Digipak - Miss Miller

Digipaks are often used to present an artist’s album or single in more depth with a personal touch from the artist consisting of a message or signature. This allows fans to get a bigger insight into the reasoning behind the music and enables them to further connect with the artist. Typically the digipaks consists of a gatefold (book-style) paperboard or cardboard outer binding, with one or more plastic trays for the CD. For my individual digipak I used Photoshop CS6, this allowed me to crop and develop my digipak with a professional look consistent styling throughout. It also allowed me to keep up with themes of my other ancillary in order to link the media products. My first slide was created in relation to my cover, this consisted of a close up of the artist with added conventional effects. The second slide consisted of my message to the fans, this was written on top of the artists torso with a shirt and tie; it aimed to add to the relationship build between the artist and the fans whilst also maintaining the professional presentation seen throughout my music video. The third slide was the CD cover, it included an urban city skyline with added conventional effects; meeting the urban connotations within dance music and the album title itself. My fourth and sixth slides consists of two pitches of the artist showing each slide of the artists face, it creates a close up of the artist between them; one shows black and white colours, showing the artists dedication and professionalism; the other shows luminous colours, this exaggerates dance conventions and shows the artists party lifestyle. Finally, my sixth slide and back cover consists of the list of songs within the album, this shows a picture of the gherkin alongside the list with added conventional effects; it complies with the urban themes of the genre and the video itself. 

Slide 1 - Front Cover 

The main colours within this slide comes from the added strobe lighting effect placed in the top left corner. This included white and light green colours that are amplified through the change in colour balance; bringing out the white colours, and a posterise effects that adds to the luminosity of the colours within the lighting. These bright colours and use of strobe lighting creates vibrant connotations that relate to that opt a club or bar, helping to connote the themes of nightlife within the album. These references to vibrant, fun behaviour and connotations towards an exciting night life make the slide itself highly conventional towards the dance genre; the music often revolves around life settings and city nightlife, with the music often being played in clubs. This conventional use colours would also appeal to the younger target audience of 15 to 25 year olds as they are often seen to enjoy this vibrant nightlife atmosphere and club settings.
The main image within the slide simply consists of the silhouette of the London skyline. This is used to portray urban connotations and links towards the urban nightlife. The silhouette itself is brought to attention through the use of inverted colour effects allowing it to stand out against the strobe lighting and also allowing the black background to resemble the night sky. The emphasis on an urban nightlife is developed through the positioning of the strobe lighting seen to shine upon the city and develop the idea that the city becomes vibrant at night. The use of urban connotations both conveys conventions of the dance genre whilst also developing a consistency within the general artist presentation over my different media products referring to the album. The conventional aspect of the slide is developed due to the fact that the dance genre often revolves around the urban nightlife with fans of the music generally living in urban areas; also, consistency is evident through references to urban settings seen the music video and remaining slides of the digipak. Additionally to this, the slides referral to urban settings and nightlife would evidently appeal to the target audience who often live in urban areas and enjoy the vibrant nightlife.
The use of layout is evident within the slide through the positioning of the title 'urban lights'. The title itself is positioned hovering over the city skyline whilst also being underneath the strobe lighting. This is done to indicate the fact that the artists music has themes linking towards the urban nightlife and club setting; it shows the album to optimise the vibrant atmosphere in a city's nightlife. This evidently makes the slide furthermore conventional with the genre often focusing upon a club setting and urban environment. It also adds to the consistency within my media products as the artist is constantly showed to be in contact with the urban city life and the party lifestyle in clubs and bars. It further relates to target audience through showing the artist and his music to be closely connected to the urban party lifestyle that they are seen to enjoy. 
The typography and language within the slide consists of the album title, 'urban lights'. This is portrayed through the use of a bold font with the word 'urban' shown in white and 'lights' shown in a light green and blue neon font that resembles similar effects to the strobe lighting  in the slide. The white bold font with the word urban is used to relate to the skyline silhouette and the neon font for the word 'lights' links it towards the strobe lighting; this provides a visual aid representing the meaning of the title. The connotations of a vibrant club atmosphere seen through the use of strobe lighting also helps link the music within the title towards dance conventions; this is achieved through the replicated effects on the word 'lights' and the the strive lighting itself. This presentation of conventional dance music with urban themes would greatly appeal to the target audience who generally live in these areas and enjoy the atmosphere within a conventional club setting. 

