CD DESIGN

This is my CD design of the Summertime CD. The gradient is that of green and yellow similar to the other gradients used on my packaging. The logo is in the background and has been made to have a fadey appearance from selecting 'Overlay' from the drop down menu under the Layers tab. Also, there is the QR code that I posted earlier, so that the customer can scan it using their smartphone.

MY QR CODE

This my QR code for this blog, which I most likely use for my final packaging.

QR code

SURFACES FOR SECOND PACKAGING

These are my designs for my second packaging which will be for containing the inlay. They both have repeated patterns, and the similar gradients

This will be used to go on the inside of the packaging. It's simple but effective, but I'm thinking of including some notes of appreciation, as if sent by the Smith himself. For this effect, I chose the option 'Soft Light' from the drop down menu under the Layers tab, which resulted in this.

This will be the exterior surface. I brought in the repeated pattern in Photoshop, and under the drop down menu in the 'Layers' tab, I chose the option 'Difference', resulting in this. It looks like the gradient is actually inside the headphones and rainbows as well. I'm also thinking of including some sort of message like 'Open up', or something on the lines of that.

PROTOTYPE OF FINAL PACKAGING

These are some shots of prototypes of my final CD and inlay packaging. Before making the final model, I wanted to be sure that it actually works, so I made these.

Side view of packaging when closed. This packaging would be used to hold the CD, but another separate one would be used for the inlay poster. Looks quite good, the circular clasps seems to work well, and the surface design is bold and colourful, which is good for the summer theme.

Front view of closed packaging. There are a few minor problems though. First of all, the artist's name can't be seen anywhere. So how would the customer know it's a Will Smith CD, or that it's 'Summertime'? I need to include a name somewhere on the flaps in a particular spot so that the name and the title of the song can be seen easily. Also, I need to include a bar code on it, as if it were being purchased at a shop.

Packaging opened. Looks a bit like a spider...

This is my second prototype. The white ring around it is supposed to be a makeshift spine, that is typically seen on CDs. When the time comes to assemble the real thing, it won't be anything as lousy as this, but similar. 

Maybe if I made the spine a bit thicker, it could work effectively. 

FINAL LYRICS INLAY

This is my true and final lyrics inlay. The background is vibrant with a yellow, green, orange and red gradient, with a repeated overlain pattern made from ColourLovers.com. The colour of the text is in black and the font used is 'a ripping yarn too'. which was the font used for the typographic brush. I did manage to fit all the lyrics of Summertime onto the page (and I jumped for joy!) 

The black font against the vibrant colours make it easier to read, and the size is also sufficient, so I'm really happy with it.

INLAY DEVELOPMENT

This was my first inlay design to be featured in my packaging. I intended to use the vector image of Will Smith that I created earlier, the typographic defined brush created in Photoshop and the lyrics of 'Summertime'. 

I really liked the image, it went well with the rest of my packaging. The only thing that was bad, was that I couldn't fit all the lyrics on. If I made the text smaller, it won't be seen very well, and the colour of the text, no matter what I changed it to, blended in too much with the background. 

This was originally going to be my final inlay. I used a repeated pattern made on ColourLovers.com, and the typography defined brush from Photoshop. I also used a different font than the top one called 'Apple Casual', in white which made it slightly readable against the black background, but the typographic brush renders it unreadable, so the customer would find it difficult to read (or sing along to). So next time, I will make another lyrics sheet, but maybe using a brighter more vibrant background, with black as the colour of the font. The only challenge is making all of the lyrics of Summertime fit onto the page.

FINAL ALBUM ARTWORK

This is my true, final album artwork with my net overlain over it. I did this on Photoshop by putting my final net over the design, and then chose the option 'Linear burn' so that only the outlines could be seen, resulting in this. Now what's left is to add the logo, in the base of the the net.

This design will go on the exterior of my net.

As for the interior this will be the design. This includes the track listing and he logo. which has faded into the background. The gradient colours include green, yellow and orange which emphasise the summer theme.

