Final CD Case Designs

These are my final designs for my CD Case cover and insert. Underneath each picture I will describe what it is showing and why I have made it how it is.

This is the outside cover for the CD insert, this is the booklet that will contain the lyrics to each song on the EP. This is the outside covers, front and back. The front contains the CD title with the band name and a photo of our actors. I edited the photo so there was no background and added some filters to make the picture look more hand drawn to fit in with the style I was going for. I wanted the insert to look hand drawn, as though it was written by the band on some paper. This is why I chose the paper style background with a wooden table effect border.

This is the inside example of what it would be like inside the insert. The pages are supposed to be like a book, with the hand written style linking into the theme I was going for. I also added the background again so that it looked like a piece of paper on a table. The font helped to make it seem handwritten as it is quite a sans serif font.

This is the outside of the CD cover. The left panel is what would be the inside flap, the centre panel is the back and the right hand panel is the front cover. As can be seen, I went for a bright, cartoony style case to grab the audience's eye and draw them into the CD. This would help promote sales as they would hopefully be interested in the artwork. To create continuity throughout the video and CD case, I took certain lyrics and used them to inspire some of the artwork. As can be seen, the wide angled picture of the cartoon man looking out across the hills is similar to the shot and lyrics in the music video; "you should see this view from up here". Another bit of inspiration came from the lyrics; "I'm on fire when I'm in the sky". This inspired me to add some flame effects the floating writing and add a small image of a burning stickman underneath it as a bit of extra decoration. These small parts of continuity would impress purchasers when they release the links between the artwork and song.
The photo on the inside flap was used to try and make the audience see the band without it seeming as the band were being shoved in their faces. This makes it seem as though the music is more important than the band themselves, creating a nice, down to Earth vibe about the band. To make it seem like this, I decided to use the behind shot of myself, Ash and Robert. The photo is good because after I added some effects and neatened it up on Photoshop, it was really easy to tell who was who, without the in your face style that a lot of bands go for.

This is the inside cover for the CD case. The left side is the reverse of the front cover, the centre is where the CD is held and the right hand panel is the inside cover of the flap. As can be seen, the inside follows the same art style as the outside, adding more continuity. The CD also uses the same style to make it match into the background it is held on. I used the same font and text from the front cover, including the fire details, and placed them on the CD, making it clear who and what the CD is. I also added the cartoon man onto it to give it more detail as it was still rather plain with just the text. Finally, I created the background so that it matched into what was behind it. This created a nice 3D effect as it looks like the CD is part of the case, until you take it off and you are left with the plain green hills behind it. The inside flap contains a message that would be written by the band. It is a short thank you message to the customers which again makes the band seem very down to Earth and shows that they appreciate you purchasing the CD. It also contains a few related links, such as the band's MySpace site, main website and the company they are signed to. I also added a small promotional code onto the message panel to again link the product to the website.

Finally, the panel on the left is where the CD insert that contains the lyrics to the songs would go. As can be seen, the black lines would be extra material to create a pouch that would hold the booklet. This helps keep the booklet safe and in good condition, as it could be quite easy to lose.

Overall I am really pleased with how my CD covers and insert have turned out. The digipack has got exactly the feel and art style that I wanted when designing it and I believe that the small pieces of continuity between the lyrics and art really help make it stand out. The bright, cartoony styled art does as intended, and grabs people attention because it is unusual and contrasts against a lot of other CD artwork. This would hopefully help to promote the band due the unusual style.