1. My products related to others, making
them conventional and possibly more
appealing, as they are identifiable. In order
to notice key differences, I must directly
compare them with other existing
products.
Image of the CD so that
the audience can identify
the product when it is
released onto shelves of
music stores.
Record company on
display so the
audience can
identify their genre
and
popularity.Websites
to direct the
audience to the
product and further
information.
Image of the band/
identifiable logo to
connect the audience
to the artists. May
cause sexual interest
or allow the audience
to observe similarities
between them and the
band.
Clear display of the band
name, so that the audience
can recognise them, as
they may be familiar with
the name already.
Cantered to appeal to the
eye.
Both promotional posters are central to the
page so it is appealing on the eye. Everything is
easier for the audience to see because the
layout is simple and tidy, meaning that the
audience can digest the information quickly.
This is significant because posters would be
usually placed in magazines and readers are
usually only reading for the articles, so they
may pay little attention to the poster.Therefore
if it is a tidy layout they can quickly view
important information.

2. As the audience would need to view
information rather quickly, there is an
important route of the eye to pay attention
to.
Firstly, the band name is viewed. If they are a
popular band, an audience would quickly
recognise them. Next, the audience can notice
the word ‘new’. It is a trend for any audience
to consume the latest products, so this will be
a likely way of drawing their attention. After
which, the audience then view band artwork.
Many members of the audience may not
recall the band name, but may recognise the
band logo from elsewhere, meaning that
there is a greater chance of an audience
recalling the band. If they aren’t already
aware of the band, they may find the logo
appealing, and be able to label the band’s subgenre within the genre, as there are many
different types and all of these various sounds
appeal to different members. There are also
names of some songs, suggesting to the
audience that these names should already be
heard of, as they are popular enough to be
mentioned, meaning that the audience may
feel as if they need to listen to the tracks,
which could spark interest.
Next, the band album is viewed, meaning that
the audience may recognise it if they see it in
music stores.
Finally, the audience would then see the record label, which would allow them to realise how popular that band is
and what sub-genre the band belong to. They could then see further links to direct them to additional information
about the album if the poster has sparked an interest.
In order to recognise how effective my promotional album poster is, I must
use the route of the eye strategy on mine.

3. Like the Alter Bridge poster, the first thing
recognised is the band name, so an
audience immediately know who the band
is. Next they would notice the hazard
strips, which connote danger. However, as
they are a bold colour on a greyscale, black
and white poster, they may actually draw
attention before anything else.
They would then recognise the image of
the band in their individual stances. The
audience could then most likely identify
that they belong to the punk genre, as they
appear rather bold and their costume and
style, such as the hairstyle, identifies them
with that genre. If they are then interested
by the punk genre, they would then notice
the details, such as the name and the
release date. The release date acts like the
word ‘latest’ or ‘new’, as it displays future
trends. As stated before, it is a trend to
consume the latest products.
The audience can then notice the CD,
which is, as stated before, important for an
audience as they may come across it in
stores. They may then view large names in
the media within the genre and realise
how well acclaimed and anticipated the
album is.
Finally, they would, like the other
promotional album poster, notice the
record label and be able to possibly
distinguish the sub-genre of the heavy
category and then if they are interested,
they could use the websites to find
additional information.
By applying the route of the eye to posters can determine the success of its purpose. By comparing it to similar
products, I can also determine how positively it would be consumed by an audience, and how simple it would
be for them to identify it. For example, if it does not appear like similar products, the target audience may not
be familiar with it and may dismiss its information as they may feel that they cannot relate to it.
The main factors of a promotional album poster that I took into account and applied were the band name and
album title (with a significant focus on the page by making the font larger or dedicating a separate part of the
poster to them), an image of the band so the audience can identify them, an image of the CD so that the
audience can recognise their products, a release date to cause a hype within the target audience, reviews to
create expectation within the audience and a record label so the audience may know what sub-genre they
belong to. There are many factors that can contribute to a poster’s success. However, these are commonly
applied to posters within the heavier genre of music, such as punk and rock. Therefore, by paying attention to
these that are frequent within the genre, I can create a brand that is identifiable within the genre.

4. These two album front
covers have several
similarities. For example,
there is a large image
central to the page,
dominating the eye.
Both CDs have three main
parts; a bold image, the
band name and the album
title. The band name is
used to identify the artists,
the album name is to
display a different set of
the band’s work and the
image offers various
information, such as a
‘taster’ of what the album
contains content-wise, or
to create brand identity.
The fonts are serif; very
messy in appearance and
in bold, which makes them
seem aggressive. It
reflects the words such as
‘DISORDER’ and
‘RESISTANCE’, which relate
to dangerous and
aggressive situations.
Using images appropriate
to the genre allows the
audience to familiarise my
product with the correct
genre.
The images both connote rebellion
and a breakdown of the system.
For example, my front cover
contains graffiti. ‘The Casualties’
have the use of skulls and bullets,
symbolising death and war. As for
the gas mask, it symbolises danger
and serious situations.
The use of colour makes
both albums appear very
bold, which means that
they would stand out in a
shop. This takes into
account the entire genre,
and the members of it, as
these individuals are very
extravagant and the genre
is associated with bold
beliefs and statements
against the usual flow of
society, concerning mass
consumption and
hegemony. The use of the
colours in ‘The Casualties’
is effective, because it is a
bold colour, such as red
(connoting danger and
death) and black and
white is used over it, so
that they stand out against
it. It also creates this
cartoon effect, reflecting
the personality of the
artists and creating irony
alongside their work; as
though the punk genre is
considered bold, crazy and
dangerous, they fight for
peace in most cases.
Therefore, it relates as
they are using cartoon
images to depict the
seriousness of their
messages. My font cover,
due to the black and white
contrast shares this
cartoon style, reflecting
the same irony.

5. Both of these bands, ‘The Distillers’
and ‘Damaged’, have the ‘Hellcat
Records’ emblem on their back cover.
If the target audience were to only
know one of these bands, they could
identify the other by the record label.
As ‘The Distillers’ are a successful punk
band and other bands such as them
belong to that record label, it would
allow ‘Damaged’ to become successful,
as the label becomes more popular as
it aids bands into success.
Both album back covers have a main image
dominating the cover that also relate to the front
cover, via the same colour filter or visual effects.
To make it appealing on the eye, the one image is
used so the CD isn’t broken up and doesn’t
appear too busy, which would make it likely to
look unappealing. The images contain the band
members, so that the audience can identify them.
It also may show that it relates to another
product, such as a music video, as does my own
product.
Conventional additions, such as a
barcode for consumption purposes and
a copyright notice for the purpose of
appropriate artist credit, which makes
my product appear genuine and
conventional.
The fonts are once again bold and
serif, relating to their front covers and
their genre.
The layout is very tidy so that it is
appealing on the eye, though there is
no blank space in either of these front
covers so that it does appear rather
busy and disorganised. However, their
tidy layout ensures that though it is
conventional of the genre, it is also
appealing enough for consumption.
By carefully considering the
conventions, I have created a back
cover much alike other existing and
successful products, meaning that my
own may be successful if it were to
actually be sold and distributed, as its
conventions are recognisable.

6. Here are some examples of
band artwork alongside my
own. Many of the bands use
a black and white effect, so
mine relates to similar
products in that way. Also,
they’re easy to label,
through their hairstyle and
clothing.