A01 - Analyse a Film Poster

This poster advertising 'Inception,' a science fiction action film. This promotional poster is in portrait format, and the dull colour scheme gives connotations of mystery, and that somewhere in the story line there is going to be a darkness. The poster doesn't really tell you much about the film, apart from the background of the poster tells you that it is going to be a confusing film, as what at first glance looks like the back of a building, turns into a street being flipped on it's side. You can just about see that the characters at the bottom have guns, meaning that there is going to be some violence throughout the film. This poster has been created photographically, and also graphically, as making the street curve up at the bottom would've meant that it was edited in post production. The typography for this poster is rather bold and in sans serif. This boldness tells us that it is going to be a hard hitting film that will entice you, the title for this film is unusually at the bottom in a small font, which allows more room for the image. I think this has been done to create an enigma, as 'Inception,' doesn't really give you much to go on, as inception means beginning. The font used for the actors involved is the same as the one used for the title, except that the text is in white instead of red for the main actor. 'Leonardo DiCaprio,' has been spread out very widely to fit the width of the names of the other actors below. This shows that DiCaprio is the key character in the film. The other actors underneath him have their first name in red, and their surname in white, as actors are more commonly referred to by their surname. There are no critics quotes on this poster, suggesting that is it yet to be reviewed, or that it is leaving you to make your own assumptions. The credit block at the bottom is in a small font which is typical of every theatrical poster. What I have found is that this is the poster for America, as the rating at the bottom is PG-13. The UK may have a different poster to this. Along with the certificate, all the other additional information such as the logos of the producers of the film, and it's website are at the bottom just above a small caption saying 'Experience it July 16 in theatres and IMAX.' Here the use of experience it gives the audience a suggestion that it is going to take you for a whirlwind ride that will keep you hooked. The tagline, 'Your mind is the scene of the crime,' hints to the audience that they are going to have a roll in the film, and they may have to figure the culprit of the crime for themselves. This tagline has again been used in the same font and in white, but it has also been aligned perfectly to fit in the middle of a street. This centralises the tagline, and also the rest of the text used. The messages in this poster are sent verbally and visually, as the taglines express verbally what some of the film is about, which is crime, and also the curved street tells you that something odd and exciting is going to happen. I think that the intended audience for this is teenagers and adults. I would say teenagers from maybe 15 and upwards though, as showing guns to PG-13 viewers might be a little risque, and also from what I've seen of the poster, I think the plot would be too confusing for them. Persuasive techinques have been used by the creators of this poster, these being the enigma of the image and why is has been curved, making it seem like the world is falling back on itself. Leonardo DiCaprio has ben used are a USP, even though you can't see him very clearly, unless you zoom into the poster. There isn't any pleasures promised with the poster, apart from you know that it is going to be a thrilling film because of the enigma of the image and the title, and also the stars involved. The poster tells us that a lot of money has been spent on the film, because of the stars involved, and also the director, Christopher Nolan. Also the visual effects used to make the building look like it's curving back in on itself are not cheap, and the poster shows us that this is going to have some relation to the film. The image seems to be the most important object on this poster, followed by the name of the film, and then the stars. The marketing campaign for a film is very important, as it promotes the film to the target audience. Without the marketing campaign the film wouldn't have a base to start from. The stars and directors from the film would also go and do interviews to promote the film, and there would also be reviews in magazines such as 'Empire,' which is a film review site. This poster looks like it could be a snapshot from the film, so it would've been expensive to create. I think that this is a good poster, because it doesn't tell you everything about the film, and leaves you with an enigma and a chance for you to wonder about the film. I think that it communicates with the audience effectively because of those reasons, leaving the audience clinging on and wanting more. I don't think that there are any alternative messages that could be passed through the marketing, and I don't feel that the poster could be seen as offensive. The only thing that s a bit risque is the use of guns, but guns are seen all the time in films and posters. 

A01 - Analyse a Magazine Advert

The adverts I am going to analyse have been featured in the November 2011 issue of Glamour magazine. Glamour the most popular women's magazine in the UK.