ARTWORK DEVELOPMENT- PART 2

This is more development of my surface design. Originally, I planned for this to be my final design, but there were some minor things I didn't like about it that I thought would affect the design. The outline of the net couldn't be seen very well because of the black background of the design, and the text listing the track list on the flaps couldn't be seen very well because of the font used. The vibrant colours of the text of the design, I felt was good, it suits the summer theme really well. And I'm using the vertical panels as well, like I said I would. 

This was originally going to be the on the inside, whereas the outside was going to have a white background for contrast.

Like this.... Same design, but different background.

ARTWORK & NET DEVELOPMENT

This is my final net overlaying my final artwork for the CD project. The net is that of the Wow spiral, originally created by packaging company 'Wewow', and the design uses an vibrant image of a pair of trainers/sneakers  in vertical panels (click here for this tutorial), and some typography of the 'Summertime' lyrics created from a typographic brush that I defined in Photoshop, with a black background to advance the colours, make them more noticeable.

This is good for the summer theme, because of the colours of the image and the text, and the net itself is quite swanky (if I may say so myself). What really draws me in is the light green in the middle of the design leading in to the orange.

But, there are a few things that I would change about it. In regards with the vertical panels image, I would much rather have vertical panel images of different aspects of summer instead of just an image of one object that Will Smith often talks about, so some panels, of a pair of trainers/sneakers, then a vector image of Will Smith and then someone wearing a pair of sunglasses. It would convey the message a lot better. Also, I need to add in my final logo in the centre of the net.

Here is another development of what I said I would do earlier. I have used images of Will Smith and a pair of sunglasses (you can only see one lens), as well as the trainers/sneakers from the first image. This is better, because I've incorporated the more than aspect of summer mentioned in the lyrics of the song 'Summertime'. Now, what's left is to use the typography defined brush in Photoshop and to incorporate the logo.

Also, I need to overlay my package over the design, to see where the design lies on the package.

GILLIAN BLEASE

These are the repeated patterns created by Graphic designer Gillian Blease. When they were created is unknown, but were most likely for commission purposes. I've chosen to analyse her work because it is similar to the repetitive patterns that I have created.

These were most likely created using a specialist software program like Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, or possibly drawn by hand, scanned and then edited by using a program to clean up the appearance and fill in the colour. As you can see with the second pattern, there is a black background which allows the brighter colours to advance off the page. This is good for making the colours stand out, especially with the type of outcome that I want to create. It also resembles early video games graphics to some extent, such as Pacman or Tetris of the 80s. Whereas the first pattern has a lot of symmetrical shapes, uses a combination of light and darker colours, making it resemble a stained glass window. The use of geomteric patterns was quite a  popular design during the 1990s, and the dark purple background emphasises the stained-glassed window resemblance. 

I quite like the bright colours and the clean appearance that it has from working on computer,and I think it would be good to incorporate the aspects of her design that I have made a note of.

ALBUM ARTWORK DEVELOPMENTS

These are some developments I have done for the album artwork. One of these could potentially be featured on my final packaging.

For this version, I have used a repetitive pattern which I created in COLOURLovers.com, and used the typography brush technique that I had done before using the image of Katy Perry. I felt that the colours used were relevant for the summer theme because they were vibrant and bold. You can vaguely see the pattern amongst the writing. The only setback I have for this, is that the different sizes of the painting can stop the viewer from seeing the words.

This is a second alternative artwork design. I used my vector images of Will Smith that I created a while back, and placed them in different positions, using the top design as my background. In some places, I've used the Paint Bucket tool and filled with black. To have this faddy effect, I used the Linear Burn technique. This is a good idea and the effect of the linear burn is effective, but maybe if I used vector images of other objects, it could be even better, instead of just Will Smith vector images. That way, I'd be putting the summer message across.