Slide 2 - Personal Message

The colours within this slide consist of blue luminous colours contrasted with the formal and professional image of a shirt and tie. The purpose of these colours are to develop connotations linking towards the dance genre. Bright colours are highly conventional within this genre as they connote the fun party lifestyle that is focused upon alongside the bright neon colours seen in a club setting in which the music is played. The conventional aspects of the colours also helps appeal to the target audience of 15 to 25 year olds. The majority of this audience is seen to enjoy a party lifestyle, and aspire toward this life; by using bright colours we are able to comply with the audiences preferences in terms of their vibrant lifestyle. 

The image used within this slide includes a picture of the artists torso as he wears a shirt and the; there is also an added posterised effect used to bring out the vibrant blue colours added to the image. The main purpose of this image is to develop and emphasise a professional image of the artist. The image itself has connotations of a work, office environment. This is used to elaborate upon the artists dedication towards his music and his professionalism within the industry. Furthermore, the image is also used to link towards the video itself, plus connotations towards an urban lifestyle that is related to in the album title 'Urban Lights'. This builds consistency within the artists presentation, building up his reputation of him being a serious and dedicated artist whilst also contrasting it to his fun party lifestyle. The professional presentation and emphasis on the artists success may appeal to the majority of the target audience that are beginning work. They may aspire towards the artists success and dedication. 
The main aspect of the layout is the fact that the message from the artist is seen to cover the artists torso. It has the effect of showing the audience that the artists message is genuine and that it, generically, comes from the heart. This may have no influence on the conventional aspects of the slide; however, it may help the artist to build a relationship with his fans. The audience may feel like they can relate to artists message and appreciate his hard work that is emphasised in the message. This can help them build a relationship with the artist, allowing them to further relate to his lyrics and the music video itself.
The main aspect of the typography seen within the slide consists of the font used for the message itself. This is seen to be a handwritten font. It is used to emphasise the fact that the artist has written the message himself and directed it to the fans personally. This vastly helps the artist build a relationship with the fans as they may read the message in more detail and relate it to the lyrics of his music and the music video itself. Additionally to this, a key aspect of the language within the massage may include the use of a 'x' at the end of the message, used to resemble a kiss. This can be seen to appeal to the female audience as they fantasise about the artist and the way he treats women within the video. It also adds to the personal aspect of the video as the audience may feel that the message has been aimed towards them personally. 

