dafont.com font designs for my album cover.

I chose this font because although the initial style of writing is quite simple, it has alot of detail within the letters, because of the dots and flowers on the indiviual letters. I also chose it because the letters are thin, therefore they look dainty, feminine and delicate, i wanted to achieve these from the font, because i believe it responds well to the genre of the music, artist and the overall feel that the music video has. The use of detail on individual letters, adds variety and interest to the font.

I chose this font because of the design uses thin lines, however they are quite dark, as opposed to the above design where athough the lines are thin, they are light. I also like the way the font is curvy, which adds interest. I like how simple the design is, yet it still holds interest.

I chose this font design, because although through my own designs i learnt that i preffered a thin font, because it would work better with the genre of my music, however i chose this because although it is a thick font, i think the way that the font has been shaded, creates a softer look to it, therefore making it more feminine, appealing to my target audience.

Links to lyrics within the music video.

I've got to reach you
I've got to see you
Let the light shine down on me
When the day breaks
And the sky is changing colors
into something new
I want to see it with you
Sunrise

I want to see you again
Promise that you'll always stay
Sunrise
When the world is brand new
I want to see it with you
I want to touch you
I want to make you feel
Like you're the only one
In this world for me
I want to hold you
I want to make you see
That yesterday was long ago
And soon it will be
Sunrise
I want to see you again
Promise that you'll always stay
Sunrise
When the world is brand new
I want to see it with you
Cause I know we can't let this end
We can say all the sorries in the world
Just to be friends
There's nothing I want more
Than flying home
Just to meet you
Sunrise
Sunrise
I want to see you again
Promise that you'll always stay
Sunrise
When the world is brand new
I want to see it with you
Sunrise
I want to see you again
Promise that you'll always stay
Sunrise
When the world is brand new
I want to see it with you
Sunrise
I want to see you again
Promise that you'll always stay
Sunrise

Within the music video, i have made links to the lyrics through the visuals, such as the `let the sun shine down on me`, i have used visuals of the bright sun light within the split screen, and i have also encorparated a large amount of light within the shots of the cdharacters, especially in the train shots. `Ive got to reach you`, is represented by the visual of the boy texting the girl, therefore showing communication and a way of `reaching` someone. `i want to see you` and `i want to see it with you`, are shown by the split screen shots in which the shots of the boy and girl are positioned horizontally, the imagery represents the lyrics because of the way they both run their heads at the same or similar times, which shows that they are looking at something, and the way that they are both shown doing this action at the same time, connotes that they both feel the same way. The title of the song, which features heavily in the song, `sunrise`, is linked to the imagery and feel of the music video, because of the lighting within the video connoting a sunrise and the chosen beach location which is associated with sunshine. The flashback scene within the music video, links to many aspects of the song, it refers to lyrics such as; `when the world is brand new`, as although it shows the couples break up, however it does connote a new beginning, and `i know we cant let this end`, which shows how they did have feelings for each. All of the lyrcis, are linked to either by visuals and the story within the music video.

How did your research and planning inform your production of your music video? practise evaluation question.

My initial research helped me to plan my music video, aesthetically as well as the technicalities being the use of split screen within the video. The research enabled me to look into target audience, and genre, which helped me in the planning of the video, so I could make sure that I was appealing to my target audience by using conventions of that particular genre. The planning of my music video allowed me to have a clearer idea of what I wanted to achieve and also helped the shooting process to go much smoother, because I knew the shots that needed to be taken in each location, and the props and costumes that we needed for each location.

The similar artist research, where I looked at three music videos; Laura Marling, Ellie Goulding and Lissie, who are all of a similar genre to my artist; Shannon Hurley. I looked at the conventions that they used within their music videos, however they do not comply with the main convention of my music video which is the split screen technique. Although they did not use a split screen, they did help me to understand how to appeal to my target audience because they are of a similar genre. I also took inspiration from these videos, for how to light my video.

The videos I used for my initial plan and research directly responding to my video, was; (500) days of summer, bad day by Daniel powter and your secret by jean-Sebastian monzani. (500) days of summer and the Bad Day music video, both incorporate split screen, which informed me of how I should use the technique and the type of shots that I should put into a split screen format. I also used some of the ideas that features in these videos, such as using the split screen to show the boy and girl separately, as they do in (500) days of summer, because it shows the separation between them. I decided to use a performance element within the video, because of the interest that it adds, within the Bad Day video. The video by Jean-Sebastian Monzani, features a series of notes and writing to represent the feelings of a character, this was my initial plan, however they did not look right within the video, so I replaced this idea with a series a stills of the couple breaking up, and put them together to make a flashback, within the video, I used a 35mm film camera, in order to get the similar lighting in the images to (500) days of summer, and “your secret”. The use of a train, came from the train scenes in (500) days of summer, and the lighting within this scene, which informed me well in creating my music video, as I was able to re-create this type of dispersed lighting, by using the sun.

