A2 Evaluation- Question 2

1. QUESTION 2
How Effective is the Combination
of your Main Product and
Ancillary Texts?

2. H OW A N D W H Y I S H AV I N G A “ H O U S E
S T Y L E ” O R “ B R A N D I D E N T I T Y ” I M P O R T A N T W H E N
C R E A T I N G M U LT I P L E M E D I A P R O D U C T S ?
A brand identity or house style is extremely important as it gives the artist consistency across all mediums of their work,
therefore making it easily recognisable to the audience. The link between the 3 mediums is often done visually through
including imagery (of the protagonists) or having a particular colour theme such as black and white therefore linking all the
separate forms of media together.
A brand identity/house style is very important as it helps to increase sells, by encouraging cross promotion. It also allows
audiences to gain a real grasp and understanding of the type of product they will be buying, as well as providing the genre of
music the album falls under. Having a brand identity gives the artist a sense of individuality and originality, which can only be
associated with that one artist. E.g. The English girl band Little Mix showed a perfect example of
brand identity for their 2012 album DNA. This was achieved
through the use of bright colours and a grid effect containing an
image of each member of the group, both used in the music video
“Wings” and on the album cover and advert. The use of such bright
colours follows the typical conventions of the pop genre, attracting
their young female audience their album is aimed at. .The overall
design is easily recognisable and can therefore can be associated
directly with the artist.

3. H O W H AV E I C R E A T E D A “ B R A N D I D E N T I T Y ”
A C R O S S M Y M U S I C V I D E O , D I G I P A K A N D A D V E R T ?
S I M I L A R C O L O U R S , W O R D I N G , S T Y L E E T C ?
( I M A G E R Y )
In order to create a brand identity for the artist, I decided to use similarities across all three media products that would link them together
allowing cross promotion to occur. However I also wanted my brand identity to be slightly alternative from the typical conventions seen by the
pop/electronica genre, encouraging the audience ask questions and therefore increase sales. For example, the music video is based on the male
protagonist breaking the female protagonists heart, and therefore I wanted to use imagery on the digipak and poster which would reflect how the
female protagonist felt. I used photographs of the female protagonist with an emotionless/slightly upset expression. By using the same character
who played a key role in the music video it connects all the mediums together and creates a brand identity for the artists which is easily
recognisable. Seeing as all the footage in the music video was in colour, it would have seemed logical to have the digipak and advert in colour
too, however I wanted my ancillary texts alongside to be alternative and so therefore I went for a theme of black and white. Using black and
white theme gives connotations of sadness, indecisiveness and detachment which relates to the other songs on the album. . My final aim was to
create a brand identity relating to love and romance which most of the songs on the rest of the album are about.
An example of an artist who's music videos are in colour, but digipak and poster are in black and white is Adele’s album “21”. The front cover
features a close up on the artists face (similar to my own), with the use of the grey scale filter applied over the top. Although it may seem
simplistic, I think it actually appears rather bold, therefore creating a brand identity easily recognisable to the audience. The artist songs are also
based around relationships and love and so therefore I would be creating a brand identity which is realistic for the genre of music our video falls
under. By including only a woman on the digipak and advert it also gives out connotations of femininity and strength which is inspiring to young
female audiences, which is something I was aiming to achieve.

4. H O W H AV E I C R E A T E D A “ B R A N D I D E N T I T Y ” A C R O S S M Y
M U S I C V I D E O , D I G I P A K A N D A D V E R T ? S I M I L A R
C O L O U R S , W O R D I N G , S T Y L E E T C ?
( W O R D I N G A N D C O L O U R )
I decided to use the same text for all the different mediums I had created including the music video, digipak and advert.
By doing this it links all the different forms of media together creating a brand identity for the artist as well as encouraging
cross promotion to take place. The use of font is very important in creating an identity for the artists as audiences tend to
associate the artists with the font ,which is usually reused on each album making it easily recognisable . I decided to use
the font “MYRIAD PRO” and put a space between each letter, in order to make the titles stand out. Although it does
look very simplistic, it is very similar to the font and layout used on ‘The Chainsmokers’ actual album , which therefore
follows the typical conventions of the genre and in attracting the right audience. I believe that consistency of using the
same text across all 3 media products was key in making the final products look professional as possible.
I also decided to also use the same imagery in both the digipak and advert ,to link the both together and make them easily
recognisable to the audience. The black and white theme also creates a brand identity in both my digipak and poster as I
chose to include no colour on both. This therefore links both to each other and creates a recognisable style for the artist
that the audience can draw parallels between as they look so similar.

5. H OW D O YO U T H I N K YO U R D I G I PA K
D E S I G N W I L L “ S E L L” T H E S O N G / A L BU M
T O T H E AU D I E N C E ?
The audience will be attracted to the album by the use of imagery on the front and back cover. The
use of female artist on the front cover will encourage fans of the artist to buy the album, because
they will recognise her and so therefore will want to buy the album. I also decided to include the
name of the artist at the top of the digipak in clear text. This will encourage the audience to buy this
because they may have heard of the artist before and clearly displaying his name may tempt them into
buying it.
The design of my digipak is also very trendy which is another way that it will sell to my audience. The
use of black and white will give a stylish feel and modern feel which will attract our target audience
of young adults as they are fans of style.

6. H OW D O YO U T H I N K YO U R A DV E RT
W I L L “ S E L L” T H E D I G I PA K T O T H E
AU D I E N C E ?
One way in which my advert will sell my album is by including the front cover of the digipak. This is a common
convention amongst most poster adverts and is a great tool in encouraging cross promotion between the digipak
and the poster, therefore increasing more. This direct advertisement will show the reader what the digipak front
cover looks like so that when they see it in the shop they will instantly know what it is. Therefore, on a selling basis,
the inclusion of the front cover is one of the most important conventions of a poster.
I also decided to include reviews for my album from well known newspapers and magazines. This will help to sell
the digipak as the readers may see these reviews and be encouraged to buy the album because of their positivity.
Also, because of them coming from such well known sources the audience will be reassured and believe that they
are correct.

7. W H A T E L E M E N T S O F YO U R A D V E R T A N D
D I G I PA K C O M M U N I C A T E T H E G E N R E O F T H E
M U S I C V I D E O A N D T H E S T Y L E O F T H E B A N D ?
The genre of pop/electronica has many features that are recognisable to the audience. One way in
which my advert and digipak communicate this genre is through the use of black and white. As I
mentioned earlier, other albums in this genre have also decided to uses a black and white theme on
their digipak. (Lorde, Toye Lo and Jamie XX). Therefore, because of this I chose to follow this
convention as it is one that fans of the genre will be able to recognise.
Looking straight into the camera also seems to be a common convention in the electronica genre.
By having the artists directly looking into the camera it gives off a sense of power which
encourages in this case empowers women, which is seen as a positive in the music industry as it is
still widely dominated in men and so therefore it may attract a wider audience to buy the album.

8. CONCLUSION
In conclusion I believe that the combination of the main product and ancillary texts is very effective,
and I feel that I have produced professional work which I can be proud of. I feel I have created a
brand identity for the artist which will attract a wide audience and produce the maximum amount of
sales available. The way in which I have used a theme throughout and across all 3 mediums means
that cross promotion is encouraged which will also increase sales. I like how I have been slightly
alterative with my ancillary texts and have pushed the boundaries out slightly so that I haven't created
anything cliché and boring, instead original hopefully attracting a wider audience. By being alterative I
have hopefully created a brand identity/house style which is like no other and can be recognisable to
the audience as being the “only one”, on the market which is my main goal through creating them.