Do's and Don'ts of design work

Design Work

When it comes to design work there are a list of things which are important to include and a list of things that should be avoided.

In order for your work to stand out and effectively interest the audience you must ensure that the sizing and the choice of fonts are perfect. Ideally, you should choose a maximum of two fonts but ensure that they're appropriate for your chosen genre. In addition to this, ensure that the positioning of the fonts on the cover are effective as well as sizing them correctly and not having them too big or too small.

To effectively attract an audience, you must ensure that the product consists of three colours maximum. These colours must complement each other and fit the genre. I.e For the rap genre, they tend to use dark colours such as black and red, whereas pop uses pink or blue.

When selecting an image for the front of the digipak, the artist must be placed correctly in order for your product to look presentable. A simple way to do this is by using the rule of thirds, aligning the subject with the guidelines.

Before positioning your photograph, you have to ensure that it is clear enough and appropriate whilst matching the conventions of your chosen genre. Your photo must capture the artist clearly, taking the rule of thirds into consideration. The shot size of your photo must be large enough to manipulate and still maintain focus.

It is important to include the title of the album and the artist name on the advertisements as well as the digipak so the audience knows what they're purchasing. Furthermore, the record company logo as well as copyright information must be included to make known who it is released by. The barcode must also be included so that it can be scanned. On the back of the digipak and on the advertisement it is important to include the website of the artist to promote their brand. On the advertisement, the release dat is important so the fans can know when it is available.

Don't just use effects wildly, ensure that there is a purpose for everything included on the digipak and advertisement. If you do use an effect make sure that it doesn't distract the audience by being overcomplicated and difficult to see the artist.

Don't just copy images from the internet for your digipak cover, take photographs of your artist to educate your new audience and increase recognition.

Don't use images that are small and out of focus so that you don't have to stretch them to fit on the panel and don't use images on every panel as this looks tacky and unprofessional.

Don't just use a font without considering how it links to your genre and how it looks against the photograph of the artist. Ensure that the font you use is clear and easy to read for your audience. Furthermore, font must not be covering the artist as they need to be seen clearly.