Journal - Final Album Cover Decisions

Below is a printscreen of another draft of my album cover. I added in the polaroid frame stencil to give my digipak a more alternative feel, as my feedback said that some elements of my digipak were too pop and didn't communicate the indie element of our genre. I previously used a polaroid stencil on another panel for my digipak but kept the background black, where is here I made the inside of the polaroid transparent. I think this is more effective than a black background because it gives the panel more colour and makes it more eyecatching.

Whilst I like the use of the polaroid stencil, I do not think that it fits for the album cover. However, it is important that my digipak does have an artistic/indie element so I plan to experiment with this stencil for another panel of my digipak.

So far, I have constructed three drafts of my album cover. It has been helpful to experiment with my photos and tools on photoshop so I can visually judge what works and take elements away for other panels. After reviewing all my album cover drafts, I have narrowed my final choice down to two.

Final Album Cover (Draft 1)

Using a mirroring effect was a tool that I had never previously used on photoshop so this process has provided me with a new skill. After analyzing a Florence and the Machine digipak where this effect was used and finding more on the internet, I decided to experiment with this effect myself.

I really like how my mirroring effect looks; I feel it provides an artistic vibe and helps lean my digipak more towards the indie genre, as opposed to just pop. It also allows Isla to be the main focus of the cover with the background secondary.

Final Album Cover (Draft 2)

However, I also like the use of multiple photos separated with white lines on my original design so I decided to revisit it. Using the same photos, I changed the positioning and width of the lines to make it look neater. The photo in which Isla's hair is fanned around her has been difficult to edit; there are several gaps that I am still currently disposing off using the Magic Eraser tool on Photoshop. I made another draft of this album cover where I kept the photo at it's usual size and left the background in, but felt this defeated the purpose of my background.