OUGD406 Brief 01 Record Research

As a starting point for the secret seven brief I wanted to look into the culture and identity that surrounds the idea of a record. To do this I went to a local record store which just happens to double as a post office. I think this suggests something of the cultural identity I was talking about. The quirky juxtaposition of something that could be seen as part of the establishment and what are for most intents and purposes fragments of youth culture is a perfect example of the 'odd', 'out of place' identity that surrounds records.

 Records can be seen as something relaxed and just a way of accepting other peoples creativity in a format that respects the time that was spent creating. The type on the shops signs hints at this. The loose flowing style that is connected in a cursive manner suggests a humanity and a strong connection between the artist and the audience.

Because I am going to be designing a cover for one of these albums I thought it might be a good idea to look at the album covers I found and analyse what image and impression of the artist and music it creates and why.

The use of comic book aesthetics to dictate the layout of the cover creates a cheeky bright and youthful impression of the artist and the music on this album. this is because the simple block colour which are used suggest a simple construction (possibly subconsciously connected with felt tips and the childish drawings everyone used to do with expanses of block colour). the bright colours also suggest a comical edge to the artist/music, as do the speech bubbles (like funny gift cards). 

I really like the way the design is shaped around the band logo instantly insuring that the cover communicates the most important information. The military connotations of the name and the way the logo is flying suggest a quite masculine target audience, purply because stereotypically these things are not what most women are interested in. the was the letters interact on the logo oohs a lot like a car logo because of the way it creates a sense of a self contained unit. I get the sense that the artists here are male and a bit more serious than those of the previous design and because of the sense of scale imposed on very part of the design the music is seems like it might be complex large sounds which are extremely emotionally stimulating. Coldplay is a modern example of this kind of music.

This record cover caught my eye simply because of its moving elements. There is a wheel on the inside which you turn to change the images at the top of the vending machine, which in turn changes the song name at the bottom. because this album is a collection of work from different artists the design is more general in its addressed target audience. they focus instead on the Motown genre and the quirky cartoonish visuals which go with this. 

Although both this design and the previous one both have a certain hand rendered aesthetic this one has the added look of another production method which I think could be lino print or etching. this creates a slightly detached loo because you can tell that it has not been directly produced by the hand. This detachment suits the unearthly imagery that is being created through these methods. The paeanistic way that people are represented very simply and symbolically suggests a rawness to the music and perhaps an honesty of purpose to the artists, they don't show there own image which hints at a complete focus on the music rather than selling their own image.

What was really interesting about this much older  record is the way the case reacts to it, the lines creating a texture to it. The paper has also been taken into account because of the way it collapses around the disc aiding the design, this could be something I could include in my design.

In conclusion, I need to look into the essence of the specific artist and their target audience to shape my designs. I also need to take into consideration what a record offered over an mp3 or a CD. Apart from the novelty, records are different and quirky, accepting of the weird and perhaps this is something I should incorporate into my design.