my first attempt

Here is my first draft/attempt on my music advertisement. It's not exactly how I had produced my plan, but when I "got in the zone" this was how it was finally produced.

I decided to use a black background with white writing simply because from previous research I had under taken a lot of music advertisements use this technique and it seems to appear successful and also because my music video to Broken Arrow is all in black and white so this corresponds with this idea well.

I used a print screen from the actual music video itself as the main image on the advertisement. The reason I used this one was because I had already edited it for when I use it in my digi-pack so it saved me time. I blurred the background by using tools on "picaza" and was able to have my own take on what the Stereo Phonics did for their album advertisement by using a black and white background but having their photo in colour, I have made sure that Elle stands out in a similar way.

For any writing on this poster I used a font from the website http://www.fontspace.com/category/cute,girly which I downloaded as I think it a similar font to which Pixie uses for her own albums, but I made it unique to me. the writing which I included on the main image was a quote along the top saying "available to buy/download from 11/05/11". I made sure this was in bold and written across the top of the photo as the release date of an album is one of the most important conventions so the customers can know when it is available for them to listen to.

In the bottom left hand corner I included this image of Elle which is (I think) the image I will be using for the front cover of my digi-pack. I included it small when writing "including the debut single - broken arrow" this way if someone has already brought the single before the album has come out, they will be able to relate to this image.

I also included most of the other conventions such as star ratings and quotes form magazines, one being a sort of "slip line" saying that the music on Pixie Mixes new album enables your mood to change instantly. I though this added a unique touch to my advertisement as not many album advertisements include slip lines, but I think there great and will encourage more people to buy it.

This is only a first draft and so i may make more changes, but I'm very pleased as to how it has turned out first time!!

My own album advertisement

Here is a very rough outline that I have drawn to give me an idea as to what my advertisement will look like actually on paper and not just as an idea in my head.

I have included the "pixie mix" logo which is in a "hand written/girly" font, 2 print screens Of Elle from the music video itself and then other conventions such as ratings/comments from magazines and critics, the release date, the name of the album etc.

I will make my magazine advert in either paint, photo shop or picaza in order to construct it correctly and make it look the best it possibly can!

album advertisement analysis

In last weeks lesson we were focusing on album advertisements that already existed today to give us further research as to when it comes down to designing our own.

We annotate 3 different album advertisements; The killers, Stereo phonics and Nirvana. All of these are different from my genre of "pop" but I thought this gave me a good idea that not every album advertisement matches the genre of the music.

For example, Stereo phonics are alternative/indie music yet there advertisement for their album is really unique. It includes a dull grey background of the seaside with the band sitting at a "cafe" table in the sea itself, yet they are all in colour. I like the iconography to this as to me, it implies that they the band themselves like to think that their different from all the other boy groups out there and so that's why I think they may have chosen to put themselves in colour to show that they "stand out from the crowd" and are different. This is the impact that I would like my advertisement to have on people when they first look at it.

This analysis and research has really helped me to know what I want to achieve in my own music advertisement now! Something unique, eye catching but something that doesn't go too outside of my genre of "pop".

Pixie Lott - Music Magazine Representations

Seems as Pixie Lott was the inspiration for myself and my group to create our artist "pixie mix" I thought that I shoudl condusct some rsearch has to how Pixie herself is represented in both music magazines and normal ones. I will look at her clothes, make up etc and hopefully this will give me enough inspiration for when it comes to making my own music advertisement but using Elle and "Pixie Mix".





FHM magazine
FHM magazine is a typical "lads mag" that focuses on page 3 girls, football and gadgets etc. However, this iamg eon the right hand side which i found using the search engine "Google" is a special "Music Issue" and so this is why they have chosen to put Pixie Lott on the front cover.


On this front cover Pixie Lott is posing very seductively. She is wearing small almsot none existant black hot pants with what appears to be an electric blue bar/boob tube. This is wear Pixi completley goes against the steroetype that poeple giver her of her being an "innocent" and "angelic" 19 year old who is a "pretty in pink" pop princess I woudlnt want to advetise her like this on my music advertisement as I think it will compeltely attract the wrong audience.


