The combination of the main product (music video) and ancillary texts (digipak, advert) effectively capture brand identity and communicate the indie genre to establish an audience. Consistent visual elements like the male protagonist's clown makeup, pink color scheme, and mise-en-scene create a recognizable style across all texts. The digipak uses a mysterious song title, professional record label logo, and simplicity to attract interest and inferences from viewers. The advert promotes the artist and tour dates through familiar themes, colors, and typography to gain attention on social media and establish the artist as real. Research showed indie pieces are often unique and simple to relate to, so the design focuses the protagonist as the clear subject

1. A2 MEDIA STUDIES: EVALUATION QUESTION
2- HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE COMBINATION
OF YOUR MAIN PRODUCT AND ANCILLARY
TEXTS?
BEN KNIPE

2. HOW IMPORTANT IS BRAND IDENTITY AND HOW DID WE CAPTURE IT?
BRAND IDENTITY IS A VERY IMPORTANT FEATURE WHICH IS CREATED BY THE
PRODUCERS OF A PIECE OF CONTENT AND IS THEN CONSUMED BY THE CUSTOMER.
IT ACTS AS A UNIQUE SELLING POINT AND GAINS INTEREST FROM THE AUDIENCE. I
CREATED BRAND IDENTITY BY USING A LOT OF INTERTEXTUALITY THROUGH MY
MUSIC VIDEO AND ANCILLARY TEXTS. THIS BEGINS WITH THE FACE OF OUR MALE
PROTAGONIST. THE CLOWN MAKEUP SYMBOLISES HIM IN A SOCIETY WHERE HE DOES
NOT FEEL THAT HE FITS IN WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND. IT ALSO SHOWS THAT HE IS A SHY
CHARACTER WHO DOES NOT WANT TO BE JUDGED. THIS IS SHOWN ON THE FRONT
AND BACK OF THE DIGIPAK, AND ALSO ON THE ADVERT. THE TIGHTER FRAME ON
THE FRONT AND BACK COVER IN COMPARISON TO THE LOOSE FRAME FOR THE
ADVERT, SHOWS THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NARRATIVE. WE KEPT TO THE COLOUR
SCHEME OF THE VIDEO(SCREENSHOT IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT), BECAUSE IT SHOWS A
SENSE OF ROMANCE AND TOGETHERNESS. THIS CAN STILL BE FELT IN THE DIGIPAK
DESPITE THE FACT HE IS STANDING ON HIS OWN. THE MISE-EN-SCENE IS VERY
THOROUGH AND CONSISTENT THROUGHOUT. THE REASON FOR THIS, IS SO THAT
THE AUDIENCE CAN RELATE TO THE FEELING AND MOOD OF THE PROTAGONIST,
AND THEY MAY EVEN SEE A SIDE OF EMPATHY TOWARDS HIM. THEY CAN IDENTIFY
WITH THE EMOTIONS THAT THE BRAND IS FEELING HIMSELF. THIS RANGES FROM
THE LIGHTING IN THE VIDEO, TO THE ATTIRE THAT THE CHARACTER’S ARE
WEARING. THE USE OF SIMILAR IMAGES IS ALSO VERY EFFECTIVE AS IT SHOWS THE
SAME MOOD IS EMPHASISED THROUGHOUT. THE PINK TYPOGRAPHY ON THE
DIGIPAK IS BOLD AND IS A COLOUR CONNOTATION OF ROMANCE AND LOVE. THIS IS
WHAT WE WANTED THE AUDIENCE TO FEEL AS A RESULT OF THE SHOTS THEY SEE IN
THE MUSIC VIDEO, AND THEIR INFERRED MEANINGS FROM THE ANCILLARY TEXTS.
FROM MY RESEARCH INTO THE INDIE GENRE, A SENSE OF UNIQUENESS IS OFTEN
CAPTURED BY THE PRODUCERS. WE DID THIS BY HAVING THE FONT AS THE EXACT
LOGO OF THE REAL ARTISTS. THIS INCREASES THE SENSE OF PROFESSIONALISM AND
CAN MAKE THE BRAND A LOT MORE IDENTIFIABLE TO THE AUDIENCE VIEWERS. THE
BLACK AND WHITE SHOTS IN THE MUSIC VIDEO SHOW A DARKER AND MELLOWER
TONE FOR THE AUDIENCE TO RELATE TO. WE CHOSE NOT TO USE THESE TYPES OF
COLOURS FOR THE DIGIPAK AND ADVERT AS THEY ARE LESS APPEALING, EYE
CATCHING AND CAN DAMAGE THE BRAND IDENTITY STYLE THAT WE WANTED TO
CAPTURE.

