(Post 36) Planning- Ancillary Task 1- Digipak
1) Are there any particular CD covers that you remember? For what reason do you remember these?
Noah- "Hamilton Soundtrack.
Death of a bachelor- Panic! At the Disco.
1989- Taylor Swift.
Fearless-Taylor Swift.
Progress- Take That.
I listen to them all the time and through association, I remember them."
Chloe- "The Lightning Thief Musical.
Folie a Deux - Fall Out Boy.
Electra Heart - Marina and the Diamonds.
Hatful of Hollow - the Smiths.
Africa - Toto.
Even though I do not listen to some of the songs on these albums, I would recognise them because of the design and colour."
Me- "Save Rock and Roll- Fall Out Boy.
American Beauty/American Psycho- Fall Out Boy.
Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die- Panic! At The Disco.
The Best of Electric Light Orchestra (All over the World)- Electric Light Orchestra.
In Case You Didn't Know- Olly Murs.
As a kid, (when I was about 13-15), I bought lots of albums according to my taste then (which was really pop-punk). This was when we didn't really tend to stream as much, and apps like Spotify weren't as big, so I bought loads of CD's physically. These are just the ones I bought and have the most association with. Most of them were my favourite album at some point, so I remember them easier".
Sam- "I don't really listen to music, but I do remember ELO's CD cover. I remember this as it looks pretty and is eye-catching. ".
2) How important is the cover of a CD to you buying it? Why?
Noah- "Not very important. It's just the quality of music that matters."
Chloe- "When buying a physical CD, I prefer to have an album cover that makes the physical purchase 'worth it' - I will sometimes display the CD cover. For digital music, the cover doesn't matter to me as much."
Me- "For me, I don't find that the cover tends to make much of a difference. I usually buy an album because of the artist that has produced it. If I enjoy their music, I may buy their album. Because of this, the cover tends not to make much difference. If I am really torn, and I really like the cover, I may be more likely to buy it, but probably not".
Sam- "Not really important at all".
3) In your opinion what makes a good CD cover? Does it need to stand out on the shelf?
Noah- "It has to have a unique identity. So, if you could describe it in as simple a way as possible and people would still know it."
Chloe- "I feel that photographic portraits with bold text stand out and become quite iconic, such as the Smiths singles covers. Bright colours and simple designs that stand out make covers instantly more recognisable to me."
Me- "I feel like a good CD cover needs to be unique. It has to stand out from the hundreds of other cases and has to catch the audiences eye. Without this, it may be difficult to make sales. To do this, it may need to be bright or even the opposite, to contrast the bright covers in store."
Sam- "If it is memorable. It doesn't need to stand out, but that's helpful".
4) How much space should the act name and track name take up?
Noah- "It doesn't even need to take up and space, like a lot of album covers, don't have the cover title at all. It could be any size."
Chloe- "The band name should take up more space than the album title - the image on the cover alone should be enough to set that specific album apart from the artist's other works. Some albums do not have the title at all, but the band name should be present."
Me- "I think they should both take up equal space. I don't think either aspect of the cover is more important than the other, it is just key that they are both on the front cover."
Sam- "A fair amount".
5) Should the cover image be of the act or a piece of design/art work? Does this depend on whether the act is a soloist or as part of a group/band?
Noah- "I'd say for a solo artist it could be either, as long as it's something to do with the artist. But for a band, it has a bit more flexibility."
Chloe- "I don't think the cover image has to be the act or even anything to do with them because if the image is strong enough to hold its own it will become associated with the band."
Me- "I think it can be effective either way. A solo artist may find that just showing their face on the album immediately gets buyers. This is especially true if the artist is particularly well-known or famous. For example, Adele tends to produce album covers that just have her face on and almost nothing else. This is effective as many people like Adele and would buy her new album simply on the premise that they enjoyed her old music. However, I believe that sometimes art is more effective."
Sam- "It doesn't really matter."
6) Should there be a common theme across the 4 panels or 4 individual images?
Noah- " I'd say it would be good to have one. It just keeps it a little less messy. Because if you have two wildly different things, it would be inconsistent."
Chloe- "I think that keeping a theme is important even if it is only a colour scheme. Keeping the 4 panels cohesive makes the album seem more put-together."
Me- " I think that usually, there has to be a clear theme that ties the album together. Unless this is the albums USP, there should be a clear connection between each panel. This could be in many ways through- the colour scheme could be the same, or the font could be the same. This really allows the feeling of unity and togetherness for the album."
Sam- "No, because they can paint it however they wish it to look".
7) What should be included on the inside and back panel?
Noah- "A booklet, with lyrics and a track list. "
Chloe- "Booklet on the inside, tracklist on the outside. The booklet could have lyrics or images, it isn't important to me as long as I can find the lyrics somewhere online."
Me- "I like it when there are lyrics in the inside panel. I have bought an album before where there have been pictures of the band on the inside cover, in a small booklet, and I really liked this feature. I like it when there are small booklets in the front panel, no matter what is on them."