This advert for DKNY is targeted at teenagers and women. I would say that because of the DKNY brand, it is featured towards older teenagers and women more because it would be expensive. The model herself isn't actually holding the perfume bottle, which when you first see the advert is quite random, but as you look to the bottom, you see that they have based the packaging of the perfume bottle on an apple. They have chosen a model to front their campaign, as it will have a greater effect on the audience, wanting them to see a beautiful person buy it, will encourage them to purchase it as some may believe that it will make them more beautiful. The facial expression on the model shows that she has just eaten the apple, looked up and seen someone she desires, as she has got a slight smolder in her eyes. Her body language suggests that the fragrance is meant to portray seduction, as her eyes are looking directly into the eyes of the viewer, seducing you into buying the product. The whole advertisement has a gold colour scheme running through it, to match the name of the product. Therefore the creators have decided to use a blonde model to accentuate the gold theme. The gold theme can also portray winning, as gold is used as the top prize for awards, suggesting that this fragrance is the best frgrance around. The light in this image is actually coming from behind and infront of the model, the lighting from behind gives the model an angel-like glow, making the advert look heavenly. The light also comes from the front, so that the model is lit. The lighting draws you to the model because of the subtle light band thats around her.There isn't a slogan for this advert, but at the bottom there's a small tag line that says 'Join the core club,' this is a pun on the use of an apple for the design on the bottle, as the core is the part in the middle of the apple. The font is the same as the logo of DKNY, and this font is used throughout all of their advertsing campaigns and throughout their company. The colouring of the font on here is neutral as it is white and gold, fresh colours that are easy to read. The font itself is normal and bold, giving some parts a chance to stand out a bit more, and make more of an impact. A mid shot has been taken of the model, but you can only really see from her shoulder up, as the graphics of the apple below cover the rest of her. They want you to see the detail of the model that's why a mid shot has been used. It's got some distance so her face doesn't overpower the advert, but it's close enough so that you can see the models expression. The shot has been taken at eye level, so it looks like the model is looking into your eyes, persuading you to buy the product. In the image of the actual perfume bottom at the bottom, buildings in New York have been reflected into it, telling us that this image is meant to have been aken in New York, and it also represents the brand, as DKNY stands for Donna Karen New York. Facebook and Twitter icons have been used to make you follow them online. At the time of production there may have been a competition being held on Facebook or Twitter.

This advertisement has a small flap on the left hand side that you can peel open and there is a piece of paper with the scent underneath it. Advertisers do this to tempt you inot buying the product, as if you smell a bit of it first you remember it and you make yourself want to buy it. The image on this advert is a close up of some apples and then the fragrance bottle. Here the company is relying on the product alone to sell itself rather than having a famous model on the front. The text on this advert is the same as the previous one, apart from there is no mention of social networking sites. This hints that this advert may have bene used for a magazine thats targeted at older readers, rather than than teenagers and young adults that tend to use social networking sites more. The companies website has been used on this, which again highlights that this advert may have been produced for an older audience. The water droplets on the apples suggest that the fragrance is going to smell fresh and light. Usually perfumes that have a stronger smell have a darker advertisement.

Here is what you would see if you lifted the flap up to smell the fragrance. You can see at the top that there is a little stamp which has a resemblance to the sticker that you see on an apple. Underneath that there is text that says, 'Take a special bite!' this suggests that the perfume is like nothing you've ever smelt before, and thats its a one of a kind. There is also a small bit of text at the bottom telling you that there is a collection of frgrances that are inspired by apples.

