This document analyzes and summarizes several student-created album covers and advertisements. It finds that the designs effectively represent the genres and artists through their use of colors, fonts, imagery and layouts. However, some designs may raise copyright issues by being too similar to existing professional works. Overall, the critiques praise the clear brand identities and necessary information conveyed while also providing constructive feedback.

1. Student Ancillary Analysis

2. Imagine Dragons - Album
This student designed album cover is effective as it gives a clear
representation of the genre as well as having a clear link to the band and so
therefore showing brand identity as it links to the poster well. The colours
are very typical compared to other Imagine Dragon albums and artwork
and this ensures that the audience know that it is their album. The fonts
and the artwork used (the triangular shapes) are again much like
professionally done albums which shows the high quality of the student
work. The artwork represents the genre of the band well due to the visuals
and colours used as it creates a relatively surreal and thought provoking
piece of media which is commonly the case with this genres song lyrics –
the genre being dream pop/indie pop. The album features all the typical
requirements of CD cases which range from the album name to copyright
information. This allows there to be a well done piece of student work
which shows the necessary features. From the album I like the brand
identity it conveys through the use of colours, imagery and font however
this may cause issue as it is very similar if not the same as what the actual
band uses and this therefore suggest that they have not been inventive and
creative in their ideas as they have taken already used work and applied it
to their own. Therefore for this reason this piece of work may hold issues
surrounding copyright content. Alongside the striking imagery, the font on
the front of the album is what stands out the most due to the bold, white
choice of text which shows that the artist name is the most significant thing
on the album. This makes it clear to the target audience that this is the
album of the band and that it stands out against the vast selection out
there. The layout on the back of the album is very straight forward and
simple and this allows for easy viewing and so makes it readable for the
masses. The inside cover features a slight blurb of the album but also has a
smartcode and this shows technological convergence and how new media
and technology has entered and is being used across many platforms of the
media world.

3. Imagine Dragons - Advert
This advert for the Imagine Dragons album is very similar to the
album which shows their to be a clear brand identity and relation
between the two pieces of media. The advert contains all of the
information you would expect and so this ensures that it is clear to
the target audience the release date, the name of the album and
artist and also the record label. In this advert there is also a review
which helps there to be a clear rating for the audience to interpret.
The fonts used are very bold which makes it clear and readable for
the audience. The fonts used in particular are quite indie and are
‘chunky’ which relates that the genre is quite fun and possibly easy-
going. The ad also contains two websites and a smartcode which
shows how new technologies are being incorporated into older
media formats. The main image used on this advert is the same as
the front of the album which again shows the audience the links
between the two, creating brand identity and artist promotion.
Overall between the two there is a strong link which ensures that
there is a clear distinction that the advert is advertising the specific
album and it represents the band’s genre and what style their music
is. The brand identity is strong between the final products though
there may be some questionable features which may infringe
copyright issues. With this in mind though it is a very effective piece
of work which does what it is supposed to.

4. Canopy Climbers - Album
This student work for the Canopy Climbers has a clear and
distinguishable style which represents the genre well. Their genre is
dream/indie pop which is visible from the colours and visuals shown
in the album art. The outside features a relaxing purple colour which
varies in shades and tones at different areas. On top of this main
colour there is an image which is a brand identity for the band as it
is featured across the album in various places as well as on the
advert. This image also features the purple colours which signifies
this is important to the album. The font of the album name is
relatively small compared to the artist name shown and though it is
not bold it does stand out against the darker background. The artist
name featured is however both large and bold and this gives a clear
indication that band is well known within the genre. On the reverse
the track listing is simplistic laid out and this makes it easy to follow
and read. The same font is used throughout for all of the text which
makes this album seem quite simplistic and stripped back which is a
representation of the genre and what it stands for, giving out subtle
messages. The barcode on the back is quite big, much like the size of
the record label which shows these to be significant pieces of
information. The copyright text however is not and this ensures that
it is not distracting the audience from seeing the main visuals and
makes sure that the reverse of the album is not ruined by these
words. The inside cover features a mix of high and low key lighting
as the main images shown are to do with the theme of fire as is
shown by the sparkler and tree on fire. These may be direct
references to the music video itself and so this hides a message
which will become relevant within the music and song lyrics
perhaps. I like this student work as it clearly identifies the genre of
the band and it has a simplistic layout and design which represents
the genre well.

5. Canopy Climbers - Advert
The advert for the ‘Stuck’ album matches the album itself well
due to the same use of colours, fonts, titles and imagery. This
creates a clear link between the two for the audience which
enables there to be a clear distinction as to what it is
advertising. It has the necessary information such as the
release date and album and artist name and this shows that
they have followed the typical conventions which shows a
good piece of media. This advert also has an advertisement for
a shop in which the album will become available to buy at
which suggests that it’s available ins tore at the date shown.
These little details add to the realism to ensure that the media
piece is an effective piece of work. The reviews on the advert
also help to sell the product to the consumers which helps as
an effective piece of marketing as they are making effective
use of the space provided for the advert. All in all I think this is
an effective piece of media as it does what is required and
establishes a clear brand identity for the artist all at the same
time whilst providing a clear selling point for the artist and
providing artist promotion.

6. Taylor Swift - Album
A first look at this student made Taylor album and the
specific demographics of the target audience are clear. It
is evident from the imagery and colours used that it
appeals more so to a female audience though it does also
hint at the genre of the music. The imagery shows the
artist which represents artist promotion and it also allows
there to be artist promotion to be carried across to the
poster as similar images are used. There is a clever use of
colours used on the piece as the font colour matches the
name of the album which opens opportunities for
creativeness which have been fulfilled. The main images
are in black and white which is quite significant for this
artist as her albums are usually colourful and stand out.
This may relate to the genre and the usual topics that her
songs cover within this particular album. The inside cover
however features a colourful and girly flower image
which simply writes “thank you” which for the audience
is giving something back as it makes the album that bit
more personal. This shows that the artist cares for her
fans and is appreciative for them. The back features a
simple list layout for the songs which works well for the
album however for me I personably am not a fan due to
the colours almost clashing as I find it somewhat hard to
read. However with this I like the album on the whole as
it represents the artist well and shows signs of what she
is like and what topics may be covered in her songs.

7. Taylor Swift - Advert
The advertisement poster for the ‘Red’ album is a good
example of an effective piece of student work as it highlights
the important information due to the overall choice of
colours. The image in the background is in black and white
whilst the text is in red which makes it stand out ad this is
effective as it is what the audience are most likely to notice
and takeaway from the advert as it is bold and stands out.
There is a clear album name which is featured under the artist
name and this in particular is appealing to the TA as the artist
name is almost in a handwritten font which again adds
individualism to the advert and this relates back to the idea of
the thank you message from the album itself. The image
features the artist again which shows a clear sign at artist
promotion however I am not a fan of it due to there being a
use of two different images and there is a visible line where
they do not match up. In conclusion this piece is much like the
last as it includes the required information such as when it is
available and the record label.

8. Conclusion
In conclusion to the evaluation of these pieces of work it is
evident that the typical conventions of both the digipack and
advert have been followed though there are certain creative
aspects which makes each piece stand out and show clear brand
identity and something which is relative to both the artist and
the genre of music. The colours used are a key indicator to the
giving an insight to the artist and may replicate the genre which
helps to the audience to identify this. Other aspects such as
fonts and imagery are also key in ensuring this as it helps to
promote the artist as well as the genre.