Band Website Conventions

I have looked at the websites of other bands of the same genre as The Heavy to gain some inspiration for the making of my own website. All band websites will tend to have been designed cohesively with their latest album. This aids customers in associating all products to one band, such as the album cover, single covers, merchandise and the website all together under one theme. I have also noticed that a lot of indie and rock bands do not have images of the band on the front page of their websites or on the covers of their albums. These features are most noticeable in these examples that I have looked at:

The Vaccines website homepage

The Vaccines latest album

The Black Keys website homepage

The Black Keys latest album

Kings of Leon website homepage

Kings of Leon latest album

Band websites will follow specific conventions to make them easily usable and look professional despite all looking entirely different. Bands can be very creative with their branding but will always include some important features. The features that all three of these websites have in common are:

• name of the band - at the top of the page in large lettering matching the exact style of the bands name on the album cover
• decorative images - used to decorate the homepage and go with the theme or image is straight off the album cover
• news tab - page of news from the band similar to a blog of what they're up to, what's new and what's next
• shows/tour tab - page of tour dates and venues and links to booking tickets for the shows
• photos/images/media/video tab - page of photos and videos of the band from shows or behind the scenes
• merch/store/musicstore tab - page that links to merchandise and how to purchase it online
• social networking links - buttons to the band's twitter, facebook, myspace, youtube pages

Initial Draft Idea For Digipak

This is an idea for my digipak that I have drafted onto a digipak template. This digipak would have just two panels and a disk inside held in by a disc tray. My design consists of skyscraper illustrations and a paint dripping effect to add an indie/rock feel and a creative twist.

Digipak Forms and Conventions

Digipaks do not stick to one certain structure and so they come in a range of different forms. They will always have a gatefold, a fold style similar to a book and will be made out of paperboard or card. They can range in how many panels they have; most will have two or three. Inside, they can contain a plastic tray, a sleeve or corner pockets to hold a CD. Digipaks can contain more than one CD and can also contain a leaflet of lyrics or even a poster.

Front: title of album, name of band, image of band, cover design
Back: track list, barcode, copyright info, website, production company logo, band photo, legal info
Inside: sleeve for disc, band images, pocket for leaflet, leaflet of lyrics, photos and history of

Front: title of album, name of artist, image of artist, cover design
Back: track list, cover design, barcode, website, legal info, production company log
Inside: plastic tray for disc, pocket for leaflet, leaflet of lyrics and photos

Front: title of album, name of band, image of band, cover design
Back: track list, barcode, legal info, website, production company logo, cover design
Inside: artist photos, trays for two discs, sleeve for leaflet, leaflet of lyrics and photos, poster

Front: title of album, name of band, image of band, cover design
Back: track list, barcode, legal info, website, production company logos, photo, cover design
Inside: band logo, photos, sleeve for leaflet, leaflet of lyrics and photos, sleeve for disc

Digipack Research

What is a Digipak?
A digipak is a CD case/holder that is made out of card or paper that folds in two or more ways in a gatefold. It is different to a jewel case which is made from plastic and is hinged.

What are the Pros and Cons of Digipaks
Pros:

• cheaper to produce
• easier and quicker to produce
• allow for more creative freedom and design methods, do not follow a strict frame
• lighter and thinner
• easier to ship/deliver
• are not easily broken
• can hold more than 2 CDs
• has a more personal feel
• usually look more attractive and home-made
• more eco-friendly
• can include more goodies (posters, bonus CDs)

Cons:

• can be damaged (ripped, water damage, bent, squashed)
• usually doesn't include a lyrics booklet
• CDs in a sleeve holder are hard to get out
• artwork and CD aren't separate and so must be kept together to complete the piece, cannot be stored separately like a CD and a booklet in a jewel case

Why are they increasingly popular?

Digipaks are the more economically friendly method of CD packaging today, a feature which makes them all the more appealing to the modern consumer. It is easier to produce and ship due to its size and material and is overall more creatively designed and has a more personal feel.

What genres of music do not seem to favour them?

Genres like heavy metal do not seem to favour them very often due to them looking rather quaint and homemade and this not fitting with the style of the musical genre and would not resonate with the target audience. Also, classical music seems to rarely use them and this is probably due to them not needing to spend as much on CD packaging production.

Magazine Advert Conventions

We looked at the forms and conventions of magazine adverts for albums and digipaks in well-known music magazines. We found a range of adverts, some advertising the same album in different ways, and looked at the features they shared and differed in.

Kerrang Magazine - Blitz Kids album - full back page advert

Conventions: album cover, band name, album name, tour dates, album release date, record label website, stores the album is available in, singles included on album, record label logos, store/advert sponsor logo (HMV)

Rocksound Magazine - Blitz Kids album - full back page advert

Conventions: album cover, band name, album name, album release date, deluxe album cover, singles included on album, stores the album is available in, record label website, record label logos, store/advert sponsor logo (Amazon)

Rocksound Magazine - Decade album - full inside page advert

Conventions: album cover, band photo, twitter username, band website, album release date, singles included on album, review, record label logo, available in iTunes logo, style of album cover used in advert design

Rocksound Magazine - Protest The Hero album - half inside page advert

Conventions: band name, album name, album available now, singles included, tour dates, record label website, album cover used for background

Mojo Magazine - Billy Joe and Norah album - full inside page advert

Conventions: band name, album name, album cover (as a square digipak cover and as the background photo), inspiration, 'out now', band website

Animatic

This is the animatic for my music video. I took each frame from my storyboard and edited them together in Final Cut Pro to my song, in my desired order and timing. I even added some fade effects that I plan to include in my music video. Creating an animatic like this helps me visualise how my final product could look. It helps me realise what will look good and what will be the best way to shoot it.

Storyboard