Sam- "The tracklist. Nothing else is really important. They can have whatever they want, but that's the only thing strictly necessary".
8) Do you like to see the lyrics included?
Noah- "Yes, I love it."
Chloe- "Again, it doesn't matter to me, as long as I can find the lyrics online."
Me- "I love it when the lyrics are included. It really allows me to understand the music and learn the lyrics much faster than before. I can do karaoke."
Sam- "Not really, it doesn't make much of a difference to me".
9) Should the acts social media accounts appear on the digipak somewhere?
Noah- "Yeah, it should. But not in a big place, just somewhere if you were looking for it, you'd find it."
Chloe- "On the back of the album, there should be some small social media logos with the acts handles, similar to a business card. As long as there are recognisable images for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc."
Me-" I believe that the social media accounts should appear on the pack somewhere. It is important for some to keep up with the bands and artists they like, and giving their accounts allows this to happen easier. I'm not sure where I would like them to be positioned, but I don't think they need to be big or bright."
Sam- " I don't think that's strictly necessary. You can just search their details on Google".
10) Should the images included have some link to the name of track(s), genre of music, name of act etc?
Noah- "Not necessarily, I think the closest one you can go with is a link to the song title, but apart from that I don't think they have to be linked."
Chloe- "No. As long as the image is on the album, the album will become associated with it. So there doesn't need to be a link - there will be one in the end."
Me- "I think that there has to be some cohesion. Like, it would be rather confusing if you were listening to heavy death metal, for example, and there were pictures of fluffy bunnies and rainbows. I suppose after a while, this art will become related to the music anyway, but I believe there has to be some sort of link to the genre at least."
Sam- "Yes, they should be relevant."
11) Is the choice of font and text colour important?
Noah- "Yes, the font has to be clear and readable from a distance."
Chloe- "Yes, I think bold black or white text is most important, but any colour that is cohesive with the album works too. I also find that some albums using bright neons that cause eye strain is an interesting graphical choice that draws you to the album."
Me- "Very much so. I believe that the text on an album can be critically analysed by some people. For example, the internet blew up once Taylor Swift released her new album cover. It seemed that the font was too 'childish' and as if it was made in Microsoft Word. If you are a bigger artist, this matters more, but the font and text colour are really important to the feel of the whole album. The font has to be readable, and the colour has to stand out."
Sam- "Yes, because it's more appealing to certain people for specific fonts."
This is the radio show I did to show the results.
Noah- "Hamilton Soundtrack.
Death of a bachelor- Panic! At the Disco.
1989- Taylor Swift.
Fearless-Taylor Swift.
Progress- Take That.
I listen to them all the time and through association, I remember them."
Chloe- "The Lightning Thief Musical.
Folie a Deux - Fall Out Boy.
Electra Heart - Marina and the Diamonds.
Hatful of Hollow - the Smiths.
Africa - Toto.
Even though I do not listen to some of the songs on these albums, I would recognise them because of the design and colour."
Me- "Save Rock and Roll- Fall Out Boy.
American Beauty/American Psycho- Fall Out Boy.
Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die- Panic! At The Disco.
The Best of Electric Light Orchestra (All over the World)- Electric Light Orchestra.
In Case You Didn't Know- Olly Murs.
As a kid, (when I was about 13-15), I bought lots of albums according to my taste then (which was really pop-punk). This was when we didn't really tend to stream as much, and apps like Spotify weren't as big, so I bought loads of CD's physically. These are just the ones I bought and have the most association with. Most of them were my favourite album at some point, so I remember them easier".
Sam- "I don't really listen to music, but I do remember ELO's CD cover. I remember this as it looks pretty and is eye-catching. ".
2) How important is the cover of a CD to you buying it? Why?
Noah- "Not very important. It's just the quality of music that matters."
Chloe- "When buying a physical CD, I prefer to have an album cover that makes the physical purchase 'worth it' - I will sometimes display the CD cover. For digital music, the cover doesn't matter to me as much."
Me- "For me, I don't find that the cover tends to make much of a difference. I usually buy an album because of the artist that has produced it. If I enjoy their music, I may buy their album. Because of this, the cover tends not to make much difference. If I am really torn, and I really like the cover, I may be more likely to buy it, but probably not".
Sam- "Not really important at all".
3) In your opinion what makes a good CD cover? Does it need to stand out on the shelf?
Noah- "It has to have a unique identity. So, if you could describe it in as simple a way as possible and people would still know it."
Chloe- "I feel that photographic portraits with bold text stand out and become quite iconic, such as the Smiths singles covers. Bright colours and simple designs that stand out make covers instantly more recognisable to me."
Me- "I feel like a good CD cover needs to be unique. It has to stand out from the hundreds of other cases and has to catch the audiences eye. Without this, it may be difficult to make sales. To do this, it may need to be bright or even the opposite, to contrast the bright covers in store."
