COP Presentation - Feedback

In general, the feedback for my cop proposal was positive. My essay question makes sense and does not need to be altered and the research and reading I have done for my essay is on the right tracks. It was noted that the specific areas in which graphic design aids the consumption of music that I identified were good and that I need to push them individually and back them up with theories. In regards to research methods, it was suggested that an interview would be a lot more effective than a quiz/survey - a survey of 20 people or so really isn’t very effective data. 

Most of the constructive feedback I received was in regards to my practical design project. While it was said that the work I had done for my Caramel album rebrand was good, and the physical typography experimentation was interesting, the basis and rationale of my project needs to change. While I do love designing record sleeves, the fact if the matter is that although vinyl has had a small resurgence, we simply do not consume vinyl records as a primary source of music these days. In fact when considering the idea of consumption as the purchasing of music, the vast majority of us don’t even consume music these days and instead download or stream it. How can I create a project which is engaged with this and is more relevant to streaming and digital platforms? Even album covers are less important than they used to be, on a screen they only appear as a small image. It was also suggested that I push the boat out a bit more in regards to what I produce. 

Album Cover Examples - How Can Design Distinguish an Album?

Intriguing Concept

The album cover for XTC’s GO 2 is almost like anti-design, its self aware about the consumer process of buying a record and how bold and eye catching cover designs influence that and it literally tells the reader, however by doing so, creates a captivating cover that you want to keep reading. 

Controversy

This is the cover for Lovedrive by Scorpions, when it was released, people called the cover art crude and unnecessary, however by doing so, this controversy sparked conversation, and ultimately increased sales, purely because more people heard about it then they would have otherwise.

Hidden Messages - Production Value

The packaging for the vinyl release of David Bowies Blackstar contained various hidden messages and secrets. Shining a uv light, heating or putting some areas in water revealed these hidden messages. People become so excited about finding these messages that it boosted the sales of the vinyl record. 

Branding Techniques

A charismatic brand is brand that has become so popular and so engrained in our culture that it becomes irreplaceable to consumers. Examples of brands like these include Disney, nike and coca cola. Their logos and visual identity are instantly recognisable and iconic. It’s the same for some iconic musical acts, their music has no substitute and their logomarks are iconic. Similarly, some musical acts have employed branding esque tactics to aid the consumption of their music, for example iron maiden’s cover artworks always utilise the same logotype and their mascot character illustrated in a similar style, visually assuring consumers of their music.

Music Billboards - Research

One example of how graphic design can aid the consumption of music is in advertisement when it gives the music exposure, therefore increasing the amount of people who know about the album and subsequently the amount of people who listen to it. I read an article about how in 1967, Jac Holtzman, head of Elektra Records, was driving down the Sunset Strip and had the idea to advertise bands on the massive billboards; there was such a high volume of traffic that it would undoubtedly reach a vast amount of people. Soon this location become a hub for massive billboards adverting musicians, and the record companies and designers started creating more experimental and eye catching designs, stretching out of the standard dimensions of a billboard. Bruce Springsteen actually spray-painted on his his own billboard which led to a lot of publicity about it. 

Caramel Typography

As a practical experiment to create a logotype for Connan Mockasin, I bought some golden syrup and drew out letterforms with it. I think the thickness and viscosity of the syrup really materialised the idea of caramel. At first the letterforms didn’t come out that well, I literally tried drawing out his name however by the time I got to taking a photo, thew syrup had spread out and the letterforms were less refined. So I refined the process by quickly doing larger letterforms of the same letter 2 or 3 times. I then decided that by squeezing more on the ends of the stems and doing thinner connecting stems, the letterforms assumed quite a nice gloopy psychedelic shape. I edited the images of the letterforms on illustrator, refining the shapes by decreasing the amount of anchor points, creating more fluid refined shapes. I like the end result, I think it does convey the idea of caramel whilst also looking quite free and psychedelic. If I were to refine this logotype more, I would experiment with making the letterforms more rigid and rational in some parts, creating a more bespoke typeface. I also think it would be interesting to use variants of letters that appear more than once, emphasising this idea that it has been drawn out in caramel.