Do's and Don'ts of ancillary products

When making products in order to promote or advertise, having too much on the product can make the audience turn a blind eye. Simplicity is the main key whilst creating such products, limiting the text, colours and images. Too much of these elements can make a product unsatisfactory.

Elements explained

Images:
An image for a product must be clear. being pixalated in any way will disrupt the image and make it unlikeable aswell as urecognisable. Therefore, stretching images is something that must not be done as it will pixelate and disrupt the image. However, resizing the image is a better way of dealing with this issue, as pressing alt and resizing the image on the Apple macs is a way of resolving the problem of unclear and pixelated photos. Also, using a snap shot photo from the music video is not a good idea as the artist is more likey to be moving rather than still, making it uneasy to capture a clear picture.

An example of a strecthed pixelated image.

Furthermore, as the whole idea of the ancillary products are to promote the artist, a close up image where the artist is looking directly at the audience is the best type of picture for promotion, as it helps the audience identify the artist. Images that do not clearly identify the artist, such as a photo where the artists face cannot be seen or an image that does not relate to the music video itself is what should be avoided.


Colours:
Use a maximum of 3-4 colours that compliment eachother and match the genre of the music and the target audience. Having too much colours can make a product seem "too busy". Also, matching colours does not only mean colours that compliment eachother, it also refers to colours that compliment the: Genre, Audience and artist. For instance, a R&B advertisement and digipack would tend to have more brighter colours whereas grime would have a much darker theme. Also, a female target audience would identify stereotyped feminine colours, such as pink, purple and softer colours, whereas a male audience would prefer stronger darker colours. The gender difference in colours relate not only to the audience, but mainly the artist itself.

Text
Do not use too much font as they may not work well together. Considering that digipacks and advertisement products do not consist of much writing, it is ideal to stick to roughly two types of fonts that are clear and identifiable. However, they must match in some way and also must match the genre. For example, comparing grime and R&B once again, a R&B digipack would tend to have a soft touch to the font, making it seem less flashy but more simplistic, whereas grime would use something more flashy and creative such as graffiti.

First of all, the text has stuck to two simple fonts, on the front and back.
Secondly, the positiong of the text does not cover the artist face,
as it is a suitable position to be placed.

Positioning
The rules of thirds must be followed when creating ancillary products. This means that texts should not be placed over the artist as it can block out their image. also, when using text, finding a suitable position is a must, as having it at an unusual angle will make the product look unusual.