The Making Of My CD Back Cover_

For my back cover i knew that i wanted to split the layout into two sections. One big section taking up approximately 4/5th of the page. This was to include the main image which was to act as the central focus point to gather attention and to also promote the band. The next section was to include information about the record label, the small print that states copyright information and also the bands website. I went about creating this section first. To do so i sectioned roughly 1/5th of the whole page in order to work with and using the paint-bucket tool within Photoshop i painted it red using the color picker tool to create a flow of the same shade red that was used within the Front Cover production.

I then had to gather the image to place into the section that obtained 4/5th of the page layout. The photo that i used is of the lead singer used in an action close-up shot of singing portraying that the CD is music related, basically stating the obvious to feed the consumer with information. 

Using the original photo i used iPhoto, a simple programme with apple mac that allows for picture quality to be decided upon through effects such as saturation and contrast. I placed the simple effect of black and white to allow for the back cover to not be "loud" i.e too much color therefore the important things such as track listings wont easily be visible.

Next i simply produced some small text form within the confounds of the red section that i created earlier. This was to act as the small print basis for my back cover about copyright information. This usually states the companies that own the brand, the established date and copyright laws ect. I simply just used a basic font, arial, to produce this in roughly size 2 writing to add authenticity to my product. And to make it resemble the connotations that apply within the formation of a CD back cover.  

To produce the albums title, Dreams Of A star i used a font called Garamond Premier Pro that was a default text that featured on Photoshop. I chose this as it was vastly similar to the Dakota text that i previously used to create the text form on the Album front cover. The reasons i changed this text style was due to previous mishaps in trying to make the text stand out through base layer effects such as drop shadow. I found that this text worked better in  order to portray the albums title visually.

With the text form produced i then went on to select the suitable text effects and base layers to feature onto the albums title. With having selected the checklist on Photoshop to view the best, most suitable effects i then chose them. These were Drop Shadow, in order to allow for the text to stand out for the overpowering stature that the image behind it gives, therefore it becomes more visable to a consumer. An outer glow was produced to further enlighten the outside contours of the text to bring it to the front more. This was important again due to the background image and to also create a visual effect within the text to allow for it to be more visually pleasing. The last base layer used on the text was bevel and emboss was to really focus on bringing that text off the page. By choosing an inner bevel it darkens the insides to produce a much bolder outer layer to the text due to the contrast in dark and light on both sides of the text.

Heres what the final masthead looks like:

After i was finished with the production of the masthead i moved back onto the lower section. In order to give it that CD feel about it i need to build up this box with lots of information. To begin with i just enter a website address and placed it directly above the copyright text featured in white. Just using the simplistic arial tool to create an easy to see website that is produced clearly and matches the color tones of the layout of the back cover as a whole. 

The next step was to place a barcode within this section in order for it to be scanned at a till. I simply created this barcode within Photoshop simply by using the pen tool to create varying thickness within the lines of the barcode and then using the text selection tool to place numbers directly underneath these lines. I believe the end result is exactly how a barcode would look like.

I then simply placed the company logo that i created thats in place within my CD spine design to create an authentic CD cover feel by having a record label for the band. This is always featured on artists which have associating companies to work with as it gives them credibility. 

With having finished the bottom section and included the title and main image into the larger section all that was left was to place the track listings that were to feature central running down the page. Using a basic arial again to keep the transition of text similar to create ideology and a synchronized layout through text form. I then placed the same effects by clicking on the text layer to bring about the base layer effects that could be applied. Again using the effects of drop shadow, inner glow and bevel and emboss to bring the text forward to make it stand out from the powerful image portrayed behind. 

A final idea that i had was to prodive some sort of symbolism to match the albums title "Dreams Of A Star", therefore i wanted stars to be depicted running diagonally through the side of the back cover, again synchronizing this design layout with the front cover therefore media consumers can relate and recognize that the product designs flow and to also provide recognition and a sense of house style towards the production of the CD package. 

To produce these stars i used the custom shape tool within photoshop and allocated the correct shape to match my requirements.

Having now found a custom shape that fits my stars requirements i then had to individually place them to match its suitability with my front covers stars. By making each star individually through the use of the layer system within Photoshop i was able to change the width or height of the star accordingly and thus creating a good visual effect to add some creativity towards my Back Cover. Heres how the final production of the star placing looked.

CD BACK COVER - FINAL PRODUCT