Magazine Advert Analysis - Ariana Grande, My Everything

Magazine Advert Analysis - Ariana Grande, My Everything

This magazine advert is for Ariana Grande's album, 'My Everything'. The element which stands out the most on this example is the artiste herself in the centre of the advertisement, suggesting that this artiste finds it important to sell themselves as a brand as well as sell their physical product (her album, in this instance). 

The black and white colour scheme could draw attention to readers as they flick through a magazine which is likely to be full of articles and advertisements with colour. This contrast would cause the artiste's advert to stand out from others. The monochrome could also reference the recent 'retro' trend which is likely to appeal to a lot of Ariana Grande's target demographic, thus making the product audience specific.  The use of space is appealing in this advert, making it clearly readable and informative - not overwhelming to the eye at all.

The artiste wears garments which are revealing to a degree, with high heels and heavy make-up. While her positioning and facial expressions imply an innocence of the character, some people may argue that her outfit adds a somewhat voyeuristic element to the advertisement. If so, another area of the artiste's demographic is consequently reached. 

It is noticeable that three fonts are used throughout the design - one for the artiste's name at the top of the advertisement, one for the name of the album and one for the promotional and informative material at the bottom of the advert. Often, a mixture of fonts can make a product look unprofessional, messy and overwhelming, however the neat organisation of the design prevents this undesirable effect. The font used for the artiste's name is a font which is used throughout the branding of the artiste's image, making the font itself relevant and recognisable. It is also clear and easy to read. The second font, the album name, resembles handwriting and appears 'girly' (hinting at the target audience for the advert). The font for the album name is also pink which adds to the 'girly' element and makes the album name stand out (this is practical in an informative sense; the album name is the main product being promoted by the advert). The font used for the information at the bottom of the page is bold, clear and professional which thus avoids confusion for the reader and potential investor of the product.

The information at the bottom of the page is well spaced and not overcrowded, thus increasing the likelihood of the text being read. The main promotional material appears to be the names of the hit tracks (which happen to feature other artistes, meaning that the advertisement could be attempting to reach out to their demographics too, resulting in a wider audience for Ariana Grande). The date is clearly labelled with the use of a larger font at the bottom. 

In conclusion, the design of this magazine advertisement makes it obvious as to who the target demographic is. The use of colour and space has been used in an articulated manner in order to enhance the effectivity of information to the readers of the magazine. The overall simplicity of the design makes it appear effective in terms of information and practicality.

What is a Magazine Advert?

What is a Magazine Advert?

A magazine advert is a form of advertisement which is designed to be featured within a magazine. In the context of a band or artiste's album, these advertisements usually fill a whole page of the magazine. 

They are often designed to be eye-catching, and to provide a small amount of important information (enough to entice the reader to buy their product without overwhelming them with excessive information). 

Bands and artistes mainly use magazine adverts to promote their new song, album, music video or an upcoming tour. Their main purpose is to intrigue the magazine reader to invest in or consume their new product. Magazine advertisements are a good way to reach a different section of the artiste's demographic and in a more personal way than social media, for instance. The magazine in which the advert appears is usually chosen according to genre, since this is the best way to ensure that the advert reaches a demographic that would be interested in the product. 

Below are some examples of magazine adverts... 

The Journey of the Digipak - Digipak Designs

The Journey of the Digipak - Digipak Designs 

Digipak Moodboard

Digipak Moodboard

To come up with some ideas about how I wanted my digipak to look, I made a moodboard to collect and present some ideas that appealed to me. Making the moodboard helped me to gather some ideas about what my digipak should look like in relation to my music video's genre and theme, and helped me to understand what makes a digipak successful and professional. 

1. The first digipak design which caught my eye was this because I like how one picture spans across both inside panel of the digipak. I also like how the CD, when it is in the case, also acts as part of the background image. This aspect of the design is aesthetically satisfying and is much like a jigsaw puzzle. 

2. I like this second design because I feel that the theme of the digipak matches the theme of my own music video: a natural theme can be see throughout the design, with trees and leaves as the prominent symbol. Every panel corresponds with the theme, however colour consistency is something which the design clearly lacks (and this is noticeable in a way that does not appeal to me).

3. My favourite thing about this digipak design is the way the disc design matches the cover design of the digipak. I realise that this could have some practical uses - for example, the disc itself is less likely to be misplaced when its CD so clearly corresponds with the front of its digipak. Aesthetically, the colour palette is soft and easy to look out, with consistency throughout the design. It is not overwhelming to look at.

4. In a similar way to the digipak 1, I like how one image spans across the inside of the six-panel digipak. The design 'flows' from one side to the other and encapsulates a more artistic element to the design; something which I would like to have feature in my own digipak. 

5. Although this is only the back panel of a digipak, I like the usage of space in this design. I feel that the use of the simple colours combined with the simple font makes the product a lot easier and clearer to read. The names of the tracks which are featured on the album are naturally important to the consumer of the product, therefore clarity is a key aspect to the back panel of the digipak, as displayed here.

6. This design is similar to examples 1 and 4, however there is more writing on top of the design which spans the inside length of the digipak. The colour of the writing matches the colour scheme, however I think that its presence disrupts the artistic element to the design, so it is something which I would not like to include on my own design. 

7. Number 7 drew my attention due to the vast amount of writing which is displayed on the inside, on the panel next to the disc. Although information is important for the consumer of the product, I believe that in this situation the amount of information is overwhelming. A digipak could be regarded as a collectible item, and the writing here makes the artistic element of a collector's item less valuable. 

8. This digipak design also appears to encompass the natural theme which I would like to display in my digipak too. However, the main element of this design which stood out to me was the two distinct colour themes - green and orange. They almost clash, but the green theme remains on the inside of the digipak whereas the orange theme remains only on the outside. I like this idea of two sides to one product. In template form, the use of colour looks slightly overwhelming but as the final product it seems to have a 'reversible' design - two pieces of artwork in one. I think this approach is creative and unique. 

9. Number nine is simply the template which I like the most and want to use for my own; it is a six-sided digipak with the CD panel in the centre. I like the idea of folding open the product to get to the centre, like a slow revelation of the inside material. 

10. This digipak design is inspiring not only because of the edgy, modern design which experiments with so many colours, but also because of the pocket which the inside of the design features. This would be a good solution to some of the dislikes which I have had about previous digipak designs (such as 7, which I feel has too much information of the inside of the pack). Having a separate information booklet also makes the product more valuable as a collectible item, since the consumer may think that they have got bonus material from the information in the booklet. 

11. I like Rihanna's album digipak because once more, the background is an image (this time featuring the artiste/character) which stretches across the length of the inside. A natural theme of roses has been used and is consistent throughout the design, including on the CD, and the colour pallet remains consistent too. 

12. I like design 12 because it features the band/characters and I think that this adds more personality to the design, and provides a relatable element to the product. I like how the CD design matches the background of the pallet which it belongs in because it is practical in the same way as digipak 3. The writing is minimal but the way the image of the band is cut short makes the design look partially unprofessional in my opinion.

For the background of my moodboard, I have chosen a colour palette which I feel is attractive and desirable for my own product. 

Digipak Analysis - 1989, Taylor Swift

Digipak Analysis - 1989, Taylor Swift

The album name is simply '1989', reflecting the year the artiste is born. This album name is short and easy to remember, not to mention that fact that marketing is made easier thanks to the basic design which makes it adaptable and more memorable. The name of the album is also personal to the artiste who, like most other artistes in the pop genre, values their image as a method of marketing and popularity. This personal aspect would be particularly attractive to fans, who are likely to know (and want to know) a lot about the artiste. 

The album cover is designed around the retro polaroid photograph, which were an extremely popular part of pop culture in the 1980s - and more relevantly 1989. This retro homemade theme can be seen throughout the front cover with the use of the faded and discoloured effect on the photograph, as well as the font itself which resembles the classic homemade personal labelling of the polaroid photographs. The artiste is also featured on the front of the album, which is common for pop artistes on their album covers in order to advertise their brand. The idea that her whole face cannot be seen draws more attention to the outfit that she is wearing. This is especially effective at enforcing the 'retro' theme, since it is reflective of the era focused on in the album design. 

The CD artwork, if you look closely, matches the jumper worn by the artiste on the front of the album. In this way, the theme is continued within the digipak. The name of the album in the same style and font is written across the centre of the disc, and font style allows the album name to be read despite the hole of the disc.   

The back of the digipak features the same theme of the rest of the digipak (polaroid photograph), making the whole thing consistent and therefore more aesthetically pleasing. The shape and design of the polaroid photo has been used creatively in order to fit in the standard information such as the barcode and record company information at the bottom. The artiste's face is not on the front, but it is shown on the back, which is unusual and connotes that personal image not the most important aspect of music-making for the artiste, unlike the traditional pop artiste. The handwritten style font of the track numbers and subheadings is consistent to the main font use on the front of the digipak. The layout of the song names and numbers is clear and simple to read. 

The use of the retro polaroid photograph for the pull-out booklet not only sustains the theme of the entire digipak, but also allows for an authentic-looking souvenir to be kept by the fans of Taylor Swift. This concept is taken even further with the mixture of bonus photos that come as an extra for the fans in the digipak, as well as a scrapbook-like designed information pack. Not only is this aspect quirky and unique, it could also be a marketing device. Since photographs of this kind are typically personal, the photos have been used as a way of connecting the artiste with her fans and help them feel like they have got to know her on a more personal level (which, one may argue, is the desire of most pop fans). 

To conclude, this digipak design is both fun and unique. When the album was released in 2014, 'retro' was (and continues to be) a quirky and popular trend which mainly younger people, and Taylor Swift's main demographic, chose to follow. This makes the design relevant to the time, ironically keeping it current for years to come too. The theming and the fonts are simple and consistent throughout the design and the bonus materials are exciting and an interesting approach to marketing the product. For these reasons, it is a successful and imaginative digipak in my opinion.  

Digipak Analysis - Prism, Katy Perry

Digipak Analysis - Prism, Katy Perry

The most noticeable element of this digipak is the hologram effect used for the cardboard. The choice to use this effect is unique and interesting and has multiple advantages. Being holographic means that it reflects different colours of light, which is particularly useful at making it stand out on shelves in stores and at home. It also makes it seem more artistic and collectible as a digipak. The hologram effect is also relevant to the branding of the album, Prism being the title, because scientifically prisms are able to split light into its different colours; the hologram effect produces a similar multicoloured light illusion. 

The font used for the name of the album is simple and bold, and it has a prominent, central position on the front of the packaging. The font used is also very unique and reflective of the album name as well - the misaligned lines which make up the album name could connote what happens to a single beam of light if it were to be shined onto a prism: it is refracted. The unique design of the album name is important in order for the buyers to identify the album as the one they wish to buy. 

The image on the front of the album is the artiste - this is a typical feature of the pop genre, since this genre often focuses on selling the artiste to the audience even more so than their music; it is the tours which make the most money. Since Katy Perry is an artiste whose demographic includes a younger audience, it is appropriate that the album cover contains nothing explicit such as extreme violence or nudity. In this situation, it is arguable that the artiste has reached the other end of their demographic spectrum by appearing naked, yet still covered, on the front of the album. This voyeuristic element suggests that while the artiste's songs may be mostly clean and appropriate for younger audiences, she is not innocent or immature and therefore still relevant to older audiences too. 

In the background of the digipak front cover, there are flowers and plants. This natural imagery is also effective at portraying a natural theme, matching the prism and its ability to refract natural light.

The digipak used is a standard four-panel digipak which opens up like a book. Inside, the holographic-effect cardboard is continued ensuring the productt looks high quality and well finished. A further two images of the artiste are displayed, one of which is displayed behind the plastic disc holder (making use of all space on the digipak; an economic and environmental benefit). The photos reflect the same natural theme as seen on the front cover. It is worth noting here that there is no text on the inside of the casing. 

The CD itself appears very basic, however seeing that plain CDs have a natural holographic reflection to them, its simplicity is ideal in this situation. Katy Perry's name and the album title is clearly printed on the disc, keeping the branding for the album consistent and bold. The track names and numbers are also featured on the CD; it could be argued that this feature is simply a traditional one, since it bears no function when the CD is being played (arguably when the track information is needed the most). To add to this, there appears to be a sticker displaying the 'Prism' album logo which comes as a bonus with the purchase of the digipak. This is an ideal collectible for the artiste's listeners, and also helps to promote the artiste in the likely instance that a fan chooses to display the sticker somewhere. 

The reverse of the digipak is where the important information is such as the copyright information, the barcode, the record company details and the song numbers and titles. This compulsory information was probably kept on the back of the design so that the artwork on the front and on the inside is not altered or ruined (they are ugly features to say the least). Again, the hologram effect is continued and another image of the artiste in the same field of flowers is shown, as to keep to the theme. The song titles are arranged in a very unique and creative way in the shape of a triangle; the shape of a prism. The triangular shape is used throughout the album and branding design. Another cleverly designed aspect of the back cover is the scarf that Katy Perry is wearing: it veers off and spreads out in the wind and it is multicoloured, thus resembling the exiting light beam of the light-refracting prism itself.  

Overall, I think that the most impressive aspect of this digipak design is the consistency of the album theme displayed throughout the design; the use of the triangles, the hologram effect and the theme of nature and overall, prisms. The design is effective at selling the artiste and promotes itself in creative ways, for instance the eye-catching hologram effect and the bonus sticker that comes with the purchase of the album. The design has features which addresses Katy Perry's whole demographic. 

What is a Digipak?

What is a Digipak?

A Digipak is a way of packaging CD albums and singles in a visual fashion. The Digipak and its name is now a registered trademark of AGI-Shorewood, and was created by MeadWestvaco in the early 2000s. The term 'Digipak' is now reference to most soft disc packaging. The original design was made of cardboard or card stock with a plastic CD insert, which was an alternative to the common jewel case. The aesthetic flexibility of the Digipak allowed it to become much like a piece of collectible artwork for the artiste's listeners; thus it popularity, even today. 

The Digipak

Jewel Case