I have expanded the D&AD innovative music illustration into more of a comprehensive brief. Here is what I have outlined based on the brief supplied:
D&AD music Illustration initial ideas / concepts:
- Observation of sound waves - respond visually to music tracks by using their waveforms (this is achievable using music production software such as Ableton) create imagery using shapes, patterns, waveforms.
- Visually interpret the mood of the music / album (each track + overall album?) could produce landscapes, shapes, patterns, charters, illustrative type or a combination of some or all.
- Illustration - Icons + symbols / characters / image / illustrative type - mixture?
- Artists - illustrate them?
- Illustrate the artist, album, each track as an image with an additional 'waveform sculpture' for each track?
Product Ideas:
- A CD format book of the album including disc - base cover on existing album cover / totally re invent it?
- "Limited edition" album. Like the CD, but instead of having a typical CD packaging format, can be a book which incorporates disc and booklet into its formatting. Would be a great product to get professionally printed.
Range Ideas:
- CD, 12" Vinyl + 7" books, each incorporates disk / record into the product. Redesigned record stickers cd print - but overall focus is on the printed materials (visual uniformity etc.)
- Promotional poster of album illustration + Artists, as well as sticker book and badges (propose T - shirts. Typical merch.
- Propose other albums in exactly the same way as the finished one. (album book covers + selected spread?)
- All of the above could come in a super limited edition pack that is only available online or in participating record & music shops like jumbo or HMV etc.
Tone Of Voice:
- Entertain
- Collectors edition
- Limited edition
Audience:
- Collectors of CDs/ vinyl / music
- Buyers - this audience gave me the idea for what the problem is that I am trying to solve by doing this brief.
PROBLEM: Keep the music industry alive. Downloads and internet music are quelling the hype that used to be around the new release of albums, and reducing an artists ability to successfully release music to get fan base. Produce a hard copy, print campaign which aims to re - invigorate the buyers taste in hard copies of the music they love. Do this by producing limited edition albums only available in hard copy. (specialist print, interaction and illustration as well as layout design.)
Brief Breakdown:
- Step 1 - Produce 5 album artworks & corresponding waveform sculptures. (each album should be from a different artists on the same label.) Pick a record label to produce for and apply their branding to the work.
- Step 2 - Hone in on one album and produce the same thing for all tracks on the album, develop a book design that can be applied across a range of different formats to comply with records and CDs and considers the CD or record into the design.
- Step 3 - Develop range: 3 books, posters, shirt, badges, sticker books, viral promotional mailshots as well as spottily ads (targeting the people who evidently aren't going out and buying their music) and music magazine adverts to reinforce a support network.
- Step 4 - print & photograph. Think about where to get this printed because The digital print facilities downstairs aren't always 100% reliable and only have a limited amount of stocks.
- More promotion - considerations for web. record labels website? include work on there as well as promotional desktop backgrounds.
This brief has a lot of potential in my eyes, and is a good chance for me to produce really off the wall illustration that has a connection to music which is quite deep. Then the overall implantation of the work will give it a lot of depth and value if it is done correctly. Initially I see this brief as being quite research driven having to look into e.g record labels, artists and albums - but also taking that deeper in analysing the selected tracks by looking at their waveforms with the intention of using them to create visually stunning work to run alongside illustrations. In a sense, I feel like I am reinventing what we expect when we buy music, as at present its all available digitally so there is no need for hard copy. I think a limited edition item that is geared towards people with a passion for music or specific artists would be a successful idea in a real world context. I will post up the final written brief after I have explained the rest of the briefs I have been planning.