3. THE DIGIPAK IS ONE OF THE MAIN WAYS IN WHICH WE COULD ATTRACT ATTENTION FROM OUR AUDIENCE. IT IS THE STILL
IMAGE THAT SHOULD REPRESENT A LOT OF WHAT THE AUDIENCE WOULD SEE IN OUR MUSIC VIDEO. THE TITLE ‘I LIKE IT
WHEN YOU SLEEP FOR YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL YET SO UNAWARE OF IT’ IS ONE OF THE SONGS ACTUALLY FEATURED ON
THE ALBUM. IT IS UNIQUE AND HAS A SENSE OF MYSTERY AROUND IT, IN THAT THE AUDIENCE WANT TO KNOW MORE
ABOUT THE SONG AND ALBUM ITSELF INSTEAD OF JUST HAVING A TITLE FOR IT. IT RELATES TO THE USES AND
GRATIFICATIONS THEORY IN THAT THE AUDIENCE WANT A SENSE OF ESCAPISM AND WANT TO BE ABLE TO EXPLORE THE
HIDDEN MEANINGS BEHIND A CERTAIN PIECE OF TEXT. ‘DIRTY HIT RECORDS’ IS THE ACTUAL RECORD LABEL OF THE 1975.
WE CHOSE TO USE THIS AS IT SHOWS A SENSE OF PROFESSIONALISM AND ALSO BECAUSE THE ACTUAL LOGO FOR IT SUITS
AND COMPLIMENTS OUR GENRE NICELY. THE BLACK AND WHITE LOGO SITS NICELY ON TOP OF THE PINK AND MELLOW
PHOTOGRAPHIC COLOURS HOWEVER STANDS OUT ENOUGH FOR IT TO BE RECOGNISED AND NOT DISREGARDED. THE
LONG SHOT ON THE FRONT COVER SHOWS THAT THE ARTIST MAY LIKE A SENSE OF PERSONAL SPACE TO THINK AND BE ‘IN
HIS THOUGHTS’. THE LOOSE FRAME ON THE BACK SHOWS HE IS DISTANT AND MAY NOT WANT TO BE RECOGNISED. IT
ALSO SHOWS HE WANTS TO BE FAR AWAY DUE TO THE SITUATION HE IS IN. THE AUDIENCE WILL BE ABLE TO RELATE TO
THIS BY WATCHING THE MUSIC VIDEO. IT DRIVES OUR NARRATIVE FORWARD AND CAN BE RELATED TO STUART HALL’S
RECEPTION THEORY IN THAT A PREFERRED, NEGOTIATED, AND OPPOSITIONAL READING CAN BE ESTABLISHED. RICHARD
DYER AND ANDREW GOODWIN SUGGESTED THAT THE STAR PERSONA NEEDS TO BE REPRESENTED IN ORDER FOR THE PIECE
TO BE A SUCCESS. WE DID THIS BY MAKING HIM THE FOCAL POINT FOR BOTH THE FRONT AND BACK OF OUR DIGIPAK. THIS
PUTS THE SOLE AN PRIMARY FOCUS OF THE AUDIENCE ONTO HIM, AND MAKES SURE THAT THERE ARE NO DISTRACTIONS
TO DRIVE AWAY FROM THE DETAILS. THE SIMPLICITY OF THE DIGIPAK IS ANOTHER REASON ON WHY THE AUDIENCE
WOULD DEEM IT TO BE SUCCESSFUL. IT MAKES IT A LOT EASIER TO INFER PERSONAL MEANINGS FROM IT AND IT ALSO
GIVES OF A SENSE OF HOUSE STYLE AN PROFESSIONALISM. THE HOUSE STYLE IS CREATED BY HAVING THE SAME COLOUR
SCHEME THROUGHOUT FROM, PINK, ORANGE AND BLUE. THESE COLOURS ALL COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER ON THE COLOUR
WHEEL AND THEREFORE MAKES IT MORE AESTHETICALLY PLEASING.
How will the Digipak design attract and establish an audience, and sell your product?