I used the music video sugar water by cibo matto, which is a very well known video for its use of split screen. I looked at this video, to understand how split screen works and it informed me of what shots to use and how to use split screen effectively.

Overall, both the research and planning process informed me of my target audience and genre and helped me to understand how to appeal to that audience, by informing me of the codes and conventions that have been used, in this genre of film and music. The planning of my music video enabled my shoots to go smoothly, because I knew exactly what was needed from that shoot.

CD cover designs.

Design 1).

Inside cover, on the left side there would be an image of the artist, and on the right this is where the cd would be held, in an envelope style pocket, with "sunrise, by shannon hurley", on the front of the cover. The background colour of the inside cover would be cream. Along the outside of the spine, "sunrise, shannon hurleyy" would be written.

The front and back cover, the front cover features a photgraph within a circular shape, on the square cover, the photograph would be of a girl walking along a pier, with the sea around her, and the album name, "sunrise", at the top left of the cover and the artists name in the bottom left hand corner, which is a smaller font that the album name. The back cover, would have the song titles on a picture of a sunset at a beach. Design 2).

The left side of the inside cover, has an image of the artist on, with a cream border. The outside of the spine, has sunrise, shannon hurley written on it. The right side, holds the cd, and the image when you take the cd out is a photograph of a sunset, with muted colours.

The front and back cover, the front coverhas an image of a sunset, the sea and birds, which relates to the birds in the video and the location in the video, and the album name and artist name along the bottom of the cover. The back cover, has an image of the beach with the pebbles along the bottom, and the track listing in the middle of the album cover, and the barcode is placed at the top of the cd cover.

Font designs for my album cover.

Font designs for my album cover. All of the fonts i have designed have used a curly style of writing within them, the fonts all use thin lines, i designed them this way because i thought they look more feminine and delicate this way, however on the second page of designs, a few of the fonts do feature thick lines, i think this demonstrates how with the use of thick lines, the font can look quite masculine and harsh. I like the design, in which i have elongated one of the letters and created a stem, with a flower at the end, i like the idea of adding in extra detail and small images within the font, as it creates a more interesting effect, and would work well with the genre of the music.

Analysis of CD/DVD Digipak box.

This is Laura Marlings cover for her single, "Ghosts", the genre is folk, she also plays an acoustic guitar. The album cover is fairly simple, as it just features the artists name with a simple black design around it, and the album name underneath, only two colours are used throughout the cover; black and yellow, the use of a yellow background, softens the black font and also the tone of the yellow creates a vintage feel to the cover. The album cover, features no images of the artist herself, therefore it leaves the audience feeling intrigued as to who she is, therefore it may lead to the audience wanting to find out more, as they listen to the music, it creates a sense of mystery to the artist, however this could suggest that her audience already knows who she is, therefore she does not need to have her photo of the front of the alubm cover, because people are already familiar with her. The font, is quite detailed and intricate, it also adds to the overall vintage theme of the cover, and adds a point of interest, which make up for the lack of visuals on the cover. The artists name, album name and the design, is situated within the middle of the cover, therefore our attention is drawn automtically towards the design, however the simplicity of the cover also makes us more focused on the detail.

This album cover, suggests that the audience that Laura Marling would attract, would be mainly female, because of the delicate, intricate and feminine detailing on the album. It also suggests, that the type of bands and solo artists, this audience would listen to other than Laura Marling, would be of the alternative, folk, indie genre, such as; Bon Iver, She&Him and Bombay Bicycle Club. I also think that this type of album would appeal between the ages of; 16 and 24.

This is the album cover for the artist, Kate Walsh and this is her album, "Tim`s House". The cover features a photograph of Kate Walsh, so we instantly know who the artist is, and are given an inight into her own personal style and persona, through her image. The album and artist name are written side by side, underneath the image, at the bottom of the album cover. The artists name is in bold, however the album name is not, they are both is the same small size font, written in plain black font, this focuses our attention on the photograph, rather than the details.

The photograph, uses a light colour palette and her style is also very natural, which is in keeping with the genre, however her black coloured top, stands out from the light bleached out background. The way she is dresses in dark clothes, makes her as a character seem mysterious.

The location, of an old cobbled street in this album cover is important because it relates to the genre of the music, being folk. I think this appeals to Kate Walshs target audience, because this is perhaps somewhere that this collection of people would socialise or shop, in these older areas of cities and towns.

The back cover of the album, is very much the same in comparison to the front cover, as it features the same image of Kate Walsh, however it has been bleached out, therefore it is slightly less visible than the one on the front cover. The use of repeating the photograph, makes the image rememerable, it also adds to the simplicity, yet effectivness of the cover. The same font and colour scheme, has also been used on the back cover. The song titles, have been placed in the centre at the bottom of the back cover, and the theme that has been used with the font using one colour one side and another the other side, has been carried on, with the song titles. The repetitive and simply nature that this album cover portrays, has been used in a very effective and clever, as it is very easily recognisable.