Sam- "If it is memorable. It doesn't need to stand out, but that's helpful".
4) How much space should the act name and track name take up?
Noah- "It doesn't even need to take up and space, like a lot of album covers, don't have the cover title at all. It could be any size."
Chloe- "The band name should take up more space than the album title - the image on the cover alone should be enough to set that specific album apart from the artist's other works. Some albums do not have the title at all, but the band name should be present."
Me- "I think they should both take up equal space. I don't think either aspect of the cover is more important than the other, it is just key that they are both on the front cover."
Sam- "A fair amount".
5) Should the cover image be of the act or a piece of design/art work? Does this depend on whether the act is a soloist or as part of a group/band?
Noah- "I'd say for a solo artist it could be either, as long as it's something to do with the artist. But for a band, it has a bit more flexibility."
Chloe- "I don't think the cover image has to be the act or even anything to do with them because if the image is strong enough to hold its own it will become associated with the band."
Me- "I think it can be effective either way. A solo artist may find that just showing their face on the album immediately gets buyers. This is especially true if the artist is particularly well-known or famous. For example, Adele tends to produce album covers that just have her face on and almost nothing else. This is effective as many people like Adele and would buy her new album simply on the premise that they enjoyed her old music. However, I believe that sometimes art is more effective."
Sam- "It doesn't really matter."
6) Should there be a common theme across the 4 panels or 4 individual images?
Noah- " I'd say it would be good to have one. It just keeps it a little less messy. Because if you have two wildly different things, it would be inconsistent."
Chloe- "I think that keeping a theme is important even if it is only a colour scheme. Keeping the 4 panels cohesive makes the album seem more put-together."
Me- " I think that usually, there has to be a clear theme that ties the album together. Unless this is the albums USP, there should be a clear connection between each panel. This could be in many ways through- the colour scheme could be the same, or the font could be the same. This really allows the feeling of unity and togetherness for the album."
Sam- "No, because they can paint it however they wish it to look".
7) What should be included on the inside and back panel?
Noah- "A booklet, with lyrics and a track list. "
Chloe- "Booklet on the inside, tracklist on the outside. The booklet could have lyrics or images, it isn't important to me as long as I can find the lyrics somewhere online."
Me- "I like it when there are lyrics in the inside panel. I have bought an album before where there have been pictures of the band on the inside cover, in a small booklet, and I really liked this feature. I like it when there are small booklets in the front panel, no matter what is on them."
Sam- "The tracklist. Nothing else is really important. They can have whatever they want, but that's the only thing strictly necessary".
8) Do you like to see the lyrics included?
Noah- "Yes, I love it."
Chloe- "Again, it doesn't matter to me, as long as I can find the lyrics online."
Me- "I love it when the lyrics are included. It really allows me to understand the music and learn the lyrics much faster than before. I can do karaoke."
Sam- "Not really, it doesn't make much of a difference to me".
9) Should the acts social media accounts appear on the digipak somewhere?
Noah- "Yeah, it should. But not in a big place, just somewhere if you were looking for it, you'd find it."
Chloe- "On the back of the album, there should be some small social media logos with the acts handles, similar to a business card. As long as there are recognisable images for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc."
Me-" I believe that the social media accounts should appear on the pack somewhere. It is important for some to keep up with the bands and artists they like, and giving their accounts allows this to happen easier. I'm not sure where I would like them to be positioned, but I don't think they need to be big or bright."
Sam- " I don't think that's strictly necessary. You can just search their details on Google".
10) Should the images included have some link to the name of track(s), genre of music, name of act etc?
Noah- "Not necessarily, I think the closest one you can go with is a link to the song title, but apart from that I don't think they have to be linked."
Chloe- "No. As long as the image is on the album, the album will become associated with it. So there doesn't need to be a link - there will be one in the end."
Me- "I think that there has to be some cohesion. Like, it would be rather confusing if you were listening to heavy death metal, for example, and there were pictures of fluffy bunnies and rainbows. I suppose after a while, this art will become related to the music anyway, but I believe there has to be some sort of link to the genre at least."
Sam- "Yes, they should be relevant."
11) Is the choice of font and text colour important?
Noah- "Yes, the font has to be clear and readable from a distance."
Chloe- "Yes, I think bold black or white text is most important, but any colour that is cohesive with the album works too. I also find that some albums using bright neons that cause eye strain is an interesting graphical choice that draws you to the album."
Me- "Very much so. I believe that the text on an album can be critically analysed by some people. For example, the internet blew up once Taylor Swift released her new album cover. It seemed that the font was too 'childish' and as if it was made in Microsoft Word. If you are a bigger artist, this matters more, but the font and text colour are really important to the feel of the whole album. The font has to be readable, and the colour has to stand out."
Sam- "Yes, because it's more appealing to certain people for specific fonts."
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