Initial Ideas For Magazine Advert

For my magazine advert I will be continuing a theme inspired by the DVD cover for the film Breathless (1959, dir. Jean-Luc Godard). I like the use of mystery which is created by the absence of images and the very clear-cut use of text. My ideas for my magazine advert are shown in the following slides.

This is my first design, it is very simple and heavily influenced by the Breathless DVD cover. While at first it may seem a little dull, I feel its simplicity is quite striking – and the coloured backgrounds in some of the variations also catch the eye. It can also be criticised for not featuring an image of the album, however I believe the ad is memorable enough for an audience member to remember the name of the band and album. Furthermore, the lack of an image of the album creates a sense of mystery (as in the Breathless DVD cover) which, paired with the positive reviews, also adds a sense of curiosity. Furthermore, I think that the concept of including reviews but not an image of the album is perhaps quite audacious, even arrogant, which may lead an audience member to think more highly of the album, without actually knowing anything about it.

These are some variations, I especially like the design on the right as I think the dark green background is very attention-grabbing.

Here I tried a different font, it’s not bad but I prefer the previous one, as this looks perhaps a little childish and not as professional.

I tried a slightly different arrangement. I prefer the original arrangement as the composition is more balanced.

Another different arrangement. I feel this is better than the previous one, but not as effective as the original one, perhaps because there are too many lines which reminds me of a road or even a train track.

Here I’ve added an image of the lead singer of the band behind the text. I feel the design on the left works quite nicely however I do not like the font on the right.

I’ve tried out some more things with the font, however I don’t think either attempt is too successful.

Some variations; the design on the left looks nice but I don’t like the colours in the one on the right.

More variations; I quite like the design on the right, as the colours are very effective.

These look interesting but are perhaps a little too bright.

Here I added pictures of the album cover behind the text but it hasn’t really worked and I don’t like it; it looks unprofessional and the text is difficult to read.

I am most pleased with my original design, featured on slides 1 and 2, as these are nicely composed and I believe present a desirable image of the album. I also believe that they are interesting, despite their simplicity, and provide the audience member with all the necessary information about the album.