborn'. The image inside shows the band members all wearing the same outfit, in black and white. This is a convention of the indie genre, as it is very simple, but shows them as a collective. The band may have been dressed in this way in order to remind the audience of another famous artist, such as the Beatles who also dressed in a similar manner. The label could have done this purposely in order to imply that the Arctic Monkeys have a very classic sound. 

Conventions of a Digipak

Conventions of a Magazine Advertisement

Chosen Ancillary Text Briefs

A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options:

a website homepage for the band;

a cover for its release as part of a digipak (CD/DVD package);

a magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package). 

The pieces of text that have been put into a bold format are the two ancillary texts I have chosen to accompany my music video.