1. 2) How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
We wanted to be consistent throughout our media products and chose to
communicate the same artistic/creative, fashionable persona of our indie-pop artist
through the digipak also. However, the photographs on the digipak more so
communicate the artistic element of our artist whilst our music video focuses on the
free-spirited and fun element. I used the same font throughout to ensure that all my
panels link together; the final font that I chose was Harbell from dafont.com because
I wanted a font that resembled calligraphy to emphasise the personal element of the
digipak. I initially used fonts that were more handwritten for this same effect;
however they were difficult to read so I decided on something that was more block
lettering. I used a gradient effect on the font to add an artistic element and made the
colour more of a pale pink, as opposed to the reoccurring purple to ensure that it
stood out. On the track listing in particular, the gradient has a significant effect as it
gives the illusion that the writing is going down with the hair. I also added a drop
shadow on my text to make it even more distinct.
I incorporated lens flares throughout the photos on my digipak, including
manipulating the palm tree background to have a lens flare effect, again to make it
more creative and indie and visually engaging however I ensured that the lens flares
were not too bright and that the photos of our artist were the main focus.
I decided to use a mirroring technique on my album cover after seeing it through
other digipaks that I analysed. It was a new skill for me and it again keeps the focus
entirely on our artist, highlighting her as the selling point and focusing on her
image/fashion. I wanted my digipak to stand out so I used a mirroring effect, as
opposed to just one single photo.
For my inside panel, Polaroids and cameras also featured in our music video and so
I wanted to link the two products together, also using a flower crown that featured in
our music video. This ensures that the image of our artist that is being projected is
consistent in being slightly eccentric/artistic but ultimately remaining feminine and
reflecting our female target audience. The purple theme throughout specifically
targets females but the darkness of the purple, instead of a lilac, communicates my
slightly older target audience and is not completely for young, 13 year old girls but
mature students.
For this CD panels, I used long exposure because it is so striking and again reflects
femininity and art. The fact that it is the name of our artist again sells her as a
commodity and, though it looks artistic and is visually engaging, ultimately it links
back to marketing her. I included an additional DVD as a selling point for my digipak:
it offers exclusive footage and more material than a normal album would.
I included several photos on this panel to communicate the importance of fashion of
our artist as an indie-pop singer. It showcases different styles and trends and so is

2. drawing emphasis on her image whilst the fade effect and background again link to
artistic and indie connotations.
Overall, I think my digipak firstly links together and so feels authentic but also
communicates the values and conventions of our artist; it is clear that it’s a solo artist
who is targeting females and has an element of indie but the basis is pop and so it
channels conventions of that genre such as fashion and the importance of image.
The advert for my digipak continues this link, but in a simpler way. After looking at
other digipak adverts, they often used the album cover as the main image so I
decided to use a simple image with no mirroring effect. It was important that the
advert linked in with the product it was advertising so I continued to use lens flares
and subtly fade in the palm tree background, again keeping the focus on the face of
our artist. I featured a small still of the album cover so that buyers can see the
product and the release date for obvious reasons, but the main point of this poster is
to market our artist across several different media platforms so I included links to
social networking websites, including the own personal website of our artist, and also
the Polydor logo in the corner to showcase the record label.
Similarly to my digipak, my advert communicates the main characteristics of my artist
and the genre, remaining feminine and creative, however also employs the
characteristics of adverts or marketing tools, specifically the reference to other media
formats. I am pleased with my digipak and advert as I think they demonstrate both
the conventions of these products, whilst portraying my artist suitably.