Within the final workshop, we had to create an album cover which applied all of the techniques that we had learnt in the previous workshops.
The inspiration for our idea was 'teenager'. We brainstormed this idea and came up with connotations that the word gave us and different associations that we have with it.
We eventually came up with the idea of teenage anxiety and used this word as our inspiration. As teenagers ourselves, we can easily relate to this concept and so we were bake to apply our own feelings and experiences to help inspire us.
Thinking about emotions; specifically anxiety, we decided that we wanted the name of the band to be "Anxt". We felt that this was current and had connotations of he emotions that teenagers feel and would therefore appeal to a teenage target audience.
Design wise; we thought that lips would be a good representation of each emotion, drawing on inspiration from The Rolling Stones:
Once we had decided on a teenage target audience, we went on to pick a colour scheme that would be appropriate. We decided to use images of female lips and so we thought that we should keep the colour scheme stereotypically female.
We eventually decided on a colour scheme of pink and purple as it would be more likely to attract a teenage female audience.
We used the type text tool to edit the text and various other tools such as the blur tool to edit the style of the text and make it more grunge and punk rock like to fit with the theme of anxiety and teenage stress.
We first learnt how to edit two images together to create a final image. We experimented with putting one person's head on another's body.
I chose to combine Beyonce's head and John Cena's body because they are so different and therefore the final result would have more of a dramatic effect.
The first thing I did was found two images:
It was important for Beyonce's hair to be up because it meant that when we came to editing, it was much easier to manipulate as there was less detail to worry about.
I first used the polygonal lasso tool to cut out Beyonce's head. I found this the easiest tool to use for this however it still required a steady hand.
Some of John Cena's physique didn't quite fit with Beyonce's head and therefore I had to use tools to remove bits of his neck and ear to make the manipulation look more realistic.
This is the final product:
I also looked at how to use the horizontal type tool to create some text.
Creating text on Photoshop is like creating text on a word document and it offers you the options to smudge or change the size or font of the text to make it look more professional.
Photoshop is a tool used for editing images or videos and allows you to join certain images together and edit them so that they fit to the style that you want them to be.
In this introduction, we only used a few of the many tools available on Photoshop. Many of them are simple to use and self-explanatory, I have labelled some of them below:
"It's a skill not a program"
Photoshop is more commonly described as a skill because the basic skills involved in Photoshop are relatively simple, however the way you are able to use the software and manipulate your image require a certain amount of skill. The more skilled you are at Photoshop, the better the outcome of your product is likely to be.
The basic tools on Photoshop are;
The Move Tool: This tool is simply used for moving images around. Once you have edited an image, it is important to use the move tool because otherwise you end up selecting or editing something else when you're done. The move tool is essentially a safety net. You can click on it to stop selecting something if it goes wrong.
The Rectangular Marquee Tool: This tool can be useful if you need to select a certain patch of colour, but it is only useful for working in boxes. For example, if you wanted to select somebody's head, this tool would only allow you to select a rectangle which would be the wrong shape.
The Lasso Tool:This tool is similar to the rectangular marquee tool accept you are able to select much more detailed shapes with it. This tool offers three different options; the lasso, th polygonal lasso and the magnetic lasso:
4.The Crop Tool: This is used like any other crop tool, simply to crop an image and get rid of the parts of it that you don't want to use.
5.The Eraser Tool: Again, this is simply used to erase anything that you made a mistake on or don't want. This has to be used carefully because Photoshop only has one undo button.
6.The Horizontal Type Tool: This tool is used for any text that you what to include in your Photoshop piece.
Often when you're unable to edit an image on Photoshop, it is because you are on the wrong layer. Photoshop has different layers; the first image that you upload becomes the background layer and any subsequent images become layer on top of that.
It is good to sketch your ideas before you actually go on to create them. Sketching your ideas means that you are able to easily develop them and see the progression. It is also an easy way to change your ideas because there is no restriction. Often, sketching your ideas can give you more inspiration and also means that you get less confused when it comes to creating he final product.
TIPS FOR USING PHOTOSHOP:
If you are unable to edit an image- check which layer you are working on, you may be on the wrong one.
Always hold down the shift key when changing the size of an image because it ensures that the dimensions of it stay the same so it doesn't become distorted.
If you can, always make plans on paper before you begin creating on Photoshop- it is the easiest way to ensure that you don't get confused or lost in what you're doing.
Madonna's 'Like A Prayer' is arguably one of the most controversial music videos of all time. Madonna wanted the video to be more provocative than anything she had done before and so created the video; 'Like A Prayer'.
