Magazine Advert Exploration

Cigarettes After Sex Magazine Exploration and Influence

As well as the DigiPak, I am required to complete another ancillary product that was either in the form of a homepage for a website, or a magazine advert. I have decided to complete a magazine advert in the chosen aesthetic for the secondary ancillary product.

Considering that Cigarettes After Sex are relatively new, searching for actual magazine adverts was slightly difficult, as they haven't been assigned to a major record label as of yet (they are a self-releasing band). However, I have managed to find posters that detail their Tour Dates that took place around the world last year and upcoming dates in 2017.

Aesthetically, the posters remain monochromatic; continuing on with the image of the band - simple, yet maintaining its "grunge" appeal. The one thing that I am influenced by is the simplicity of the posters, as the band have used continuity in iconography, such as the feather and hand; both of which have been used on album covers. If anything, in my final product for my magazine advertisement I will be keeping it relatively simple - yet captivating and presented in monochrome.

I really like the idea of the border that frames the poster, and I will experiment with and explore this feature as my development progresses. The reason why I am attracted to this feature so much, is that it adds a professional appeal; adding a level of quiet sophistication to the poster. When admiring the text of the poster, again, it is simple and sleek, but the actual band title is still in the same font over each poster evidenced in this post. Because of this, I will endeavour to find the actual font used by the band, or a font similar to it, and use it on my own product. Thus, continuously reflecting a relationship between each product (i.e. the DigiPak, music video and the magazine).

To the right, an element that I find works well is the transparency of the hand, as it acts as part of an overlay. In comparison to the poster above, there is no colour in the text. This is an element that I enjoy, but, for my product I feel like I need to have slight use of colour as this would then tie in the use of colour that I have used in my music video. However, this use of colour isn't going to be extreme, it will most likely be a subdued and dull colour, as not to detract from the image of the band or genre. My final product will take elements from each of these posters, such as the use of coloured text, the font choice, the simple overlay, monochromatic colouring and the border - to name a few!

A feature that must be apparent on my poster is the use of a barcode or a QR code. Using a QR code is a simple way for a modernised audience to connect with the band and/or social media accounts that relate to the band. However, that being said, I still want to bring out the authenticity of the band, and considering that their music isn't necessarily "modern", the QR code doesn't entirely reflect their "grungy" or "gritty" image. But, for the sake of a modernised world, the QR code could work really well. Again, I will obviously test and explore my options and determine which scanning feature would look best. The only issue that I see with using the QR code, is that because it is quite bulky, it could detract from the simplicity that I am trying to convey, but until then, I'm not dismissing the possibility of using it.

Aside from this feature, I will also need to include the publishing information, possibly information pertaining to where the bands music can be found i.e. on Amazon, iTunes etc., songs included in the album, ratings from other magazines (i.e. NME) and the album information and/or name.

Fundamentally, the main feature that is going to reel the audience in would be the title of the band, ergo, the aim is to make the title as obvious as possible, but not garish or inappropriate; because as I said earlier, they're relatively new, so the idea is to get the name out to mass audiences so that a major fan base can be established and fame can be gained.

Through researching alternative bands and their magazine adverts, I came across an advert for the band, 'The Verve'. The band are of similar genre and their music transcends into dream-pop and psychedelic rock. When analysing their magazine advert, it is clear that I can draw similarities between this advert and those for Cigarettes After Sex. 

Firstly, it is clear that they have chosen to go down the simplistic route by using a sepia toned photograph of the sky and just the title of the band and the best single from the album. The choice of different colours for the texts is relevant, as this would have been done so that the audience focus more on the name of the band than the text at the bottom of the advert. Choosing to have the bottom text in white, means that the audience won't be distracted from the bold text situated in the centre of the advert. This advert is evidence of how simplicity is sometimes the better option, in terms of engaging audiences, instead of bombarding them with information that they would more than likely skip over. Placement of the text is also very specific. Having the name of the band in the centre of the poster suggests (although a quite literal interpretation) that they want to be at the centre of attention and the band that you should be paying attention to. It also suggests the quiet and subtle confidence of the band, because by placing the name of the band in the centre, it suggests that they are comfortable with the position that they're in - in terms of fame. They're almost oxymoronically "loud" with their quiet confidence - but that's taking analysis to another level. 

They have strategically used the same font as seen on all of their CD's and the font that is specific and unique to their band. They've almost used the font as the iconography for the band, as this particular style of font is quite recognisable to their fanbase and any other audiences that may not directly engage with the band and their music. 

The choice of image is also very interesting, because if I were to relate it to the genre of music, the clouds and the sky evoke feelings of tranquility and ethereal power, as subconsciously, the audience could be led to assume that they could be the ones to experience these feelings if they were to listen to their music. Compared to Cigarettes After Sex, The Verve's advert includes the record label that the band is assigned to and how the album 'Forth', is available on vinyl. 

Ultimately, I have decided that simplicity is the best way forward and I will draw on elements from previous posters for Cigarettes After Sex, and experiment with different filters, such as the sepia toned photograph as evidenced in the poster for The Verve. However, as I want to create cohesion between all of my ancillary products, I am also going to transfer a distressed and etched look onto the magazine advert, as this is what will be represented on the DigiPak covers.