This is another alternative using the typography brush once again, but with the vector image of a pair of converses. I used a black background, as this advances the bright colours, and used the typography brush in different colours. Unlike the first one, the viewer has a better chance of seeing the lyrics, so I slightly prefer this to the top one. The composition has just about the right amount of objects there without being too clustered, so I really like  this one.

This is another alternative, which uses the previous design, except the background is white, but the text is black with another colour. I did this with the Paint Bucket tool. Also, the pattern which I made on Colour Lovers.net was used, which I overlaid, resulting in this design. I thought that this was quite nice, and you can see the lyrics featured in the song, unlike the very first design. But I feel that this has too much going on and may overwhelm the viewer with colour.

REPETITIVE PATTERNS-colour lovers

These are some repetitive patterns that I filled with my own colours using COLOURLovers.com, a website where you can create your own palettes and patterns. I thought that these would be a good idea to be used for my final packaging, because of their repetitiveness. The only thing that I would say is bad is that it can be difficult for a beginner to create your own colours,  especially if you're not very experienced with Photoshop and Illustrator, because it works quite similarly to those two programs. But on the other hand, it does allow you to express yourself.

DJ TOMA CD ANALYSIS

This is the artwork for DJ Toma's '80s and 90s' CD. It includes a compilation of songs from the 1980s and 1990s, mostly well known ones including 'Ice Ice Baby' by Vanilla Ice and 'The Way You Make Me Feel' by Michael Jackson.  Who made the artwork is unknown.

The target audience is likely to be those who are fond of 80s and 90s music (nostalgia freaks), or maybe those who best days were in those two decades, and like to play the music from those times. The images dominating the front cover are mostly those of neon vibrant colours, and objects popular at that time, including a ghetto blaster, pairs of headphones and tapes, as well as pixellated images, similar to those found in video games of those times, and a disco dance floor.

The techniques used look like they were made from programs such as Photoshop, especially for the glowing effect and the sharp lines on the left side of the composition, which create this lively atmosphere. They also create this nostalgic effect as well. The composition itself is quite full, possibly to try to fit in the important aspects of the two decades so as not leave anything important out.

The typography is geometric based. The title of the CD shows this, as their appearance looks more like shapes than letters, as this design was frequent, especially in the 90s. I think it's good that the title has been placed in the centre, otherwise, it would have been hidden behind the design itself, and would be difficult for the customer to identify who made the CD.

I do very much like the artwork, because it's very reflective of the popular culture of these two decades.The bright colours draw me in, and I think that they would draw the viewer in too. The glory effect helps with this too, and I like how the designer has fitted in the well known aspects of the decades, which is very important in conveying the message of the CD.

  Because I'm creating a CD from the 90s, this will have a large influence on my final artwork.

FINAL PACKAGING NET

This is my final packaging net, inspire by the Wow spiral originally created by We wow. The measurements are to scale, with the octagon being 13 cm, and the flaps being 70 mm. With my last attempt at this, the flaps were 60mm long and were too short, because the clasp would have a fairly big hole in the middle and would expose the CD too much. When I tried the clasp with this version, it worked out really well, so it was successful.

Using this net, I will later create a surface design to be featured, so stay tuned!

PACKAGING NET DEVELOPMENTS

For the past week, I have been developing my net for my final CD packaging. Some have gone well, some not so well, so here they are.

This was my first net created in Illustrator. I wanted to create a case where the shape was octagonal but it wasn't available and I didn't know how to create one, so I settled for a pentagon. The flaps on each side, were going to be folding in, so that they overlap one another and become this clasp to keep the CD secure. This was inspired from the Wow Spiral created by a packaging company called 'Wewow' who create these eco friendly packaging. Unfortunately, it didn't work out because my flaps were facing the wrong direction, and this would work better with a shape that has an even amount of sides.

This was my second packaging net. When assembled, it was going to become a standard CD case, which would have a gap in between the front and the back. In this gap,  there would be a small piece of card that would be the CD space, which the customer would gently pull out. When I tried this out, I didn't work very well, because the flaps were facing the wrong way, and were not big enough to be pasted down effectively. Also, I thought it was a basic idea, and a bit boring.

