Ben Riley's A2 media blog

I chose the two ideas that i feel are the most professional and effective ones out of the four that i had to chose from. Idea 1 is taken from the ink in water pictures that i took and then developed and edited them into a full idea. Idea two is of waves crashing at a beach that didn't require many changes to make it look like a final product.

Idea 1

Pros of idea 1:
- The image relates very strongly to the theme of my music video as everything has to do with water, storms and natural disasters. The words 'Inside the storm' create a reference to the name of the band Tempesst which means a storm and therefore creates a narrative of the band taking you on a journey inside a storm with them and shows the relatability of the band.
- The artwork is subtle but also effective as it has the abstract feel to it which allows the audience to interpret it in any way they want. There is also a minimalist aspect to it and this creates an identity for the band and shows exactly what genre and what mood the band will want to create.
- The logo for Tempesst also creates a distinct name for the band and is subtle but recognisable and i feel that will expand on the idea of the band being minimalist but also professional at the same time.
- The colour pallet is blue because it links the idea of water and being in a storm. It uses two shades of blue effectively with the lighter blue complementing the artwork and allowing the audience to focus on the artwork.
- There is a strong focal point in the cover as the artwork is on the rule of thirds and has a very good composition to it and with the text also being on the rule of thirds it makes the negative space more effective as you are automatically drawn to the art and the text making the whole cover very effective.

Cons of idea 1:
- Artwork could be misinterpreted and the audience could not get any messages from it and then the cover doesn't work as a whole.
- The image could be too minimalist and the whole thing may look unprofessional because of the negative space taking over the whole cover. This could lead to the whole cover not being very eye catching and then it could all seem a bit boring.
- The artwork in places is not edited very well and the flowing water is spiky in certain places where the Photoshop is not done correctly and could have been changed.
- The font could have been different as it seems too thin and could lead to it not standing out and whole cover could be seen as too plain.
- The genre aspect may be off as for the indie genre i feel that it fits however it doesn't fit the psychedelic side of it. There could have been another element added to it that could for fill the psychedelic aspect of the cover as that is part of the genre for the band.

Idea 2

Pros of idea 2:

- The idea relates strongly to the whole narrative of the music video and how the song is called 'Tidal Wave' there are waves in the image. Also it has a reference to the video as in my music video i have an overlay of waves crashing when the lyrics 'tidal wave' are sung and this means this idea has a direct link to the music video and therefore shows how everything is connected and keeps the whole production fluid.

- The use of Tempesst being on in the horizon creates the narrative of a journey happening and this links to the journey that happens in my music video. It allows the audience to feel like they are connected to the band as the bliss of the beach is a paradise for most and shows the type of mood the band is wanting to set.

- This also has a minimalist aspect to it and i feel that, that can be a convention if indie covers as indie music is about self expression and abstract and minimalist artwork creates meaning and that is what the audience for my band will want.

- The composition is good as it has the horizon directly on the rule of thirds making the bands name the first focal point when you see the cover and this means the cover is doing what it is mean to by drawing you in and selling the product as you are drawn into the horizon and the bands name straight away.

Cons of idea 2:

- The idea is too simplistic and i feel compared to the other idea is very unprofessional as the text doesn't fit with the image and all looks out of place.

- The rocks and the water clash too much making the idea look too basic and not have the right look that i was looking for.

- It doesn't really fit any of the genres as the calmness of it doesn't fit the indie aspect of it and there is no link at all to the psychedelic aspect of the genre for the band.

- The font doesn't fit the image at all.

- It does not have any real narrative to it unlike the other image which is 'Inside the storm' and therefore creates a disconnect with the band and the audience as it is not at all relatable and therefore makes it very unprofessional.