Editing process

I am currently in the process of editing my video using the 'Adobe Video Editing software'.  The editing process is expected to take up to 2/3 weeks, or around 8-10 hours, to complete due to the intricate nature of music video editing and the necessity of the miming and audio to syncronise with one another. The software allows for all of the essential editing processes to be made, such as the interweaving of various clips and adjustments to lighting and pace of each individual video file. The software is able to accomodate for the audio/visual editing style of a music video also.

Album campaign theme analysis

From my previous posts and designs, it is immeadiately apparent that the theme running through the entire album campaign is a dark one. It's rare within pop music that a theme is so structurally and consistently dark within all it's individual aspects, yet I feel that the cohesive nature of the dark imagery throughout the video, cover, tracklist, single and advert make for a more authenthic example of a promotional package and are in keeping with the overall artistry displayed by Simon Curtis, in the song chosen.

The theme expressed within the music video is one of isolation and aggression. The main settings of the video are a locked gate, the confines of an empty room and a table out of the reach of the central character. All of these things connote to the idea of isolation and  with the props and setting metaphorically expressing the ideals of asexuality, which drives the imagery of the video; juxtaposed with the song's lyrics itself. This juxtaposition however (a song with lyrics about making love only depicting one central character and their longing for such practice).

The theme of the album cover represents a similar idea of personal decay and aggresion, in it's title and album name. The image itself seems to indicate levels of insanity or intoxication with the central figure whilst the lack of clothes and provocative pose seem to reverberate the ideals of the song's content, which is also highly refelected in the title of 'Unearthly Desires'. The album title is also cohesive with the video and song in that all three reflect a sense of 'wrongness' and 'taboo' in their representation of sex and love.

First mock-ups of ancillary products

Research into a similar product - Colour scheme

The combination of black, white and red is a common in order to convey a theme of dark imagery and the sound of an album, sonically aswell as the red often representing more passionate and taboo themes within the lyrics of the album's content. The images below showcase a number of classic and contemporary album covers which utilise the colouring of my own album cover, with analysis as to the desired effect of this use.



Depeche mode's Violator features the central image of a blood-stained rose, an image which seems to reject romantic cliche and juxtapose the more natural and and feminine connotations of the flower with gore and pain associated with the blood drenching it. The album was also accordingly described by members of the band as "a step forward in their sound" with harsher and more experimental sounds and instruments, including a repeated and consistent use of organs, which are the sort of dark, brooding istrumentation reflected in such an album cover, I feel.



The cover for the german rock outlet KMDF's Hau Ruck is a dark pop-art cover showcasing blood and violence through the medium of animation. The dark shadows and framing of the shot ensure that the agressiveness of the instrumentaion and lyrics is conveyed within the album artwork, effectively dramatising the essence of metal music through the content of killing and the facial expressions of the main characters.



The above album cover for U2's WAR album uses the striking central image of the young boy, staring directly into the camera, depicted entirely in black and white. The album itself was described as the album where U2 "turned pacifism itself into a crusade". The image is particularly striking when combined with the political themes of the album and the writing on the cover connotes the idea of blood within wars and a loss of life effectively.



Used mainly for the fact that it greatly links in with the sort of image of my own cover, the cover is for an understated remix EP of Lady GaGa's Born This Way. In a similar vein to the U2 cover the entire image is black and white depicting GaGa in a non-chalante pose, looking bedragled and torn. The only use of colour comes in the form of the red writing which is used to distinguish the concept of remixing and the album itself, highlighting that this is a seperate collection than the album itself.

Album track listing

The tracklisting for the album consists of the following ten songs:

1. Flesh
2. Soul 4 Sale
3. Enemy
4. Get In Line
5. Joshua
6. DTM
7. Pit of Vipers
8. Don't Dance
9. Laser Guns
10. Dark II

The songs originate from the real titles of songs across te who albums of Simon Curtis with the ten titles chosen being the tiles which I felt best represented, at face value, the theme and imagery of the album campaign.

Album typeface change and inspiration

I have decided, since my initial thoughts which involved a hand-drawn "scruffy" and rough typeface, that a proper designated font would be more appropriate to the album aesthetic. The font chosen is IMPACT, as seen in the logo in the post below. The reasoning behind the change was that a hand drawn logo would be subject to changes and variation through the many times in which it would be constructed throughout the creative process. Also, the campaign for Lady GaGa's album Born This Way utilises the IMPACT font in many of it's single covers and album sleeves and I feel that the album, regardless of it's preachy title, maintains the edge and dark themes evident in my own album, with colours such as dark reds and blacks and titles like Scheiße and Government Hooker. Also, variation and edge with the font is evident through the graininess and scratches applied to the typeface, a seen below.

Album typeface designs

The following are mock-ups of the artist typeface I am planning to use for the album cover and album advertisement.