Essentially, a music video is created as a visual aid for the audience to accompany a song. It allows the artist to express themselves and tell any kind of story that they want to through the video. It is a way of the audience being able to see another meaning to the song and allows the artist to have a voice. Of course, a music video is also essential in promoting the artist as it raises awareness and through the use of social media in 2016, music videos get shared across the world within 24 hours of them being released.
Madonna's interpretation of the video was:
"This is the story of a girl who was madly in love with a
black man, set in South, with this forbidden interracial love affair. And the
guy she's in love with sings in a choir. So she's obsessed with him and goes to
the church all the time. And then it turned into a bigger story, which was
about racism and bigotry."
Madonna's comments appear to describe an innocent love story, but the video shows otherwise:
The video shows some shocking and very controversial imagery that were almost unseen in 1989 when the video was released. Many of the images that Madonna chooses to include can be seen as offensive and inappropriate, especially the connotations of religion. Particularly in the US (in some parts a highly religious country), the images of burning crosses and racism within religion offended and upset many people. It is not difficult for the video to offend certain races and cultures through it's choice of characters and plot line.
Madonna is still a popular star, even today. Dyer's star theory states that to be stars, artists have to posses certain qualities that make them popular with target audiences. Madonna has many of the traits that Dyer suggests a star needs; rebellion, sexual appeal & a disregard for social values- clearly shown through this music video.
Arguably, a lot of Madonna's appeal is down to the way that she has been constructed. Negus' theory of organic vs synthetic artists would definitely state that Madonna is a synthetic artist, constructed by the record label to appeal to a wider audience. The focus in the music video is not on the music but on the plot line and the story that revolves around Madonna throughout, another quality typical of a synthetic artist.
The video begins with Madonna running away and the sound effect of police sirens, immediately giving connotations of rebellion and this has a dramatic effect for the audience, raising questions. They wonder if she has done something wrong, if she is running to safety or away from danger etc.
A lot of the video includes close ups of Madonna, highlighting her star image and making sure that the audience are aware that the main focus should be on her throughout. This means that the sense of fear is lost in the story line because the audience are reminded that the music video is simply a fantasy. She is often lit from behind. This back-lighting had connotations of heaven and God and portrays her almost as an angel.
One of the most controversial aspects of the video is the burning crosses behind Madonna, which have connotations of the Klu Klux Klan. Although she is not directly referencing them, this globally recognised, dangerous imagery provokes a certain amount of fear from the audience and is particularly controversial as the main character within the video is black. Fire also has connotations of danger and therefore the excessive amount of fire adds more of a dangerous element to the video, but also highlight's Madonna's rebellion.
Another particularly controversial topic that Madonna touches on within the video is the issue of racism. At the start of the video, a black mean is being targeted by the police and he is shown as being inferior to the officers and of a lower status- highlighting the issue of racism, which was still a particularly prominent issue at the time the video was released.
Furthermore, not only is the holy figure of Jesus represented as a black man, which to some christians may be seen as offensive, but Madonna also implies that she has sexual intercourse with him which can be seen as extremely offensive to religion.
I would say that this album is an artist. I think this because it is an image of a person on their own, which indicates that it could be a sketch of the artist or a representation that they are a soloist.
Based on Dyer's theory, I would say that this album is organic. I think this because the image is so simplistic and there is minimal use of colour. Furthermore, the artist is not pictured on the front, it is a simple line drawing, suggesting that the emphasis is on the music.
I think that the genre of music is indie. I think this because the album cover represents a genre that is calming and simplistic and it shows a unique and original design, typical of the indie genre.
Personally, I really like this artwork because of it's simplicity and calming nature. I think the bold colour choice makes it stand out and is generally a very appealing colour.
If I could ask the designer some questions I would want to know the significance of the girl, and whether she is representing someone, or simply a symbol. And I would also like to know where the inspiration came from, is it a modern day image or one from the 40's or 50's.
Marlowe- "darksparklecorner"
I think that this album cover is more likely to belong to a band because the image is of a child. It is highly unlikely that this is a picture of the artist. This makes it unlikely that it is the album of a solo artist because it doesn't single anyone out.
I think that again, this album represents an organic artist.I think this because of the unprofessional style of the photograph and the muted, simplistic colours. The fact that the image is not of the artist suggests that the focus is on the music rather than the band's star image.
Similarly to the last album cover, I think that the genre of this music is indie, potentially indie rock and roll due to the unique and controversial image of the scared child.
I'm not as keen on this album because of the muted colours and the image of the child. However, this album cover is very unique and it is unlikely that there are many others like it, making it more likely for people to pick it up because of it's originality.
Questions that I would like to ask the designer are; why have they made the choice to make the image look unprofessional and over-exposed? What is the significance of the boy? Who is he? Has he got a story?