4. THE ADVERT PROMOTES THE ARTIST NOT ONLY TO THE TARGET AUDIENCE, BUT TO THE
WIDER AUDIENCE, POTENTIALLY AROUND THE WORLD, TO GAIN INTEREST AND POPULARITY.
OUR ADVERT CAN FIRST ESTABLISH AN AUDIENCE DUE TO ITS RECOGNISABLE AND
SIMPLISTIC THEMES WHICH ARE SIMILAR TO THAT OF THE DIGIPAK AND MUSIC VIDEO. THE
ARTIST, THE CLOTHING, AND THE COLOUR SCHEME ARE ALL LINKED AND SIMILAR AND
THEREFORE PROMOTE A SENSE OF TOGETHERNESS AND ORGANISATION. THE GAIN OF
ATTENTION IS HEIGHTENED ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA AS THE ADVERT INCLUDES TOUR DATES.
KNOWING PERSONALLY THAT AN ARTIST THAT YOU LIKE IS GOING TO BE LIVE IN YOUR CITY
IS GOING TO GAIN INTEREST ACROSS A WHOLE NETWORK OF SOCIAL MEDIA. THE
BACKGROUND BEHIND THE ARTIST SHOWS NOT ONE SENSE OF FAVOURITISM TOWARDS ANY
OF THE LOCATIONS LISTED FOR THE TOUR. THE COLOURS CONNOTE MELLOWNESS AND
TRANQUILLITY WITHIN THE PIECE; WHICH MAY BE LATER RELATED WHEN THE AUDIENCE
COME TO SEE THEM ON TOUR. THE RECORD LABEL BEING APPARENT AGAIN, SHOWS A SENSE
OF PROFESSIONALISM AND CAN ACT AS A UNIQUE SELLING POINT. THIS IS BECAUSE THE
AUDIENCE WILL ESTABLISH AND UNDERSTAND THAT THE ARTIST IS REAL AND GOOD AT THE
WORK THAT THEY CREATE. THE TYPOGRAPHY IS A BLACK WHICH SITS UPON THE
BLUE/WHITE SKY WHICH IS BOLD AND RECOGNISABLE TO THE AUDIENCE. THE PINK AND
UNIQUE LOGO FOR THE ARTIST’S NAME ‘THE 1975’ IS RECOGNISABLE ACROSS ALL THE
FORMS OF TEXT THAT WE CREATED FROM OUR WORK.
How will the Advert design attract and establish an audience, and sell your product?

5. THROUGH MY RESEARCH, I HAVE LEARNED THAT INDIE DIGIPAKS AND ADVERTS ARE OFTEN VERY UNIQUE AND SIMPLE SO THAT
THE AUDIENCE CAN INFER THEIR MEANINGS AND RELATE TO THEM A LOT EASIER. THE MELLOW AND SIMPLE COLOUR TONES AND
CONTRASTS CAN BE SEEN ACROSS ALL THREE F THE EXAMPLE DIGIPAKS ON THE RIGHT. THIS CREATES A SOFT, MELLOW AND
NON-HOSTILE TONE FOR THE VIEWER. THE ARTISTS NAME IS POSITIONED SIMILAR TO ‘THE LUMINEERS’ TITLE AT THE BOTTOM. IT
IS OUT OF THE WAY OF THE ACTUAL FOCAL POINT OF THE PICTURE, HOWEVER IT SITS NICELY AS A LEADING LINE WHEN THE
AUDIENCE MOVES THEIR EYE AROUND THE IMAGE. THE PROTAGONIST OF OUR MUSIC VIDEO IS THE MAIN FOCAL POINT OF THE
PIECE BECAUSE THAT IS THE STANCE THAT WE LEARNED FROM OUR INDUSTRY RESEARCH. IT MAKES THEM MORE FOCUSED AND
ACCEPTABLE BY THE WIDER MAJORITY OF THE AUDIENCE. THE WHITE ETHNICITY IS OFTEN A VERY STEREOTYPED AND ACCEPTED
CULTURE ACROSS THE INDIE GENRE AND THEREFORE OUR AUDIENCE WOULD BE LIKELY TO ACCEPT THE MEANINGS WE TRIED TO
CREATE. PARENTAL ADVISORY STICKERS ARE NOT OFTEN SEEN ACROSS OUR GENRE, HOWEVER IT DOES DETAIL HOW OUR PIECE
MAY USE MODERATELY STRESSFUL LANGUAGE TO DEPICT THE STRUGGLE THAT OUR PROTAGONIST IS GOING ON. IN THIS SENSE,
WE CHALLENGED THE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF THE INDIE GENRE TO DO OUR OWN STICKER AND LABELLING.
What elements of the digipak and music video communicate the genre to the audience?