EH - Ancillary Tasks - Similar Product Research 1

Solo Task: Emma Hall 9162

Paper Kites "Woodland"

This album cover for the paper kites is very simple, and interestingly doesn’t feature a photograph of the band, as is a convention. Instead, as is a growing trend in recent, more indie publications, it uses a graphic-style piece of imagery in combination with the band’s name and album title. The band name is in a larger font, as this is what users would look for if searching for the Digipak in a shop, as opposed to the album title which is more forgettable.

The theme for this Digipak relates to my artist well, with a natural theme, including using a juxtaposition of bright and colourful on dark/moody. This prepares the user for a mixture of cheerful and more serious songs, with the album not leaning too much either way. Setting the tone for the album is a very important function for the album cover, and this cover gives of a distinctly sweet, almost magical tone with its illustrations and enchanted forest look. This is particularly indicative of O'Sullivan's theory that media shows a "partial selected review of reality" - with natural, recognisable elements over-enhanced and turned into something like literature. Framing the bright flowers in a circle makes the user feel as though they are looking in through a window at a secret garden of sorts, and draws the user in to the album, forcing their attention onto the name of the artist. In this way, the artist’s name is advertised, for example if the Digipak was featured in a HMV TV advert, as well as the actual CD, raising their public profile.

The colours are very natural, using greens and browns with touches of pink and red, which would appeal more towards a female audience. The natural theme is appropriate for the album’s title ‘Woodland’, and hints at the folk genre of music to be found inside.  This is quite a typical folk theme, and supports Kress' theory that genre "derives its form from repeated social occasion". Whilst not an original concept, it is effective. Flowers are signs that have connotations of delicacy and beauty, and so similarly are aimed towards women, though the style of the trees in the background are quite modern in their thin, tall style, keeping the cover from looking whimsical- this is not aimed at children. The font used for the title is also quite delicate and fragile, with thin sans-serif letters that look hand-drawn. This fragility fits with the name ‘Paper Kites’ and the font is part of the band’s house style that is used consistently to make a recognisable image. Despite being thin, the font still stand out due to the capital letters, white font against dark background and the framing of the border. The colour white also is a symbolic sign signifying innocence, and fits the childlike, sweet nature of the cover, whilst not being too bright as to detract from the decorative graphics- it feels like a natural extension of the images.