Marlowe- "a day in july"
Due to the image of nature and children, I would again say that this album belongs to a band. Yet again, they have chosen not to include artwork of themselves, but instead other people. Additionally, the group of children may represent the band when they were younger.
This album cover is definitely one of an organic artist because again the image does not try and represent the star at all, meaning that the focus has to be on the music rather than the band as people. The landscape behind the children also makes it more likely that the band is organic because there is an emphasis on nature.
This album seems to be more of an indie-folk one, due to the use of the landscape and the focus of the outdoors, features typical of a more folk or country genre.
I don't particularly like this album artwork because again it uses children and to me they don't seem to add anything and wouldn't make me want to buy the album if I saw it in a shop.
I would like to know why they have chosen such an ambiguous image which raises so many questions for the audience, I would also like to know the significance of children and the outdoors.
Marlowe- "deep breathe fake air"
I would say that this artwork looks more like that of a solo
artist. This is because of the use of just one figure and the fact that the
person as no identity.
I think that the genre is indie again as the artwork provides
an ambiguous, alternative feel, which is a typical convention of the indie
genre.
This album is again organic because of the lack of identity.
This suggests that the artist is not promoting themselves, but the music that
they are producing.
I really like this artwork as it is very unique and the lack
of identity means that the image on the front can apply to anyone or anything-
it is universal.
Some question I would ask are; is there a reason for the
common colour theme? Why did you decide on these two colours together? Who is
the image representative of? Why have they got no identity?
Testcard- "Lines"
I would say that this album is more likely to be a band mainly
because due to the fact that nobody is shown on the cover, suggesting that
there is equal input in the music. The lines could be representative of the
group members.
Again, I would put this in the indie genre because of its
obscurity and ambiguity, typical of the indie genre. Along with the simplistic,
minimalistic, slightly unprofessional feel.
This album artwork represents the band as organic because of
the original and unprofessional look that the artwork gives, suggesting, again
that it is more about the music.
I like this album artwork because it is so simplistic and
would raise many questions, intriguing an audience, but its simplistic may mean
it gets lost on the shelf.
I would like to ask why they have chosen not to show the
band, why the use of the muted colour scheme and what is the significance of ‘testcard’?
Roja- "promises I should've kept"
I think that this album artwork contains elements that show
it could be either a band or a solo artist’s album because of the complex, ambiguous
imagery used.
Similarly to “a day in july”, I would say the genre of this
music is indie-folk because of the apparent location of the wild west.
Yet again, I would say the album is organic. The focus is
not on the image of the star, but on the album, suggesting the importance of
the music and also adding mystery for the audience.
The distorted imagery on this artwork means that this is my
least favourite. Although I like the simplicity of the line drawing the image
comes across as rather disturbing and I don’t think it would particularly appeal
to audiences.
I would like to ask; what is the significance of the locating?
Is the image supposed to be disturbing and distorted? Why? Why is the band name
so much bigger?
I created my website on Wix without looking at Tori Kelly's official website. After creating my site, I looked at her official site and drew some comparisons.
As you can see, the colour schemes of mine and the official website differ. The official website uses dark colours, mainly black and white to convey a simple, clean image of the artist. Although my website has a pale, pastel colour scheme, I think that the design still conveys the simplistic, clean cut image that the official website does. Much like mine, the official website's homepage ins't too cluttered, ensuring that the main focus is on the artist rather than anything else.
The font on the official website and mine are different. The official website uses a straight simple font, all in capital letters ensuring that the most important features of it stand out, for example, the album. Although the pictures that I have chosen to use are different, I think that they both convey similar things because they focus on an extreme close up of the face and the hair, which is a key, distinct feature of the artist.
Tori Kelly is a pop, RnB artist. I think her official website conveys the rock, more hard edge side of her then my website does. This is because of the dark colours used and the gold and black colour scheme.
Both my website and the official website have links for the artist's social medias. These are an important way for fans to be able to connect with the star and mean that they can become both present and absent simultaneously. Social media allows the artist and the fans to have a connection online, making them relateable and making the fans feel closer to them.
Both mine and the official website contain similar links. Both have a gallery and news pages. These enable fans to keep updated with the star and the gallery helps to maintain the image of the artist. Again, the colour schemes differ, with mine sticking to a more pastel, blue colour scheme and the official website black and gold.
Both of the gallerys contain similar photos which are mainly close ups of the artist's face, showing that they are the most important part of the website. many of the pictures on the official website are promoting her music to emphasises that it is what she is selling.
Overall, I would say that Tori Kelly is trying to convey an organic star image and I think both mine and her official website represent this. However, I think her official website come across as more synthetic than the one I have made.