This album cover represents the audience, as the same sort of age group as Laura Marling, that being around the 16 -24 age range. I think because this album is not within the mainstream genre, the album cover definatly confirms this and would appeal to a more alternative audience.

This is Ellies Goudlings second album, "Bright Lights". This album cover, features a photograph of the artist, the aritsts name and the album name. The photograph of Ellie Goudling, dominates the album cover, however unlike Kate Walsh`s album cover, she is not looking directly at the camera, therefore we can not see her whole face, and the way she is moving her hair around suggests that she has a bubbly personality and is fun loving, it also re-iterates to the audience that she has not been consumed by this `celebrity culture` that we live in, on the other hand it does present her as being part of this culture, however she has not being fully consumed by the culture in todays society.

The back cover of the album, features the song titles, which have been arranged in the centre and making use of the whole length of the album cover. The font that has been used, is the same as that used on the front cover and is also the same colour. The colour of the font, being a light yellow with emphasis around it, to look like lights are behind it, which relates to the album title, "Bright Lights" and the background images on both the front and back covers, because of the heavy emphasis on lights and colours related with lights such as; yellow and orange.

The pastel colour palette, and bleached out effect, goes well with the genre of the music. The dispersed light across the image, works well with the name of the album, becasue of it being called, "bright lights", and the emphasis of lights within the album cover. The colours and the photograph, creates a very natural feel, which creates connotations of the folk, alternative and indie style. Although this album is an alternative genre of music, i do believe that this artist appeals to a larger audience than most alternative artists.

In my own designs, i am going to use the type of drawn design that has been used on Laura Marlings album cover, as opposed to a photograph of the artists. I have decided to use this technique, instead of using a photograph because it represents the artists as having a sense of creativity and individualism. Another aspect that i will use is the use of muted, light colours which has been used in all of the album covers, i think this connotes femininity. I will take inspiration from the font in the laura marling cover, because it is very delicate.

The artists i have chosen to analyse are similar to Shannon Hurley, because they are all of a similar musical genre; folk, alternative, acoustic.

Discuss avatars in terms of their social and psychological functions and semiotic meanings

Avatars are used to represent the user, in social networking, games and generally on technological items. An avatar is better known as being a cartoon like character image that an individual creates, which in someway represents themselves and their character. An avatar is most commonly seen as being a cartoon image; however it can be words, as in the name you give yourself on a social networking site or an email address. Avatars are usually chosen by the individual and represent them in some way, however physically they do not usually show much resemblance.

Avatars act as a sort of telephone number, therefore allowing others to find the user; this acts as a social function of avatars, because they are enabling others to identify the individual, through an image, which resembles them as a person. The social function of them, in this context, is that they show others who this person is and enables the audience to understand this person. The avatar creates assumptions about the individual who created it. The psychological function of this is the process of the user creating their avatar, and in what way they create it and the different decisions they make within the process, and how the outcome represents themselves.

When we look at an avatar, we look at its other meanings, as if it were a sign, as they are a form of language and they operate as a sign system that can be read in semiotic terms. This term, is neither social nor psychological. It is based on language, and communication, as when we look at an avatar, we almost look at it as if it were a person, because we try to find meanings and connotations, by just looking at the exterior. The way the avatar, which is the signifier, points to the user; the signified, therefore creating a sign, follows the same concept as above, because they are both linguistic and based on the way we connect and perceive something when we look at it.

Although, avatars are supposed to represent the user, they are very often used in a way that shows the gap between the avatar and the user, because users like that their avatar is very different from themselves. This is a psychological function of an avatar, because it allows people to represent themselves within a social network, or in a game, but not show their real identity, and hide behind an avatar, as if it is an escape from reality, or being someone who they wish they were in reality. Some users, create their avatars in a way that they are totally different from themselves in reality, as an escape and way of hiding themselves, however some decide to instil certain qualities into their avatar to represent themselves in that certain environment, this is a social and psychological function, as you are representing yourself how you chose, firstly so you fit into that particular environment, and secondly in an escapist way.
The use of an avatar creates a way that you, the user can distance yourself from reality, and fictionalise yourself, therefore using the method of pretending to be someone else in a virtual environment, as a way of escaping your real identity.

An avatar, works as a visual representation, which enables you to take part in online activities, therefore it acts as a social tool, however as well as being a social tool, it is also psychological, because you can change the visual of your avatar, to be fitting with the `perfect person`, or how you believe `perfect`, to be perceived.

Although, we believe avatars, to be fictionalised cartoons, they also come in the form of a profile picture; that being an actual image of you, on social networking sites such as face book. It is a way, of showing others certain aspects of you that you believe are valued and inspirational within that society. This is both social and psychological, as it is a way of fitting in with certain social groups because of our appearance and the way we present ourselves and also the way we believe we should look.

“Teens often fabricate key identifying information like name, age and location to protect themselves”, Danah Boyd. This quotation, shows that as teenagers, we will give out key pieces of information about ourselves, in order to protect ourselves. We could give out information like where we live, to protect ourselves, because of how that certain environment is perceived and its reputation.