AOB 2: sample products

AOB 2: Initial meeting with client

Having just met with the client, we have discussed in detail how we will proceed with the promotion of the new Heretics album Transcend God.
The client wanted to feature clean, clear, black and white images in the promotional material, with a completely uncluttered feeling to it.

For the promotion, we decided upon a Onesheet, a promotional poster and the C.D cover itself.
The client was keen for me to sample some similar products, to get a feel for the products.

AO1: Analysis 4

Purpose: Entertain/Advertise

The product has the stereotypical layout of a magazine cover, with one central image to sell to the target audience, and text to relate the rest of the magazine's main features.
The masthead, located near the top of the cover, clearly shows the name of the magazine, although it is partially hidden by an image of Paramore's lead singer, an effect that outlines the magazine's focus on the band, maybe even outlining the band as more important than the magazine itself.
These features follow a certain hierarchy present in most magazines, with the magazine title, the featured image and it's accompanying caption all in order going down the page.

Another banner, a little further down the page, shows the band's name in a large, pink coloured font.
Again, this is to outline the band's importance in this particular edition of the magazine.

Fonts vary in the cover, the size depending on importance of the feature.
Headers are separated by the distinct red colour, which sets them apart from the other text.
Other features in the magazine are listed on the left-hand side of the cover, near the bottom, so they don't obstruct the image too much.
The background behind the band is rather bleak, a contradiction to the black clothing worn by the band.
The band are dressed in the clothing that they are expected to wear, and what the target audience expects them to wear.

The cover is set out in a grid format, where the text can be grouped into different segments, and the cover features very little white space (segments of the magazine where nothing is happening).
Nearly all of the text is in block capitals, save for a few captions near the top of the page, this is to outline the important text.
The cover features very little ornamentation, with just about the only thing adorning it being a fake sticker in the top right-hand corner.

The featured image is symmetrical, with the band's members organized so that pretty much the same thing is happening either side of the image's focus, which is the band's lead singer.

AO1: Analysis 3

The product has a generic website layout, with the band's name and their symbol (a gaelic knot) right at the top of the page, with iconography from the latest album at the top-right hand corner.

Below this is a bar with things such as Merchandise, Tour info and News about the band listed across the screen.

This is for the ease of navigating the website, clearly dividing it into segments.

Below this the page becomes divided into three segmented parts.

To the far right the band's various accounts on social networks are listed, beneath which news about upcoming shows and gigs are listed, as well as fan comments.

Across from this, towards the center of the screen, recent music videos and other media is posted by the band.

On the far left is a column that details the most recent updates to the website, allowing fans to quickly know what the most recent updates are.

The product's purpose is to inform, to entertain, and to promote.

The text is a simple, plain but broad font, commonly used by Breaking Benjamin.

Headings, navigation tools, and the band's name at the top of the screen are all in a bigger, broader font reminiscent of the font used on a typewriter.

This font seems to match the dark theme of the band, characterized in the website itself with it's dark background and imagery.

As the band's target audience are predominantly fans of the Grunge genre, the dark colours and the stark, contrasting bright blues and whites make for a good representation both of the band and it's fans.

The choice of format, although simple, suits the website, which, through the format, is made easy to navigate and easily accessible.

AO1: Analysis 2

Purpose: Advertise/ persuade

The product is a poster advertising the single From Yesterday by 30 Seconds to Mars.

The poster uses simple colours that keep with the band's iconography, featured in the bottom right hand of the poster.

The band's target audience are also clearly denoted by the colours, which are characteristic of the band's previous promotional work and albums.

The text appears to be a rather bland, simple font.

The band's name features in the center of the poster, towards the top, with the word "Mars" noticeably bigger than the others.

This again helps to draw in the target audience, using one word as a vice which draws the eye of those who already know the band.

More important text is either in bold or a different colour, this includes things such as information about the deluxe album and info about the release of the single.

The poster was originally intended for A4 print, but has also been resized to A3 size.

The image on the poster is from the music video for the single, with the band silhouetted against an image of rows of Chinese soldiers lined up outside the Imperial Palace in China.

Even the image uses the primary band colours of black, white and red.

Record labels and production companies are listed in the smallest text at the bottom, as they are with most products.

The Chinese symbols featured beneath the band's name depict the band's signature phrase, which is "Launch forth into the unknown".

The meaning of this is quite literal, as the music video was the first to be completely filmed in the People's Republic of China.

AO1: Analysis 1