A01 - Analyse a Pamphlet

The purpose of this leaflet is to inform people about recycling. The target audience for the leaflet is the general public in Shropshire, and in this case North Shropshire. The leaflet is designed for both genders and it is suitable for all ages, although it will be designed for mainly adults and homeowers. The front cover of this leaflet has a very simple colour scheme of blue, white and green which runs throughout the whole booklet. The cover is very clean and it isn't cluttered which helps with the impression of recycling and clearing up rubbish. The green used in this booklet is meant to represent the recycling aspect. Using 2 different shades of green helps to balance the piece out so it doesn't look too bold and striking, it tones the piece down a bit. The use of the Shropshire Countil logo shows the importance of the booklet, and tells us that it isn't a fake booklet. Also using the logo of Veolia tells the target audience who will be collecting their waste so they can recognise them when they take their rubbish. The image selection used on the front cover, is rather plain, but it does show what you need to take out in the black box. Using a man seems to make the piece a lot more male orientated even though it is meant for both genders. There is more text on this front cover compared to images, as the front cover needs to inform you about what the leaflet is about. There is rather a lot of 'white space' on this image but I think this is due to that recycling is meant to be clean and this is what the white space is representing. The text in this front cover is serif, and in green and white, representing the neutral, cleanliness of recycling. The only pieces of text that aren't in the same font are the logos of the Shropshire Council and the Veolia logo. There is only one piece of text that is in italics, 'in partnership with,' this is in italics to highlight that Veolia is a important part of the recycling in Shropshire. All of the text and the logos have been placed on the right hand side, making everything aligned together perfectly. 

This page of the booklet is mainly graphic based. The colour scheme follows on from the previous page, and these colours run throughout. In this piece though grey and red are introduced to highlight certain areas. This page has been set up into tables of months so that you can clearly identify what month your looking for. The headers of the tables are blue which ties in with the headers of the leaflet. This makes the page look a lot more professional. Grey and green has been used alternatively to highlight the different days when the bins are going to be collected. The font used in the tables is the same as the previous page, but it has been put into bold as this shows how important the dates are. The text on this page below the tables is the same as the previous page, apart from the a small section at the bottom which is emboldened. More graphics have been used on this page to highlight certain areas. For example, the red circles around some of the dates and the graphic of a phone at the bottom right of the page. The juxta position of the text is in line with the tables, to keep everything neat. 

The blue banner at the top is seen again, as it is throughout the whole booklet. Bullet points have been used in the top section of the piece, which hasn't been seen in the booklet before. This is then followed by some text explaining what you can and can't have in the bins and when they will be collected. There is only one piece of text that is in bold, and this is the time when your bins need to be out by. There are then two rounded rectangle shapes that show what you do with the green bins and the black bins. These rectangles are colour co-ordinated with the colour of the bins, which makes it easier to find on the page. The red border around the text at the bottom of the page, shows that it is of importance to the reader of the leaflet. In this case the highlighted area is about disruptions that could occur and how they would deal with them. 

This page is the most detailed of the leaflet and it is a double page spread. On the left hand side there are many rectangles in different colours that relate to different things. The blue rectangles are about where you can find out more information about recycling and the top one holds a key so that you can tell what types of things go into each area. To the right of this we have a table showing the different boxes and what can and can't go in them. Using images of each of the bins is helpful if people aren't sure on which is which. The yes and no columns next to these have a green or red faded background and the two rectangles above that have a stronger green and red background. The text in the these sections is very polite, saying please and thanks for people respecting the recycling rules In the faded sections of the table, the green sections have little graphics showing what each sections looks like, for example the Garden waste section has a little leaf next to it. The names of each of the sections are in bold and black which makes them stand out. Then the rest of the text isn't in bold. In the red section there are tiny little red crosses which highlight the fact that these items shouldn't be put in the bins. There is a small part of text which is in bold and in red, stressing that there is no way that the cardboard should go in the green bin. 

The back page of this leaflet is a thank you page for the readers. The banner at the top is used again, but instead the Shropshire council logo is back on it. 'Thank you for recycling,' has been written in a dark blue font and it's in bold to highlight that they appreciate that you've taken the time to read the leaflet and your going to respect the rules. We then go into the next chunk of text which is in a lighter blue and then onto the next bit which also has blue bullet points. At the bottom left of this page, the creators have used images of popular products to show that they can be recycled. There is also the 'Recycle for Shropshire,' logo underneath this. These parts have been put onto a green background to show that they are part of the recycling element. The dark blue part is informing you that you can also recycle electrical equipment. 

