Draft CD Cover: Audience Feedback

Research on Draft CD Cover
To enable me to design and create a CD cover that would truly promote my artists values and beliefs as well as successfully targeting an audience, I asked a group of students some questions that allowed me to gain some constructive criticisms to make better my front cover and also what I did correctly for the initial cover.

The initial responses to my draft front cover was that it looked more like a miniature piece of art rather than an actual CD front cover for promoting a band. Although the aesthetics were pleasing to look at, there was nothing that particularly promoted an unsigned band. Instead of having a range of patterns, there could be something more to promote the image of the band and that represent their values and beliefs. This, for instance, could be an image of the band themselves, that would show the audience who this new and upcoming band are. This could also allow potential fans to identify with the image of the band members which could draw more listeners into their music.

Another thing that was pointed out by a student, was that there is a lot going on in one single image which makes the image seem chaotic and unnecessarily cluttered. This led me on to think that although the final image looked cluttered, each individual pattern was distinct and unique and interesting, just as I wanted my band to be perceived, making them memorable. I decided that I didn't have to completely exclude these images but I could use them in other areas of the digipak that must be created as part of promoting the band. That way I can ensure that there will be more promotional features for the band on the front cover and can still keep the distinctive images without confining them all to one front cover.

I plan to include some sort of photograph of the band themselves in action, maybe whilst playing at a gig to gain enhanced realism and place the image on the initial green striped background there was. I have also decided to take the black and white checkered patterns out as they cause quite a lot of the clutter; there is a clash between the green stripes and the black and white checks.

Taking the time out to understand what other people thought about my creative ideas was extremely beneficial as it encouraged me to change certain things that may or may not have worked in promoting a brand new artist. Obtaining a different perspective on my ideas was very refreshing and it helped me understand what i really needed to do in order to efficiently promote and sell my band's music.

Moodboard for Draft Front Cover

The visual stimuli that aided the draft of my initial front cover design

Moodboard for Draft Front Cover

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Youth Subcultures: RAVER'S

Ravers

• Derived from aspects of the MOD's culture: white, working class citizens, suffering from the lack of job opportunities.
• Main goal was: to have fun whilst rebelling against authoritative institutions like the government.
• The raving subculture was first instigated in the late 1950's where singer Buddy Holly's 'Rave On' became a hit single in 1958.
• From the mid to late 80's, their music became more associated with electronic bands.
• At this time, acid house parties had re-branded the term 'rave ups'. 
• Many people in society including the government were strongly against the raver subculture as they were commonly associated with acid drug usage (LSD/hallucinogenics) .
• Rave parties had become likened to football matches by society. They were working class people of which the majority were devoted football fans whose values from football (hooliganism) were reflected through the rave parties. 
• Ravers wanted the ultimate desire for the feeling of being in a frenzy to be never-ending.

Youth Subcultures: The PUNK's

Punks

• Aim was to NOT look pretty. Instead they wanted to shock and rebel against mainstream expectations to be their 'own', individual identity
• Punks were white people from predominantly white countries.
• Unlike the MOD's who were 'part-time' rebels - that had normal jobs during the week - Punks were rebellious 24/7, the decision in becoming a Punk is a full-time commitment.
• Punks typically have piercings and tattoos with wild and vibrant hairstyles
• They greatly valued their music, which expressed all of their rebellious values and beliefs through the music lyrics.
• Punks also rejected religion and morality and embraced Nihilism, believing that life did not have any objective meaning
•  The Sex Pistols are a prime example of Punks through their music and more obviously; their band name. The mixture of sex and violence through weapons (guns) are extremely rebellious.

The Sex Pistols 'God Save the Queen'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtUH2YSFlVU

Youth Subcultures: The HIPPIES

Hippies

• Were typically middle class, white citizens from predominantly white countries
• They initially promoted peace and 'love-making'.
• Believed in the idea of 'free love' which meant that anyone could have sex with anyone and they also encouraged orgy's.
• Hippies are known for their meditation and neo-paganism where they take aspects of most religions and combine them to form one ultimate religion.
• They were known for consuming drugs like marijuana and LSD's, which they used to explore alternative states of consciousness.
• A traditional Hippy image would consist of denim and tie-dye clothing, beaded tops and long hair which they explained as being 'Ethnic' and clearly defy what was conventional at the time.
• Artists that were commonly associated with Hippies were The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix
• Hippies were always enthusiastic to questions society however not to the extreme attacks that the Punks later  displayed 

Jimi Hendrix - 'Voodoo Child'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW8u5Af0c6s

Youth Subcultures: The MOD's

 MOD's

• MOD's is the abbreviated version for the word 'Modernist's'.
• They originated in London and the South East of England. 
• MOD's were the working class British youth of the mid 1960's.
• The males typically wore neat suits with narrow trousers and pointed shoes.
• Female MOD's had darkened eyes and wore 'boyish'  clothes with short hair, to be deliberately androgynous.

• MOD's were normal working class people during the week but would go for weekends away to beaches where they could cause riots against others who weren't part of their in-group.
• Typical connotations of MOD men: Leather jackets and scooters.
• Typical connotations of MOD women: Miniskirts and 'boy-cut' hairstyles.
• There form of rebellion was against Rock, so they showed interest in Jazz, Soul and Dancehall music which were traditionally known as 'Black music'.

Musical Subcultures & Controversies

The Seventies and The Noughties

The music industry & audiences

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