Need some backup here

[pixi]

Hi all - Got a client who 'helped me' design his CD cover - Problem is I really dont like it at all.. (no.1)

I redesigned it by myself (no.2) - and asked him to pass it around to see which they would prefer.

Much to my horror, it came back as a 90% vote for No1 !!!! OMG :look:

Could you guys just vote on the poll so i can show him the results. Cheers guys :0 Pix

No 1 : http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/5098/11ad1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

No2 : http://img336.imageshack.us/img336/7202/27zg1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[B L U E]

Honestly, I'm not feeling either version. If I had to choose, I'd do #1 with some major typography change.

[JoshuaJonah]

I feel that number two is better but the people in the picture look superimposed to me. If they are, you sould probably play with the blending a little Pixi:)

[Esherido]

I'm loving Number 2, Number 1 is just plain hideous.

[bwh2]

#1 is very much like, "i just got photoshop! check out how sweet it looks when i fade these people's faces into some textured background, the neon glow is awesome too!" so it ends up looking like the armageddon cover (http://www.dvdloc8.com/images/dvdcover/556.jpg), except this time it's saturn. and that's an awful view of the female. i would have no idea what kind of music they make from #1, but i probably wouldn't pick up the cd. i would expect to see it in the $1.99 bin, laugh, and walk away.

#2 has a pretty earthy, tribal look to it while still being clean. makes me feel like a lion is about to jump out of the brush. i would definitely go with #2.

[unclesond]

Number 2 is better. Number 1 looks a bit late 90s with some missed white bits in everyone's hair.

It reminds me of Faith+1 in south park, where cartman is telling Token and butters to look into the distance and pretend to be thinking.

[Phenex]

Errrm... Basically #2 is more suited for an online presentation, as in, embedded in Flash or a plain HTML/CSS layout because it's cleaner.

But most people fail to realize that album covers are not and can not be done the same way. So considering it's an album cover, #2 has absolutely no chance at all despite being cleaner. I mean, look at #2. It has so much of blank white space at the top. Now, a CD cover is not like a webpage that would extend either way. So that white area is basically "wasted". It serves no purpose at all and THAT is one of the biggest reasons why #2 fails as an album cover.

Album covers have a very very limited area for displaying as much as possible without even wasting a single pixel. Plus, these covers have a "bleed edge", meaning that the final product will be cut by around half a cm in the final product, so a blank space should be avoided even moreso.

Also, #2 does say, good web layout, it in no way says: "Buy me. I hold good music" Seems like amateur CD's promoting themselves on their own profit.

#1 on the other hand says: "Ok. I have some good music. But I do not hold your fav genre. At least pick me up and look at me."

So basically a blank space and a photograph do not go together on an album cover. They may be used independantly, but not together. At least not on pro CD's.

Examples of a usage of blank space:

-Metallica's Black Album. Just a serpent and Metallica written. Nothing else.
- Godsmack's FACELESS CD. Just a bald head overlayed on a blank background with Godsmack's logo on it. Nothing else.

Example of a usage of no blank spaces: MANY!

Staind - Break The Cycle
Creed - Human Clay, Weathered
Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
Metallica - St. Anger

Etc. and so many more.

So, as I said, #2 is definitely cleaner but not as good for an album cover as #1.

Good luck in convincing your client/friend though. ;)

[EDIT]

If he still goes with #1, just blur the white spots on those heads :P

[bwh2]

you make some good points sir phoenix. i wasn't really thinking along all those lines. i'm still not entirely sold on either one being good.

[thesparky007]

like bwh2 said, i dont like either, but if i had to choose itd be #1

[Phenex]

you make some good points sir phoenix. i wasn't really thinking along all those lines. i'm still not entirely sold on either one being good.
I'm not either. But you have been given two options and you have to chosen one from those two and those two only. And in that sense, I choose #1. Not that it's too good or anything. In fact, neither of the two is good enough.

[unclesond]

White space on album covers. Whether it works or not is up in your own opinion. Obviously this sligthly differs as Phoenix points out about the image perhpas not working well with blank space around it.

Its not good, but it certainly sold
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Backstage/1687/Spice.gif


Sold a few
http://musicangle.com/upload_images/AlbumCovers/ghostisborn.jpg

This is pretty famous too
http://www.nationmaster.com/wikimir/images/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/ec/200px-Whitealbum.jpg

[Phenex]

The second image shouts my point exactly. Did you read the lines about Metallica's black album etc.? Even one of Nirvana's album had a cover that was all black and only had "Nirvana" written in white in the middle.

That Spice-Girls crap is just hideous. It's one of those anomalies in the system :P ;)

[simplistik]

i'd have to say I don't like either, but the lesser of the 2 evils is #2.

[bw_111]

Pic 1 suits best for CD cover, But need some more work. Cheers pixi. You may use up your pic 2 in some other situations...

[SessionDesign]

Didn't feel any of them, but if i had to choose... i would go for #2.
BTW: Sir Phoenix made some good points

[dec27]

For me the number one looks like old, like those albums from time ago!

[pixi]

Thanks for all the comments guys :) Appreciated. Im not a fan of either of them, and perhaps need a bit of a rethink. The Cover actually looked a lot better before client insisted on putting pictures of themselves on the cover... (See below)

In terms of the music, its very ethnic african style appealing to a "World music" market - in addition to your everyday guy wanting something different.

I agree with most of what has been said here, but still a fan of "cleaner' design, withoutgoing mad on textures, overlays, and image manipulation -- Ill repost soon (meanwhile see below the some original concepts before client involvement) p.s - I know about the white bits in the images hair etc.. this was just a quick mock up without a proper trace.. :)

1: http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/3812/cdcover72option12uz.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

2: http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/281/cd1brownpsych2sm1b7oj.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

3: http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/2796/cd1brownpsych2sm24nv.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

4: http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/8767/cd1brownpsych2sm2f8md.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Phenex]

Among the above 4, #1 has my vote now. Although it still looks more like a picture for a TV ad rather than an album cover but it's waaaay better than the rest 3. ;)

[fabiopb]

i agree with sir phoenix. the purpose is for a cd cover, not a web page.

regarding the spice girls cd.... it might be a hideous cover to most of us, but they could permit themselves as they were the "girl power" group. they already had quite a bit of fame behind to support the sales regardless of the cd cover

[pixi]

Hi all thanks for your help on this- I have finally managed to get a sort of compromise between what /i wanted to do - and what the client wanted - we had it printed and it looks amazing! -- thanks for all your help :)

http://img472.imageshack.us/img472/9375/zwa7lg.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[unclesond]

Hi all thanks for your help on this- I have finally managed to get a sort of compromise between what /i wanted to do - and what the client wanted - we had it printed and it looks amazing! -- thanks for all your help :)



glad everyone is happy (-:

[BS]

Sorry I like Number One (1)
So ..................... Number 2 is to blank need to fill up space more!
~Blake

[Esherido]

The current style in mainly minimalistic Cybercode, and that extends to most digital art (websites, CD's, magazines). Even Google is minimalistic. Of the new four I like number two the best. Minimalistic, but still takes up white space. I like the finished product too, looks great and good job.

[Templarian]

Love it Pixi. Very large improvement from where it started good to see they like the picture in number 2 more. When its all done and stuff and you get to see the final copy take a picture of it.