Slide 3 - CD cover 

The colours within this slide consists of a variety of bright blue colours seen added to both the skyline and the water in the themes, plus a contrasted luminous white colour added to the builds. The purpose of these colours are to again build upon connotations of the dance genre. Bright colours are highly conventional within this genre as they develop connotations of the fun party lifestyle that is focused upon throughout the music alongside the bright neon colours seen in a club or bar setting in which the music is played. The conventional aspects of the colours also helps appeal to the younger target audience. The majority of this audience is seen to enjoy this party lifestyle that is conveyed through the bright colours in the side. The colours are used to relate to this atmosphere that the audience aspire towards
The image within the slide consists of a shot showing the London skyline just before nightfall; it includes icons features such as the themes, the London eye and Big Ben. There are also added effects used to show the city to be luminous and falloff bright colours. The use of the image itself is done to relate to the actual title of the album, it literally shows the 'urban lights' as it connotes the nightlife within the city. This is done through the timing of the shot, the portrayal of the London skyline and the added effects plus change in colour balances used to show the lights that connote a party lifestyle and the neon lighting within a club. This is very conventional towards the dance genre as the music focuses around this urban nightlife that is seen within the image. The urban themes and relation to the title also shows consistency within the artists presentation as we show him to be closely connected with this urban party lifestyle. Furthermore this helps appeal to the target audience as they often participate in this urban nightlife and aspire to be as renowned within the nightlife as the artist himself.  
The use of layout is evident through the positioning of the album title within the CD cover. It is seen to be positioned across the city skyline. This creates a visual meaning to the title as it is shown to be literally hovering above the 'urban lights' of London. It also helps to elaborate upon the fact that the artists music is made in relation to the urban nightlife, vastly helping to promote the dance conventions within the slide. This use of layout is highly conventional towards the genre as it shows the music to be related to an urban nightlife; this is what dance music often focuses around. The connotations centred around an urban nightlife would again appeal to the target audience as the younger adults often enjoy the cities clubs and bars at the weekend.
The use of language evidently links towards the conventional presentation of the urban nightlife through the album title 'urban lights'. The use of the word 'lights' has connotations towards the lights within a club and the bright neon lighting that is original to that environment. This makes it highly conventional to the dance genre that is mostly played in these environments. It also appeals to the younger adults who often attend these clubs and bars. The typography seen used in the presentation of the title consisted of a bold white font that stands out against the blue skyline. This elaborates upon the fact that the artist and his music epitomises the urban nightlife, meeting similar dance conventions stated above and against appealing to the younger target audience who aspire towards regularly enjoying this nightlife.

Slide 4/5 - image of artist 

Both slides four and five are used simultaneously to create a close up of the artist between them in order to show his differing attributes and personalities. The colours within slide four consist of vibrant blue colours that are developed through a change in colour balance, this is seen alongside a black and white image of the other side of the artists faced seen in slide five that is created through black and white effects; both have an added posterise effect to maintain a consistent presentation throughout the digipak. The vibrant colours added to slide four are used in order show the artists party lifestyle. The colours connote the artist vibrant personality, they also associate themselves towards neon and strobe lighting seen within a club. It emphasises the artists conventional presentation by showing him to be closely involved in the party atmosphere that the dance music centres around. This is contrasted with the colours seen in slide five; the black and white colours aim to show the professional aspect of the artists personality, helping to support slide two as he elaborates upon his dedication when creating his music. Overall the differing colours of the two images convey his diverse personality by emphasising his party lifestyle and his professional attitude to his work; this is a constant presentation of the artist as this contrast is also focused upon throughout the music video. Finally, this differing aspect of the artists lifestyle would also appeal to younger adults entering the workplace as they may aspire towards being able to successfully balance ether professional work life whilst aiming to maintain a vibrant lifestyle.
The image created between both slide four and slide five consists of a close up of the artist with a blank facial expression, looking directly at the camera. This is used to show the artist to be the focal point of the digipak, this may again appeal to fans of the artist as they fantasise about the artist himself. With the artist also looking directly at the camera fans may feel as though he is looking directly towards them; this adds to the relationship built between the artist and the audience. Additionally the blank and simple facial expressions allows the colours to clearly emphasise his versatile personality; this evidently appeals to the conventions of the dance genre and the target audience. 
The layout within the two slides consists of the fact that the the two slides are positioned so that the image comes together in order to create a symmetrical close up of the artist. This was the main way in which the contrast in personalities was developed. It made the artist the centre point of the digipak and maintained the theme of the artists diverse personality, aimed towards appealing to the target audience who aspire towards gaining this balance between professionalism and a vibrant social life. 

Slide 6 - Back cover, song list

The main colours within this slide that are seen in the background of the slide and the image of the gherkin consists of a variety of bright blue shades. This highlighted blue colour is portrayed again through a change in the colour balance, the variety of shades are created through an added posterise effect. The bright colours are used to convey fun and vibrant connotations whilst also showing apart atmosphere that is seen in clubs or bars. This vibrancy that is portrayed is highly conventional to the dance genre;the music often aims to develop feel good vibrant emotions that are developed through the use of the vibrant blue colours. The colouring itself is also beneficial to the development in a consistency with artist presentation; the colour blue is related to throughout my ancillaries and also seen through consistent blue tints added to the music video itself. It shows the artist as having a fun and vibrant side to his personality and music. The carless younger target audience are often seen to aim towards enjoying their lifestyle and having fun, this feel good connotations would greatly appeal to them. 