A01 - Analyse a Digipak

This digipak is Michael Jackson's 'This is It.' It is a 4 panel digipak, that has a book style integrated into it. The CD is contained by having a pouch which it fits into, there is also another pouch which holds the second CD. The colours in this digipak are silver, red and black. These are colours that were stereotypically used for Michael Jackson throughout his whole life. They have connotations to something that is priceless, and almost regal. You don't need audience foreknowledge to know what this digipak is about, as there is a silhouette of Michael Jackson as the cover, with a collage of images from the tour rehearsals inside the silhouette. The whole digipak is represented photographically, with images throughout of the 'This Is It' tour rehearsals. There was no images of the actual tour in the digipak, as Jackson passed away a week before his tour was due to begin. The typography on the front and back of the digipak is very clean and simple. It is serif, and a plain text which ties in beautifully with the remainder of the digipak, making it a great tribute to the King of Pop. There is only one part of italic text, which shows that the album is dedicated to his children. The rest of it is left in it's normal state to show off the title and the songs. The songs are in a smaller font than the title itself. There is additional information on the back of the cover, showing the names and logos of the production team, his record label, copyright information and everyone that was involved in the making of the album. There is a lot of white space on the front of the digipak, but it doesn't make the digipak look dull, as the main focus is on the silhouette of Michael Jackson. The back of the cover is also filled up with the additional information and the names of the tracks. There is also another image of a silhouette of Michael Jackson in one of his iconic dance moves. This has also been filled in with images from the rehearsals. The messages within the digipak are visual, as there is no writing inside or out, except the names of the songs and the additional information. There is a wide target audience for this digipak, as Michael Jackson had fans of all ages, ranging from small children to elderly people. Therefore I think the design of this digipal has been cleverly done to make sure its suitable for all ages. The digipak tells us that the album is going to be a very clean polished piece, as thats the impression that the case is giving off. The information on the digipak has been placed in a hierarchy of importance. The names of the songs on the back have come before the names of the copyright, production companies and record labels. The digipak was vital to the sales of the 'This Is It,' documentary film. The album was the official soundtrack to the worldwide film, giving people how had seen the film to relive the moments. Therefore because of this, the soundtrack gained a very big profit. Personally I like this digipak, it is different to others because it has a hardback case, with a book style inside it. I also like the way that the disc casing is incorporated into the images, so you can keep the images the size you want. I think that it communicates effectively with the audience as Michael Jackson fans would understand that this album has been created out of respect, and that the cover and information inside reflects that. The digipak isn't offensive in any way, just like Jackson's previous album covers. He wouldn't put anything out that would offend others. And there are no alternative readings to the cover.

A02 - Respond to a Client Brief

I have chosen to create flyers, digipak's and flyers for my client, as they are going to be promoting a tour, and these are the standard items that you would expect to see at a tour and leading up to it. In my budget I have included the costs of Graphic Designers and Photographers, as well as the printing costs for everything.

Flyer Draft

Digipak Draft

Programme Draft

Schedule 

Presentation

Presentation

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A03 - Client Feedback: 1st Meeting + Final Products

I have looked at this feedback and created more detailed drafts of my products:

Flyer:

Responding to my clients feedback, I have found a different company that will print my flyer's out for cheaper. I have found a website (www.stressfreeprint.co.uk) Where I can order 20,000 flyers for £240.72. This has therefore reduced my budget by £221.28 to make my new total budget £10,181.72

Programme:

For the programme, I have also moved around the drawings, so that when the programme is printed it is the right way up. The programme will include advertisement pages from sponsors, pages showing merchandise that can be bought from the tour. There will also be a 8 page spread of black and white images of the artist to fill the book up a little. I have also included the dates of the tour.

Digipak:

With the digipak, I have moved it around so that is is the correct way up for printing. I have taken some images of the artist and inked them up. I have then made this into the cover of the case. And also inked up the track list and the design for the disc. All I need from the artist now is a few words for thank you's and the legal information from the record company. I have also included an image of what the digipak would look like on a proper template. On this template I have received the additional information and thank you from the artist and legal information. I have also added a name to the spine.

I have decided to keep my schedule the same, as I was working ahead of time. I feel that this will push me and keep me working on the right track so that all deadlines are met. 

