Analysis and development of print production

1. DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF
MY PRINT PRODUCTIONSTAGES OF DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN ACCOMPANIED BY EVALUATION OF MY IDEAS

2. COVER DRAFT ONE
Beginning my print production, I wanted to be as close to my initial idea as possible – in terms of the
cover of the album. I used a graphics tablet to illustrate images of the male and female characters
from the video, as well as the motif of the newtons cradle. The colours I chose to background these
illustrations were chosen to directly contrast the darkness of the overall cover. This contrast connotes
a direct separation of reality and fiction, something I wanted to portray strongly as in my music video, I
left many moments open to interpretation to engage my constructed audience. This open question as
to what my video connotes adds more personal connection to the video as the individual can see the
love/break-up story as something that they can relate to due to previous experience, or alternatively,
they can look at it from an outsiders perspective and see it more as a fictional story with a sense of
realism foundation.
This initial draft of my cover was very pleasing. I took a raw, close up, image of myself and centralised
it in the frame. Then I altered the curves, levels and added a gradient map of black to white to cast he
figure into darkness. This reinforces the idea of insecurity and shyness. I chose to leave a large
amount of dead space in the fore and background in order to draw focus to the illustration, yet also to
allow the audiences to appreciate the image behind the strip and see the loneliness and adolescence
that it carries. Yet I found concern with the outline and presentation of the illustrated factor. I tried to
ass a glow behind it to allow it to further stand out from the background yet it didn’t look at all
professional enough. I wanted to make the colours richer so I duplicated the illustration and added a
colour burn over the top.

3. COVER DRAFT TWO
In this draft I wanted to present the illustration in a more meaningful way, therefore, I decided to add
a ‘ripped paper’ effect. To do this, I installed a ripped paper brush pack and crafted the outline using
layers of white to give the realist impression that the layer has been ripped. This also gives the
effect that the image of the face is in the foreground of the cover. The way that the portrait layer has
been ripped to reveal the illustration connotes the idea that behind even the shyest and
conservative people in society, there is always a story to tell. And these stories can be crafted and
modified to develop an identity which conforms to the idea of a ‘narrative of the self’. I also finalised
the cover with the artists logo in the upper left hand corner. The placement of this connotes
importance which although could be argued to challenge the idea of an insecure figure and
initiative, it could be inferred to portray the artist as someone who is of great importance to their
fans. Considering the constructed audience.
I chose to leave out the album title, ‘Call me Up’, on the cover as the lead track on the album is ‘Call
me Up’ itself. With this being the most renowned track on the album, and, through my research of
existing songs and their popularity, artists become well known for the songs they produce. With the
main track of the album being pre-released, gaining gravitas for the full album launch, I didn’t see it
necessary to incorporate the title in the cover. In terms of the song itself, the illustrations are based
off of the music video which some audience members may identify and appreciate.
I also tested the cover with a coloured image in the
background. This although looked very professional, lacked
reference to the music video in terms of colouring as it is
too warm. The black and white however, carries a more
neutral appearance which can be interoperated against the
coloured illustration.

