A2 media: January 2010

This is my developed DVD cover. The first one I realized was too simple and looked more like a CD case cover and lacked information. This was a problem because it didn't meet the codes and conventions of DVD covers. To overcome this I created a second draft or a developed idea for my DVD cover. This version was made in a net format so you can see how it would fit around the DVD case.

This is my developed poster. The first one I realized was way too simple and didn't have a good composition. This was a problem because it didn't follow the codes and conventions of a magazine advert/poster at all and in my opinion looked very amateur.

To overcome this I created a second draft/developed idea for my advert/poster cover. This version was much better than my first and follows the codes and conventions much better than my first. Both of these however will undergo slight changes before made into the final products.

After careful analysis I realised I could improve my auxiliary tasks be researching further into music video DVD covers and music promotional posters. Therefore I chose to analysis several music video DVD covers and music promotional posters and specify the codes and conventions of these. Once the codes and conventions are highlighted I can use these to help better create my own products.

Magazine Adverts/Posters :

Magazine ad 1

Band/Artist: Gnarls Barkley

Music Genre: Pop, Blues,

This poster is a poster advertising Gnarls Barkley's new album St.Elsewhere.

The image appears to be a large black and white mushroom cloud as seen after bombs explode. This is then juxtoposed to bright and vibrate coloured images in the top of the cloud that are slightly war related.

The images in the cloud are very vibrant colours and are of a cartoonist nature and include, a tiger, a gasmask, a bomb and a cityscape. These reinforce the theme of conflict in this composition however juxtapose the rest if the image which is desaturated.

The artist name and album name are in the top left in a plain, italic but effort font similar to the 'impact' font. The mushroom cloud dominates the cover, and the limited information is kept small and placed in the corner. Through looking at the whole image, it is apparent that the large central composition is the main focus of the frame. This possibly shows some significance to the narrative or subject of the album or song. There is also very good use of negative space used in conjunction with the images to further draw attention to the central image.

Magazine ad 2

Band/Artist: Sway

Music Genre: Grime, Rap

This poster is a poster advertising Sway's new album St.Elsewhere.

On the poster appears to be a large shot of the artist dressed completely in white, similar to the plain white background. This is juxtoposed to the bright superimposed text and the vibrant balaclava printed with the Union Jack upon it, symbolizing his British nationality and also reinforcing the 'London' rap style music.

The use of colour in the advert is crucial as all the coloured aspects are vibrant an eye catching. This draws attention to specific areas of the image for example the important text and the face of the artist. The font is constant throughout in its style and font. The artist name is located in the top left, just like the Gnarls Barkley poster. Its large red font is eye catching but at the same time doesn't dominate too much of the main composition.

Magazine ad 3

Band/Artist: Stone roses

Music Genre: Rock, alternative

This poster is advertising the Stone Roses new LP album.

The image appears to be much simpler than the other images I analyzed. A bold eye catching title is centered at the top of the advert. The font is very simply and sharp in form, with a plain black colour. Below this is then a large, vibrant and dominating image of a slice of lemon. The image has been edited with effects similar to the posterize effect in photoshop.

This lemon image stands out significantly due to its high saturation, and dominance of the space on screen. Unlike the previous posters the band name on this is much larger, and this seems to be the only main information here. This possibly connotes brand confidence from this group as the feel they only need to show their band name and already viewers will want to buy the product.

The album name in the bottom left in a plain, black font the same as the title font. Through looking at the whole image, it is apparent that the large central composition of the lemon slice is the main focus of the frame and almost significant. This possibly shows some link to the narrative, subject or visual style of the album or song. Simplicity is the key aspect used in this advert to create impact.

Music video DVD covers: