Album Design Exercises Essay Example

Beck, Wilco, Neil Young, and Four Tet. Analyzing these artists' album covers revealed that featuring their portraits on the cover was not necessary. This may be because they don't rely on their appearance to sell records but it can create an air of mystery which can be a unique selling point. Building on this finding, it was decided to use images resembling those used by Warhol for our cover as it would resonate most with our target audience.

The project made use of a variety of images, such as teddy bears, toothbrushes, fruit, cans of soup/beans, MP3 players, and more. Adobe Photoshop 7 was utilized to manipulate these images. In order to achieve a screen-print appearance similar to Warhol's style, filters were applied to the images. After experimenting with different render, artistic, and blur filters, I ultimately chose the 'color halftone' filter. This particular filter is commonly employed in mass-media printing and imparts a rough yet stylish look to the selected image (a pear).

Originally intending for a gatefold rectangle layout for the project, changes in style during production led me to opt for a square gatefold design instead. The previous design may potentially be released as a special 'digipak' edition in the future.

I believed that creating a distinct product would reduce dependence on mainstream displays for an effective promotional campaign. Throughout the production process, I remained confident that the chosen images would resonate with our target audience and align seamlessly with our band's identity.

After reflecting and discussing with colleagues, I have come to realize that there are a few changes that could be made during the production process. One suggestion is to include the band's name

on the cover. However, given the band's cult status, it was deemed unnecessary as word of mouth and magazine reviews would suffice for advertising the CD. Additionally, I feel that adding a gatefold image of the original on the cover might make it appear cluttered and detract from its impact. Moreover, I strongly believe that producing the 'Pear' illustration in color halftone with low relief would enhance the product's prestige during full production.