Whole Album Layout

In order to make the creation process of the digipak as fast as possible, the group and I sketched a plan of what we wanted the album to look like once the favourite photos were picked.

We decided to plan this so that it gives us a visual idea of what the digipak may look like before it is made, thus allowing us to decide where the text will go and what the actual text will say on each panel. This therefore enables us to plan the digipak so that when it is finished it will look as professional and exciting as possible for our target audience. The plan created will also save the group large amounts of time whilst on Photoshop making it, as we will already know what images are being used, as well as what text will be used. This leaves us to considor colours, fonts and image effects which will stilll be a lengthy process, however a process which is easier to complete due to the planning of the album.

Sketching The Cover

Here is a rough sketch of what the digipak could look like, we have chosen the image we will use so it is now a case of cropping the photo, adding text and positioning the text.



Original Photo Chosen

We have not accessed colour schemes as of yet, so that needs to be decided but we all agree that the layout shown below looks effective, as it is not over-crowded and not bland either. With the original photo being rather solid or plain in colour, we may need to have the text in a bold colour with numerous effects so that the whole cover will stand out to the target audience. We may also add a gradient of colour across the whole image, as during research on Noel Gallagher's own digipaks he uses a turquoise and orange gradient across the front cover. This could turn out to be a convention of Noel's digipaks we follow or challenge, however as a group we have not confirmed this choice. 

 

plan

Although this is a plan for the front cover of the digipak, we may or may not follow this layout as it could look totally different on Photoshop. However if the image can cropped effectively we shall keep this layout, and use appropriate fonts for the text, which will be found using dafont.com.

Choosing The Photo For The Advert And Digipak

During a journey to London with Matt and Jay I took some photos which we could possibly use for the digipak and magazine advertisement. We have decided that the image we use for both will be similar if not the same photo, therefore whilst taking the photos I considored camera angle and distance from Glenn as the image has to suit the album cover and an A4 advert.

We chose to use a similar or the same image for both to create a link between the two, this will hopefully make it easier for our target audience to see that the advert promotes the album from Noel Gallagher. We also chose to use this convention as a number of well known artists have done the same, with musicians such as Jessie J, Kasabian and Kings of Leon adopting this method of promotion.

Below are some possible images that the group and I feel may work well for this.

Noel's Colour Schemes

Whilst looking at the CD covers for the singles 'What A Life', 'If I Had A Gun' and 'The Death Of You And Me' we noticed how the same colour theme is used through-out. The text of which shows the bands name and the song title are both white, and the actual image has a gradient of colours. The gradient used makes the left side of the cover orange, and this fades to a turquoise/green on the right. As a group we decided that we should too use this style for our digipak, as it will follow Noel's house style and we believe that the effect in general is an artistic touch which works well. 

We also noticed how the photograph used for the single cover for 'What A Life' is a shot from the video itself. However the other covers such as 'If I Had A Gun' and 'The Death Of You And Me' had images were not evident in the music videos, this poses a question for the group on whether to use a shot from the music video or not for our digipak.

Jay then had a go at creating a similar styled gradient on Photoshop to see if it would be possible to make one easily for the digipak.

Gradient Tool

He began selecting an image of Noel Gallagher; as this was only a practice run. The gradient is then added by selecting the image, and then the 'gradient tool' which is located on the side bar to the left of the Photoshop layout.

Gradient Options

Once the 'gradient tool' had been selected this options box appears, it allows the user to choose what colours they wish to make into a gradient and how transparent it will be. Jay then chose the colours of turquoise and orange for the gradient. Once this was done the gradient covered the whole image, and Noel was no where to be seen.

To fix this problem the 'Quick Selection Tool' was needed so that the gradient could be re-done but only to the background. This enabled us to see Noel clearly and the gradient. The outcome was positive and therefore we can use this effect for our digipak, which will hopefully connote a similar theme to what Noel uses for his digipak. 

 

Finished Gradient

The image on the right is the finished gradient added to the image of Noel Gallagher compared to the original image. The group and I are pleased with the outcome as it relates to the other singles he has produced, and therefore will aid our digipak into following a similar idea to what Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds use for their album and single artwork.

Possible Fonts For Band Name

Possible Fonts

We have now chose a list of possible fonts to use for the title on the digipak. We wanted to try and find a similar styled font so that our digipak would follow the iconography of Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.

I went onto the dafont.com website to see if I could find any fonts, I went onto the 'Groovy' option and began searching. The font names are as follows:

1. Bell Bottom Laser
2. KingKong
3. Coaster
4. Gill Sans Ultra Bold
5. Mama 
6. Tomipop
7. Fine O Mite 

The third font, 'Coaster' is my personal favourite as it is similar to the style of Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.  It is also easily read and still looks effective in capital letters; where as some fonts look totally different when they are in lower-case to capitals.

The style of the font used on Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds was certainly a tough one to find, as it is so unique with the small dash beneath the 'O'. The font we decide to use for our digipak will certainly have to connote Noel's style, however we also want to add some of our own ideas to it so that the work is original and to out tastes.

Possible Fonts For Song Name

Possible Fonts

On the right we have chose a range of fonts which are similar to the style of the text used on Noel's digipaks. We searched the website dafont.com and trawled through the 'handwritten' option to find similar fonts and others which we thought generally looked unique. The font names from top to bottom are as follows:

1. Handwriting - Dakota
2. Mistral
3. Luna Bar
4. Talking To The Moon
5. Jellyka - Nathaniel A Mystery 
6. Alphamack AOE
7. Nothing You Could Do
8. Covered By Your Grace
9. Karine
10. Juliet

Personally, I like the second font chosen, Mistral, as it is similar to the one on Noel's artwork, yet still has its own unique style. It is also easy to read and effects such as drop shadow and strokes do not harm the style of the font too dramatically.

We also had to take into consideration how the word 'LIFE!' will look in capital letters, as to follow the convention of Noel's digipak we need to have the last word of the single in capitals too. Some of the fonts such as 'Talking To The Moon' (4th down) in my opinion do not look right for our digipak, as the capital letters together do not flow and look too far apart which may affect the continuity of the cover.