Sugar - Teen Magazine
This image is much more typical of Pixie Lott. Having her hair lose in natural curls accompanied with natural make up along with a pretty summer dress, this is wear she adhearing much more to her sterotype of being a "young, innocent and pop princess".


This is more as to how I would like to pose Elle on my magazine advertisenment, I love the fact that she is smiling and looking directly at the camera. (this is known as "The Gaze"). I think if I did this on my music advertisement, the buyers of the album will be "drawn in" more as the artist is looking directly at them.
I prefer the "natural" look and I definaltely think this is a must when it comes to the styling of Elle (who is playing Pixie Mix) for my album advertisement.





Q - Music Magazine
Here is a photo shoot and 4 page article in the quirky rock magazine "Q". here again, Pixie Lott is posing secutively and isn't weasring much in the form of clothes. The knee high leather boots and the fact that she is dressed all in black and pictures posing liek this on teh side of a motor bike automatically sends out a message to the people reading this magazine.

Her hair is flowing and making her appear "sexy". In some ways, sex appeal is good but in some ways it can send out an innaporopriate message as this isn't the "real" pixie Lott, she has simply been made to look liek this for the appeal of the magazine and the situation she is in for the photo shoot. I defiantley wont be imitating any of this in my own music advertsiement, apart form the hair, I like the way it looks like it's flowing in the wind.



French Pop Magazine



Here Pixie Lott is posed in what seems the most natural i have seen in all of the magazines I have looked at. Her hair is straightened with slightly lose curls, and her make up is very natural which I think looks better than when she has a lot of make up on as I think the "natural" look fits her overall image and genre of her music more.

Here she is wearing something that doesn't usually 'fit' with her image that she usually portrays but I think this may have something to do with it being for a French magazine rather than a British one.

Magazine advertisement research

Here is an image I found with the help of the search engine "Google" whilst looking for examples of album advertisements in music magazines. Although all 3 images are similar, they all hold very different and unique conventions for a music magazine advertisement. I am going to analyse the 3 separately and comment on the convention that they hold and what makes them a good example as to what I could replicate when it comes to creating my own.

The magazine advert for Ellie Goulding mirrors the title of the album, 'Lights'. The image has been manipulated with gold streaks amongst her long feminine flowing hair; she too seems to glow much like the font. The image is flattering and her head positioning captures her in a elegant way, thus the advert immediately gives an impression of the artist. Reviews from the music industry have been used to promote the album, star ratings are a easy visual to read a rating. As she is a debut artist a close up image of her face has been used to promote artist recognition toward the artist, she has a intense gaze yet is not looking toward the audience to give the appearance of being captured in a non posed way.

The advert for The Temper Trap and their new album "conditions" is plain and simple yet effective. The black background used makes the image of the young girl stand out more to the magazine reader. It's different to any normal magazine advertisement because all it includes out of the main conventions you would expect magazine advertisement for an album to is the album name, the artist and the release date. All of which are written in a small arial font in the bottom right hand corner. However, I think the way in which the Temper Trap have gone against the normal way in which an album is presented in a magazine id for the better, as I think advert will grab more attention for the concept of it being "outside the box" rather then your typical average album magazine advert.



Finally is the advertisement for The noisettes's new single (rather than album) "Don't upset the rhythm". Again the black background as been used and I think this really makes the lead singer of The Noisettes stand out on the cover. The fact that she is standing in the middle of a lit up "pyramid" type shape makes her silhouette stand out even more. Again, small white writing in simpel font has been used and I think this is to make it stand out against the black background (as white and black are the best contrasting colours). The genre of The Noisettes music is pop, but with a 60's/70's twist. From this, they have left the font of their name in a font which matches this genre/era. I think it really catches your eye and will help the reader of the magazine relate to this advertisement easier.

AND THE WINNER IS....

Out of all the 3 magazine advertisements for albums/CD'S my favourite one of the three I have analysed (so far) is definately Elle Goulding - Lights. I just love this advertisement as I reallt think the way the gold streaks have been highlighted in her hair make her apear extra eye catchign and striking and I think that if I was flicking through a magazine, if I saw this advertisement, I would stop and read who it was for. I also love the iconography of the fact that the album is called "Lights" and the light in her hair has been highlighted more and this makes the advertisement seem more real and believable and will hopefully help people relate to her music more.