Final Presentation

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A03 - Client Feedback: 2nd Meeting + Final Review

I am happy with the feedback that I have received from the client. They were happy with my products and deemed them as being very professional. The fact that they have said that they would like to work with me again, has given me a great confidence boost and this will aspire me to create further projects. Working for this client has been fantastic, as I have received nothing but positive feedback. I am very much looking forward to working with them again as they have a fantastic ethos. 

A03 - Feedback from others

Adam: - 'I really liked the colour scheme that was used, although I thought a texture could've been used. Maybe something that looks like crumpled paper to add a bit of depth. I thought that there was quite a lot of white space on the top of programme and also on the tracklist part of the digipak. What I did like about the digipak though is the hand drawn man, and also the grass at the bottom which has carried onto the back.'


Ashley: - 'I thought that the digipak could've had more depth in it, I thought it looked quite flat. If the digipak was more rugged looking, I think it would've had more character. My favourite piece overall is the flyer. I think that it has been well executed and it is consistent with the other products. My least favourite product has to be the programme. I feel that more material needed to be shown. For example a few pages from the programme just to show us what would be inside.'


Jeanette: - 'I was a fan of all the products, especially the digipak. I thought that it was good how every part of it was hand drawn. This adds a more personal touch to it, making it seem like the artist himself has drawn everything. I really like the continuity of the pieces and how you can tell that they are all from the same artist.'

A04 - Evaluation

I believe that my products are fit for the audience, as they are similar to professional flyers, digipak's and programmes. I have made sure that my products are suitable for all ages even though it is targeted at teenagers and young adults. The cover of the digipak will appeal to the target audience as it is a style that will appear to teenagers and young adults that listen to Indie, Pop and Folk music, as Leon Chaplin's music is a fusion of this. On the back of my programme, I have decided to include the venues of the tour, and also the cover of the album saying that it has been released, to promote the album and to fill some of the white space. I decided to use a Graphic Designer to create the products, as this would give all the products the same professional quality and there would be a continuity throughout all of them. I think that the Graphic Designer did a great job with the ideas I gave, and adapted them well using the images from the Photographer. In my feedback, I was told that my products had a great continuity running throughout them, which made it easy to tell which artist it was from. I think if I were to make more products, I would use the same designer to keep within the style and keep continuity. I also decided to use a professional Photographer so that the quality of the images would be high and this would make it easier for the Graphic Designer to ink the images up and get what detail they needed. I was really happy with the images that were taken, and they were exactly what I wanted for my products. I decided to use Photoshop to create all of my products, as this is an Industry standard software that gives a high quality finish and it allows me to experiment with a lot of different techniques that stretch my creativity. I didn't have any problems using Photoshop, as I have worked with it before. Because my products were quite simple, I didn't have to do anything too difficult and extensive. I responded to my client's 1st set of feedback well, as I knew that my work did need improving, and that more finalised drafts needed to be produced. I found that the feedback was positive, and gave me a clearer view of what they wanted. On my final set of feedback from the client, I was told that my work looked 'clear and professional.' I was very happy with this feedback as I had worked hard on all the products. 

I would say that my digipak is similar to the work seen on the cover of Tommy Reilly's 'Words On The Floor,' album cover.

This cover is similar to mine as it promotes the Indie/Folk genre, both have used neutral colour palettes and inked words up. The difference here is that the image of the artist is an actual photo rather than an inked drawing. I think that my work is on a level of this piece, as I could see it standing out next to it on a self, despite them both being quite similar. My digipak seems a little more cartoon like because of the roundness of the drawing, whereas this digipal seems more robust and cleaner. 

This is a professional poster for an Indie night. I think my flyer is of a high standard although this one has got a slightly more professional feel to it as it is a poster that is promoting high end bands. With a little bit more work I think I could've created a flyer/poster that was up to this standard. I am certainly interested in furthering my abilities to create a piece like this. 

This is a programme from the Matt Cardle Tour. This is similar to the work I have produced, as the cover of the programme is the album cover, which is what I have done with mine. Inside the programme are sections that include images of the artist and little notes from him. This was an idea I had for my programme, as well as using advertising to help fund the tour. Inside the programme there will also be a page dedicated to the band that is used to go on tour with him. I also think with my programme, if I had put a little bit more work into it and some more creativity I could've created something that looked like this.