When researching CD front covers it's clear that there are certain conventions that are always or normally placed on the packing as promotional factors. The most obvious are the following and are present in most producers promotional strategy:
Artists name // The name of the band or solo artist is probably the most important element of the cover for obvious reasons as the audience need to know who the CD belongs to and if they are specifically looking for it the name needs to be visable shown. Most names are usually bold to make the name stand out on the front, however some may use the main image as the strongest visual point. I will clearly need to decide whether I want the title or the picture to be the main focus.
Title of the song // This is obviously another important element to ensure the audience know what they're buying. This will have to be clear to the viewers on the cover to ensure that it's clear what is being promoted.
Main image // This will be the main factor that will make the CD stand out from it's fellow competators. It should be something unique and original that draws its target audience in to look closer and show interest. As part of the digipak it should also be an image that flows fluently through the packaging to ensure that none of the panels look out of place or poorly made.
On the back of the packaging the following elements are again typical elements that are included:
Name of Artist / Title of song // Again this is placed to ensure the buyer knows exactly what they're about to purchase without being mislead by false advertising. The song is usually accompanied by the length of the track in brackets to give the buyers an idea about the produce they're buying. Occassionally too there is a live version of the song to give the audience more variation and choice as some people would prefer to hear a live recorded version of the song to
Name of Artist / Title of song // Again this is placed to ensure the buyer knows exactly what they're about to purchase without being mislead by false advertising. The song is usually accompanied by the length of the track in brackets to give the buyers an idea about the produce they're buying. Occassionally too there is a live version of the song to give the audience more variation and choice as some people would prefer to hear a live recorded version of the song to
appreciate the quality of the music.
Name of producers / manufacturer / record label // This will verify that what the buyer is purchasing is of professionl standard and not a copy. It also gives the audience further information about the band and it's history if they wished to find out more about them. As my digipak has 6 panels however, not just the 2 of a typical jewel case, I could potentially chose to place this information on one of the other sides so that the outer design can remain minimalistic and allow the image to be seen clearly.
Barcode // Although this may have been something that was typically placed on the back of the CD cover I think that it's rare that one is placed on a digipak. In stores such as HMV I noticed that the recent CD covers are sold with an outer layer of thin plastic wrapping which contains the price of the product and the barcode to save the packaging have to put one on themselves. Digipaks especially tend to follow this packaging process in the shops so I doubt that i'll insert one into the design layout.
Name of producers / manufacturer / record label // This will verify that what the buyer is purchasing is of professionl standard and not a copy. It also gives the audience further information about the band and it's history if they wished to find out more about them. As my digipak has 6 panels however, not just the 2 of a typical jewel case, I could potentially chose to place this information on one of the other sides so that the outer design can remain minimalistic and allow the image to be seen clearly.
Barcode // Although this may have been something that was typically placed on the back of the CD cover I think that it's rare that one is placed on a digipak. In stores such as HMV I noticed that the recent CD covers are sold with an outer layer of thin plastic wrapping which contains the price of the product and the barcode to save the packaging have to put one on themselves. Digipaks especially tend to follow this packaging process in the shops so I doubt that i'll insert one into the design layout.