This is a re-try of the Wow spiral net. This time, I hand drew it instead of doing it on Illustrator, and it was to scale. I made sure to use a regular octagon, which was 130 mm and the flaps were 60 mm. When assembled, it closely resembled the original Wow spiral, except there was a rather large hole when the clasp was assembled, and it would expose too much of the CD. So in short, the flaps were too short.

PACKAGING PROTOTYPES

These are a few snapshots of the prototype model I had been working on for my final packaging net. They were potential models which I could be using.

This is a simple CD case where the inside has a space for inlay and the CD itself. The right side is for the inlay and the other for the CD, and the consumer can simply slide out the inlay with a finger using the space provided. A simple design, and effective too. I used cardboard for its sturdiness and durability compared to a material such as printing paper and cartridge paper, but it can be difficult to fold in places, so when folding, I had toe sure that the parts that needed folding were folded well.

Another prototype model. This one uses a similar design to the first prototype, except that the sliding-in-and-out is used for both the inlay and the CD space. Around these, there is a border-like edge, which was inspired from Pink's 'Greatest Hits...So far!!!' album, which I thought tidied up the packaging. Again card was used for durability and stability. Another effective design.

This is a small version of the Wow spiral inspired by the original from Wewow. I wanted to give a try on my own after analysing the original model found on the website (and because they didn't provide any instructions as to how to make one of your own). It took me awhile to get my head around the clasping mechanism, but eventually, I got there and managed to form one. I used a simple piece of A4 card for this, which was not as thick as the pieces of card for the other prototypes. This was because, I wanted to use the thicker card for when I perfect the practise version ( I have to admit that I was really proud of myself when I managed to form the clasp).

The Wow spiral when opened.

CD PACKAGING EXAMPLES-PINK

These are a few snapshots of Pink's' Greatest Hits...so far!!!' CD package, which I thought was quite an interesting package to look at.  Upon first seeing this, I thought that the design was simple but effective, especially with the typography, that overlays the image of Pink. They both match, as the writing is as bold as Pink's personality, and the exclamation mark emphasises this. So based on this reason, I would expect the music to be just as loud and expressive as the text and the image.

The target audience may well be rock, pop and even dance and R&B fans, and the images included are photographs, which create a sort of rebellious look about them, especially with the expression on her face on the front cover. But her expression is significantly calmer, but the chains she holds may also symbolise some sort of rebellion, and that she broke free of them. On the bottom right hand corner is a 'Parental Advisory' symbol, serving as a warning of foul language in the lyrics of the songs, as Pink's songs tend to have curses, which is could also be a reflection of her character

The materials used may be that of card for its sturdiness, which is essential for containing the contents like the inlay and CD. In terms of the front cover, Photoshop or another photo editing program may have been used to overlay the text over the image. As I said before, the typography is as bold as her character, so it could be seen as a reflection of her. The placement grabs the viewer's attention straight away, and the fact that it is the only thing in colour helps with this too. It also brings the whole composition together as well, almost acting as a frame, as well as a source of information.

In the inner sleeves of the packaging there is an inlay and the CD itself. The inlay on the left sleeve, contains various images of Pink including this one with a speaker phone, a short note from Pink to the customer, the titles of the songs from various albums from over the years featured in this album and notes of appreciation for the people and companies involved personally from the artist. These are the standard contents of an inlay. 

The CD on the right sleeve. 

I do like the artwork because it's a good reflection of Pink's personality, and what she's all about, including her music. It's fairly simplistic but an effective design in conveying this, and it's not clustered with other things, because that would just spoil the effect- in other words 'Less is more'. The sleeves themselves look really secure, as there's only an inch or two of space left for the CD or inlay to be easily taken out. As good a design as it is, mine will be a bit different, because I'm focusing on a different genre from a different period. But the sleeves are good, and I may potentially use this for my final. Only, mine will most likely have more images and collages.