CD Packaging Design

The Creative Brief Design a CD package: front, back cover and spines. Use the template which was e-mailed to you by the instructor. We will go over the template in class. You can create a unique design from scratch or redesign an existing CD. The unique challenge of this project is that you will lay out information using two different formats: a square (front cover) and a rectangular (back cover). Come up with a distinct visual theme to represent your client by using found images or your own artwork (drawings, photos, etc.) You’re highly encouraged to use your own artwork for this assignment!

Analyze the following designs…

Major Points Summary: Avoid clutter! Practice the principle of economy. Say the same thing using only a small # of elements. If your design is too busy, simplify it as much as you can. Make sure that you have a lot of “white space” (negative space) on the page. If you have too little space around your text it will be too hard to read. Make sure that there is enough contrast between the color of the text and the background color. All text has to be legible: especially the name of the artist and the CD title. Establish visual hierarchy in your design. The artists name and the title have to stand out. Ex: legal copy can be really tiny – 5 or 6 pt. type. Use Helvetica or a similar sans serif font for legal and copyright information.

Major Points Summary: 5. Avoid using too many typefaces. Typically, 2 typefaces are used throughout a design; variations are introduced with type family styles, color, size, texture and placement. 6. Choose colors that are appropriate for your client, but not too many because it weakens the overall effect. 7. The style of images should be consistent throughout a design: front cover, back cover, CD label, etc. 8. Make sure to indicate the size of all of the margins in the document. If you’re using a template, the important information (images and text that you don’t want to get cropped off) has to stay inside the live area.

Examples of Good Design…

Original art Final cover art

“How Do I Start the Project?”

Stage 1: Concept Development Stage 2: Concept Execution

Start Here! Follow This Design Process: Check out work from previous semesters to get some ideas for your project: www.flickr.com/photos/fanya37/ Pick your client, subject matter, etc. Listen to the music. Describe your concept to somebody else and make sure that it’s easy to understand. Type it up and present to class. See examples of artist statements in the article provided. 5. Research images and sketch your concepts on paper. Develop a visual theme that represents your client. 6. Use appropriate software to execute the project.

“How Do I Develop My Concept?” Ex: The concept can be based on the name of the music album: “If life gives you lemons, paint them gold!”

“How Do I Develop My Concept?” Ex: The concept can be based on the name of the music album: “American Gangster”. Look & feel: black & white film noir.

“How Do I Develop My Concept?” Ex: The concept can be based on the name of the music album: “Whimsical”. Look & feel: playful, spontaneous, quirky.

“How Do I Develop My Concept?” Ex: The concept can be based on the name of the music album: “97th & Columbus”. Concept: NYC jazz scene; old, beat-up street signs.

Main Advice: Develop a Strong Visual Theme! Decide on a specific theme, visual style or look for your CD packaging. The theme needs to reflect the music. (Ex: The time period when the music was written, the kind of music it is such as heavy metal, punk rock, etc.) Stick with the same visual theme throughout. It will add unity to the layout. Think about front & back cover as being part of the same spread. Establish your visual theme by choosing a specific color palette, fonts and image style (digital illustration, hand- drawn images, B & W or color photography, etc.). Inconsistent visual themes confuse and potentially lose the audience.

More Examples of Good Packaging Design: http://www.flickr.com/photos/multipraktik/sets/72157606767122944/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/spo0ky/sets/72157594502224257/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/daiseykat/2401741300/in/set-72157601013309047/ www.smogdesign.com

Good Image Sources: http://www.flickr.com/ http://www.officialpsds.com/