Clear display of the band name, so that the audience can recognise them, as they may be familiar with the name already. Cantered to appeal to the eye.

Image of the band/ identifiable logo to connect the audience to the artists. May cause sexual interest or allow the audience to observe similarities between them and the band.

Image of the CD so that the audience can identify the product when it is released onto shelves of music stores.

Record company on display so the audience can identify their genre and popularity. Websites to direct the audience to the product and further information.

Both promotional posters are central to the page so it is appealing on the eye. Everything is easier for the audience to see because the layout is simple and tidy, meaning that the audience can digest the information quickly. This is significant because posters would be usually placed in magazines and readers are usually only reading for the articles, so they may pay little attention to the poster. Therefore if it is a tidy layout they can quickly view important information.

My products related to others, making them conventional and possibly more appealing, as they are identifiable. In order to notice key differences, I must directly compare them with other existing products.

As the audience would need to view information rather quickly, there is an important route of the eye to pay attention to. Firstly, the band name is viewed. If they are a popular band, an audience would quickly recognise them. Next, the audience can notice the word ‘new’. It is a trend for any audience to consume the latest products, so this will be a likely way of drawing their attention. After which, the audience then view band artwork. Many members of the audience may not recall the band name, but may recognise the band logo from elsewhere, meaning that there is a greater chance of an audience recalling the band. If they aren’t already aware of the band, they may find the logo appealing, and be able to label the band’s sub-genre within the genre, as there are many different types and all of these various sounds appeal to different members. There are also names of some songs, suggesting to the audience that these names should already be heard of, as they are popular enough to be mentioned, meaning that the audience may feel as if they need to listen to the tracks, which could spark interest.Next, the band album is viewed, meaning that the audience may recognise it if they see it in music stores.

Finally, the audience would then see the record label, which would allow them to realise how popular that band is and what sub-genre the band belong to. They could then see further links to direct them to additional information about the album if the poster has sparked an interest.

In order to recognise how effective my promotional album poster is, I must use the route of the eye strategy on mine.

Like the Alter Bridge poster, the first thing recognised is the band name, so an audience immediately know who the band is. Next they would notice the hazard strips, which connote danger. However, as they are a bold colour on a greyscale, black and white poster, they may actually draw attention before anything else. They would then recognise the image of the band in their individual stances. The audience could then most likely identify that they belong to the punk genre, as they appear rather bold and their costume and style, such as the hairstyle, identifies them with that genre. If they are then interested by the punk genre, they would then notice the details, such as the name and the release date. The release date acts like the word ‘latest’ or ‘new’, as it displays future trends. As stated before, it is a trend to consume the latest products. The audience can then notice the CD, which is, as stated before, important for an audience as they may come across it in stores. They may then view large names in the media within the genre and realise how well acclaimed and anticipated the album is. Finally, they would, like the other promotional album poster, notice the record label and be able to possibly distinguish the sub-genre of the heavy category and then if they are interested, they could use the websites to find additional information.

By applying the route of the eye to posters can determine the success of its purpose. By comparing it to similar products, I can also determine how positively it would be consumed by an audience, and how simple it would be for them to identify it. For example, if it does not appear like similar products, the target audience may not be familiar with it and may dismiss its information as they may feel that they cannot relate to it.

The main factors of a promotional album poster that I took into account and applied were the band name and album title (with a significant focus on the page by making the font larger or dedicating a separate part of the poster to them), an image of the band so the audience can identify them, an image of the CD so that the audience can recognise their products, a release date to cause a hype within the target audience, reviews to create expectation within the audience and a record label so the audience may know what sub-genre they belong to. There are many factors that can contribute to a poster’s success. However, these are commonly applied to posters within the heavier genre of music, such as punk and rock. Therefore, by paying attention to these that are frequent within the genre, I can create a brand that is identifiable within the genre.

These two album front covers have several similarities. For example, there is a large image central to the page, dominating the eye.

Both CDs have three main parts; a bold image, the band name and the album title. The band name is used to identify the artists, the album name is to display a different set of the band’s work and the image offers various information, such as a ‘taster’ of what the album contains content-wise, or to create brand identity.

The images both connote rebellion and a breakdown of the system. For example, my front cover contains graffiti. ‘The Casualties’ have the use of skulls and bullets, symbolising death and war. As for the gas mask, it symbolises danger and serious situations.

The fonts are serif; very messy in appearance and in bold, which makes them seem aggressive. It reflects the words such as ‘DISORDER’ and ‘RESISTANCE’, which relate to dangerous and aggressive situations. Using images appropriate to the genre allows the audience to familiarise my product with the correct genre.

The use of colour makes both albums appear very bold, which means that they would stand out in a shop. This takes into account the entire genre, and the members of it, as these individuals are very extravagant and the genre is associated with bold beliefs and statements against the usual flow of society, concerning mass consumption and hegemony. The use of the colours in ‘The Casualties’ is effective, because it is a bold colour, such as red (connoting danger and death) and black and white is used over it, so that they stand out against it. It also creates this cartoon effect, reflecting the personality of the artists and creating irony alongside their work; as though the punk genre is considered bold, crazy and dangerous, they fight for peace in most cases. Therefore, it relates as they are using cartoon images to depict the seriousness of their messages. My font cover, due to the black and white contrast shares this cartoon style, reflecting the same irony.

Both album back covers have a main image dominating the cover that also relate to the front cover, via the same colour filter or visual effects. To make it appealing on the eye, the one image is used so the CD isn’t broken up and doesn’t appear too busy, which would make it likely to look unappealing. The images contain the band members, so that the audience can identify them. It also may show that it relates to another product, such as a music video, as does my own product.

Both of these bands, ‘The Distillers’ and ‘Damaged’, have the ‘Hellcat Records’ emblem on their back cover. If the target audience were to only know one of these bands, they could identify the other by the record label. As ‘The Distillers’ are a successful punk band and other bands such as them belong to that record label, it would allow ‘Damaged’ to become successful, as the label becomes more popular as it aids bands into success.

Conventional additions, such as a barcode for consumption purposes and a copyright notice for the purpose of appropriate artist credit, which makes my product appear genuine and conventional.

The fonts are once again bold and serif, relating to their front covers and their genre.

The layout is very tidy so that it is appealing on the eye, though there is no blank space in either of these front covers so that it does appear rather busy and disorganised. However, their tidy layout ensures that though it is conventional of the genre, it is also appealing enough for consumption.

By carefully considering the conventions, I have created a back cover much alike other existing and successful products, meaning that my own may be successful if it were to actually be sold and distributed, as its conventions are recognisable.