Research and Planning Ancillary 2 Album Poster

Design Principle

In terms of Guttenberg’s design principle the band doesn’t follow his rules as strictly as most band posters do, this makes it a slightly less conventional band poster.

However the band name begins in the primary optical area meaning that the reader’s eyes will be drawn to that section first. The important information such as the

album title is underneath this so this will be read by the consumer second. The star ratings from other magazines are underneath this; this suggests there will be less

chance of it being read. The bottom right corner is known as the terminal area, this is the section that it last viewed by the consumer. The designer has placed an image

of the bands album in this area because it is the least important but will also be viewed last and sticks in the audience’s memory.

Text Positioning and Design

The artist name appears conventionally at the

top of the of the poster, it is in sans serif font

with bold lettering. The typography design is

simplistic which suggests that the music may

follow a similar theme. The album is

underneath in the same font but a slightly

smaller size, below this are the singles that

feature on the album, this has been written to

entice the audience by showing the hits the

band have already had. This font is smaller

than the album title however the song names

are the same size to make them more

attention grabbing. Because the reviews and

the singles are featured on the poster it

suggests that this is the band’s first album and

that they are going to be a well-recognised

band in the future. Below this are reviews

from magazines with a star rating and a quote,

these are in smaller font as the information is

not as vital however the 4 stars are quite large

so that they are instantly eye catching.

Imagery and House Style

The image of the 5 piece band covers the whole

of the poster however the text is placed on the

top half of the poster in the dead space on the

image. High key lighting and sepia tones are

used in the image, the band are dressed in shirts,

jeans and hats, this makes the image

conventional of a folk bands. This old style of

clothing and the aged effect on the image

creates the idea that the band makes music that

would have been popular in a previous era. In

terms of mise-en-scene the band are sitting on

arm chairs and look as though they are in mid

conversation, the creates the idea that the lack

of direct address, which is stereotypical in music

posters, suggests that the band break

conventions. Because the way the band are

gesturing it makes it appear as though they

aren’t on a photo-shoot therefore making the

image seem more personal and suggests that this

element may be reflected in their music. In the

bottom right corner is an image of the bands

album to make it recognisable for the reader, the

album cover follows a similar colour scheme to

the one on the poster which anchors the house

style.