This main image within this slide consists of an image of the gherkin. This is shown through low angle to show its extravagant stature; posterise effects were also added in order to create a variety of blue shades. The use of the gherkin is slightly conventional to the dance genre due to its urban connotations; dance music is often aimed at the urban area and the clubs and bars in which the music centres around usually only appear in these areas. The use of the Gherkin furthermore adds to the consistency throughout my media products; the Gherkin is used as a setting in the music video. This allows the audience to develop links between products. The extravagance of the building also helps portray the artist success and professionalism as the Gherkin is a renowned building for business success. This artist presentation would appeal to the target audience of aspiring young adults who want to gain success quickly when entering work. 
The main feature within the layout of the slide consists of the order in which the songs are listed. The songs are listed with the more well known songs towards the top and less known songs towards the bottom. This is done in order to appeal to the consumeristic fans of the dance genre. The dance genre has a very mainstream audience influenced mostly by social media. By showing more well known songs that are often played on the radio or music channels, I can ignite an interest from the mainstream audience; making them want to listen to other songs in the album. 
The typography within the slide mainly consists of the font and its colour. The font is bold and distorted in a way that has electrical connotations; also, the font is a black colour. This black colour allows the songs to stand out; attracting the consumeristic interest from the target audience by highlighting well known songs. Also, the electronic connotations that are created from the blocked font are conventional to the dance genre with the music often being created electronically.


Strengths/Weaknesses 
I felt that during the use of Photoshop for my ancillary texts I gathered a variety of strengths and weaknesses. My strengths included my consistency with the artists presentation in my ancillaries. The consistency was evident throughout the different media products through numerous ways; the colour blue was made to be reoccurring through a change in colour balance on my ancillaries and a blue tint often added to the video, the referral to the urban lifestyle is seen with panning shots of London in the video and is also referred to in the ancillaries through images of the city skyline and iconic buildings, also, there is a general reference to professionalism in relation to the artists personality; this is seen through the artist costume in all of the media products as he often wears suits or shirts. The consistency that is evident helps viewers to create links between products that they can associate with the artist and his music; this is a very effective way of building upon his reputation.
One key weakness of mine was seen through the use of Photoshop and specifically the cropping tool. This was particularly evident in slides 3/4. Here I struggled with the use of the cropping and cutting tool when attempting to make the two slides symmetric in order create a contrasting close up made of two sides of the artists face. It took me a while to create this symmetric image, consuming a lot of my time and prolonging the process. Although I solved the issue in the end, it meant that I missed the deadline. This vastly damaged the efficiency of the process.

In conclusion, I feel that the key aspect of the digipak is its conventionality towards the dance genre. This is generally developed through the use of different shades of bright colours such as blue or green. I created these colours through a posterise effect, it adds to the vibrancy of the colours developing feel good positive connotations that builds upon a party atmosphere; of which is highly conventional to dance music due to it often aimed to create these emotions. The use of urban connotations alongside the connotations towards vibrancy and excitement would be seen as very appeal to the target audience. The younger target audience of 15- 25 often live a carefree relaxed lifestyle, aiming to enjoy themselves; the brighter colours may appeal to their light hearted nature. Also, urban connotations would appeal to the more niche audience of the dance genre who are often seen to come from urban areas, enjoying the vibrant nightlife. They would be able to relate to these urban references. Finally, the artist is certainly able to build a relationship with the fans through his portrayal of his personality. Within the didpak the artist is shown to have a contrasting personality; showing his vibrant party lifestyle next to his dedicated and professional lifestyle. This is evident in both slides 3/4. It would appeal to the audience as they are at an age of which they may be starting work life and entering adulthood; they would aspire to live the artists party lifestyle whilst also hoping to achieve his success and professionalism.