Final Design-Write-up and Evaluation

Inspiration

My inspiration came from searching through photographs, such as this one on Pinterest. I focused mainly on creating something that was based around nature, as this was an idea that already existed with the band I did the album cover, however in a different form, therefore this gave me the opportunity to create something a little bit different from what the band usually have. I was also inspired by fairy tales, such as Alice in Wonderland, which is why I used a lot of images such as tea cups and pocket watches, that are associated with the tale. The picture above, was something that greatly inspired my work, especially the background, because of the colours and gradient within the night sky and the formation of the trees. More of the images that inspired me can be seen on my inspiration pinboard.   

Construction of the final piece 

I begun my design by adding one of my night sky pictures to each panel to act as background. These images were created both manually and digitally and were all created in the same way as the image I created in my first experiment. Firstly I dripped ink onto each page in the sink and let the colours merge and run. I then scanned them into photoshop and edited them by increasing saturation and adding a gradient overlay, that used similar colours to those created from the ink. i then used a soft white paint brush, using the paint brush tool to add stars, in order to make it look more like the night sky. I then uploaded them (one to each panel) into my design. I used different results from using the ink in order vary the design.

Next I added the chains, which spread over the two central panels. I drew these chains in my book, based upon an image of a pocket watch that I photographed. I uploaded the drawing into Photoshop and did three copies of the chains edited using the threshold tool and three of the chains edited with the technique I displayed in my second experiment.

Next I added in pocket watches, in different mediums, in order to add variety to the design. The overall aim of adding them over the top of the chains was to make it look like several pocket watches just hanging down over the cover. The different mediums I used to create these pictures included, increasing and decreasing the exposure of a photograph of a pocket watch that I took. I also used the image I created using Intaglio printing, which I displayed in my third experiment. 

Next I added artifacts to the other panels. On the front panel I put my word tree, which I created through a drawing, which I then edited using the Ink and transparent effect, which I did in my first experiment. Then on the actual panel, which holds the CD, I used a picture of a pocket watch that had had the exposure increased. Then on the final two panels I used a pocket watch and a tea cup, which were both images that I took and the edited in Photoshop using the threshold tool. 

Next I focused more on the front panel. I beginning by adding lines using the shape tool, to act like strings that I would 'hang' my images on to, too make them look like they were hanging off the tree.  I then added the objects onto the end of the shapes, in order to get the effect of them hanging off the tree. The images I used were all photographs, that I took. i then uploaded them into photoshop, deleted the background, with the magic wand tool, so it was just the object and then adjusted the images in different ways, in order to add range to the cover. First I increased the exposure of the tea cup, decreased the exposure of the pocket watch and then changed the hue of the book, so it went from its original burgundy/brown colour to a green colour, which helped to brighten the album cover and  help the book to stand out more than  its original darker colour.

Next I added in the institutional information onto the cover and CD. This included the recording company logo, copyright logo, barcode and rights information. I found the barcode, copyright symbol and record label on the internet. I copied and pasted them into  photoshop and deleted the background behind them with the magic wand tool.  I then put them has small as possible, but still visible on the central front, outside panel and CD panel. The reason why I put them as small as possible, was because they generally aren't important in selling the CD, it isn't what attracts the customer. From my research I found that the institutional information was also presented as small and almost unnoticeable. The rights information I typed out myself in a sans serif font, that was in a very small font size. I made it sans serif because it is important information and it need to easy to read because it is such important information.   

Finally I added in the album name, band name and track list. I used a type face that I thought would suit the design.   I used a typewriter style font, that reminded me of writing stories, which added into the fairytale type theme of the cover. I made the font white, so that it stood out from against the background, and so would be easily seen by customer and also easily read.  Above is my finished product.

Have I stuck to my original ideas?

I have stuck to the same themes and elements such as the night sky, fairy tales and imagination, however I have further developed these and based them around particular themes, for example instead of just fairy tales, I have based it (kind of unconsciously) around a particular fairy tale, which is Alice in Wonderland, as you can see from the use of objects found within the story, however I didn't want to base it purely on that, so the presence of this theme of Wonderland, isn't so great. However overall, looking back at my proposal and mood board, I have stuck to my original idea and theme, and it has also turned out different compared to other peoples work, due to the themes and techniques used, like I wanted it too.

What would I change and why?

If I was to do my final piece again, I think I would try and render the images it better, because it some cases, such as the book and tea cup hanging off the tree, they don't look very well edited. I think I would also make the whole thing either more drawing based, or image/photography based, however I didn't really use that much photography in the first place because I didn't have much to take photos of, that would fit in with my theme. I think I would probably also have made the image of the tree on the front panel, a bit clearer also because the lines making up the tree, are slightly thin and aren't as clear to see against the gradient background. I think would have also used a more creative way of 'hanging' the objects off the tree, rather than using the shape tool to draw a line, I think it probably would have looked better if I used the chain drawings, that I used in the central panels.