4. MAGAZINE ADVERT DRAFT DEVELOPMENT
The making of the magazine advert needed to conform to the design of the main cover of the album. The way I did this was to incorporate the
cover into the larger design for the advert. I extended the ripped effect and centralised the image to reinforce the idea of control and
importance. The extended ripped effect constructs an idea that there is more to be revealed in terms of stories, other sides to arguments, etc…
and, similar to the connotations of my cover, your identity can be chosen by sharing specific details. The ad reminisces with the genre of the
song, being alternative indie. Mainly through the contrast of colours and the bold use of fonts and logos. With this addressing the audience of
the artist greatly,
However, the magazine advert, in this draft, looks rather bare. This although generates a feeling of loneliness, it in turn makes the poster lack
the professionalism which is required. It also makes it lack impact to the wider audiences, those that are less engaged and unaware of who the
artist is. There is no detail of the album in terms of reviews, this would cause the album to lack gravitas in its marketing.
The font used at the head of the production carries an aroma of an old fashioned production. The type of font that would have been used in the
1920’s. This although carries little relevance to the overall image or representation, it provides a very aesthetically pleasing introduction to the
artist. The mix of the 3 fonts adds a sense of complexity to the advert, through this, gives the audience a wider variety of features to be drawn
to as the production itself will be relatively bare. As well as this the colour of the font greatly stands out from the background, therefore, making
it extremely visible, alongside the enlarged logo which gives it more of a recognisable feature.
In the development of my magazine cover, I added magazine reviews of the album. I researched the
magazines to ensure that they include indie music. The reviews will allow the audiences of the poster
to gain an initial idea of the albums quality and popularity, enhancing the collective audience overall. I
also flipped the cradle image to then paste it on the left side of the advert, this balances the design
well and therefore adds to its professionalism. With the newtons cradle connoting the idea of how
actions have consequences, I thought that it would be a good motif for the whole album as it is
inspired by stories by the artist.
I also, to expand the audience, provided logos for social media platforms to allow the listeners to keep
up to date with the artist and future productions. This also conforms to the desired intimacy and
involvement between the artist and audience.

5. INNER PANEL DRAFTS
The internal panels for the album were considered and planned before shooting the images for the actual production. I knew that I
wanted half of the face of each character in the call me up video. This is due to how, being an extreme close up, the faces look
relatively generic which would generate an base for each of the songs on the album. As they will all be about a male/female
relationship.
The male shot will be on the right side of the panel and the female face will be on the left. This develops a sense of separation
between the two which is a direct address to the narrative of the call me up music video. The use of the close up shots gives the
overall production a very intense feel, especially being in the internal panels of the production, it will be very engaging to the
audience. As well as this, the eyes are typically something that people ‘look behind’ to get to know someone, this is connoted in
these shots as the music is very personal to the artist and based on events that have actually happened. Therefore, the further
the audience gets into the album, the more engaging and real it is.
I wanted to keep a dark theme, yet didn’t want to over manipulate the images so they look grungy. Therefore, I altered the curves,
levels and the gradient mapping of both images and then eliminated some areas of the masks with a softer brush in order to bring
a bit of colour to the foreground. This use of colour adds to the ‘revelation’ aspect of the album, portraying it as more of a story in
itself. Revealing more, the further you go into it.
The composition of the shots places the eyes on an upper cross section in relation to the rule of thirds. This further enhances the
professionalism and intensity of the image making it more natural to look at.
LEFT PANEL RIGHT PANEL

6. BACK COVER DRAFT AND DEVELOPMENT
I decided to carry on the idea of a ripped page throughout my entire selection of print productions. In this case, it reveals the song
titles. With the songs being very personal and real in the eyes of the artist, as well as relatable to the audience. The connotation of
secrecy is reinforced by this. The use of the newtons cradle is also due to how it is an ongoing motif throughout the album. I
selected the ball in the foreground (of the raw image) and pasted the layer to give the effect that it is swinging off the page. This
not only re-establishes the motif, but also conforms to the surrealist visual style. I again, similar to the inner panels, used a male
and female, both being the actors/characters from my music video. The way that they have their back turned to the camera in the
shot reinforces the idea presented in the inner panels that the outer layer is more defensive and conservative. Relating to an
individual in society who can appear quite shy on the outside yet carry great gravitas of identity within.
The way that the newtons cradle is separating the two on the back panel identifies the convention established in the music video
where your actions in a relationship can be very destructive and can cause the relationship to end. The songs are staggered which
connotes that the artist in his music is rather frantic. The un-organisation could replicate the structure of that of a mind map which
is typically a landscape of random ideas. This develops the brand identity of the artist as well as adds to the honest and humble
personality that I am trying to construct.
In the design process, my initial draft had a sepia/brown tinge to it. Although this looked good and professional, it lacks link to my
music video and the front cover of the album. The colour grading needed to be consistent throughout my productions and to do so,
I altered the colour palette by adding a teal/darker green shade at the top of all the layers and then giving it a soft light shade on
the rest of the image. This filled the lighter shades/highlights and therefore created a more suitable colour grade.

7. FINAL PRINT PRODUCTION