1 Digipak Magazine Advert

Just like in my music video, I am playing the role of Calvin Harris and acting as he would appear within his own digipaks and adverts.
Within the imaginary, of my first draft of my magazine advert and digipak I have stuck to the genres convention of direct mode of
address as I’ve positioned myself looking at the audience. Stuart Halls theory could mean audiences decode this element as forming
a personal relationship, presenting Blumer and Katz theory of Uses and gratification as the eye contact made between the artist and
the consumer develops a connect with audience members. In each imagine I will make sure I am costumed within relatable clothing,
as I’ve identified this to be a continuous convention within Calvin Harris’ products, such as the original digipak of 18 Months as well
music videos such as Summer and I need Your Love. It attracts his audience towards him as he is an iconic figure with EDM that
Dyer would say is presented as ordinary and extraordinary and not present and absent which creates the need for audiences to
aspire. This representation of Calvin also presents a sense of verisimilitude within audience rather than a typical mainstream
stereotype because he is costumed like a friend you would know.
Another convention I found, was the familiar use of Calvin’s iconography in both his albums and adverts. Below I have kept within this
convention by using simple bold text both prints which links with Andrew Goodwin’s theory of iconography which states that Calvin is
using the same text and font to link his products towards audiences that can be identified with the common use of his iconography.
The same graphics are used within both products to establish a link with both mediums. I have kept to this convention by drafting the
same imagery on both the digipak as well as magazine advert. From an audience point they would be able to identify with this icon
and link the icon to the artist or with his extended products such as other digipaks and merchandise. In addition to this, the idea
behind including the CH icon on the inside of the digipak was for it to associate a link between the artists face and artists icon. Within
these drafts let’s just imagine that Calvin’s iconography within the past has been the CH logo below that I’ve created. Here I’m trying
to demonstrate the importance of Calvin’s visuals and how for audiences this constructs the identifying aspect which will be presented
through all his albums if this was to be his icon. This logo would typically be presented at live sets and events he would be performing
at and would be recognised and associated with his face as well as expensive products from the past and ones created in the future.
My magazine advert, is a typical EDM advert that is promoting a nightclub appearance of Calvin Harris at Omnia Night Club in Las
Vegas. We know this is a venue Calvin as well as other EDM artists regularly play, as he has played there before. The nightclub’s
adverts follow a certain format style that presents the image of the artist above the typography that includes the artists name and the
dates they will be playing at the nightclub. I made sure to follow this convention as it’s fits in with the venues print format that is
recognises by audiences who attend the club, who are most likely going to be will attending the Event. Including the nightclubs logo
at the bottom of the advert is a typical feature as well as being a well know logo globally that presents conations and understanding of
what venue he will be playing at. The advert follows a simplistic design that answers all three questions who, where and when. These
three questions are the most important questions when promoting an event, and are question that audiences will what to know.
Having them in simple bold type will allow that section to become the view point as well as answer the three questions the audience
have. And if they are answered then you have an audience for the event.
One of the main reasons the club plays host to a lot of EDM artist is because of its vertical integration with Sony Music. Below is a
graph that shows the owership of each company working it’s way up from the club Omina. The club is owned by a Hakkasan Group a
worldwide hospitality company with nightclubs and restaurants across the world. They have ties and onwership deals with MGM
resorts who are owned by MGM Grand which is the hotel where the club is based in. The hotel and land it’s self is owned my MGM
which was brought by Sony who have subsidiaries with Sony music and Combia Records who own Fly eye records (Calvin’s label).
2 Digipak

Magazine Advert

This digipak formed through the idea of creating an album that can be enjoyed by both Calvin Harris’s older fan base as well as his
new mainstream fan base. The reason for me wearing the glasses in this digipak is relating back to Calvin Harris’s 2007 album I
created Disco which sees a younger Calvin Harris wearing these so-called fly eye glasses. These glasses went on to become
Calvin’s earlier form of iconography as his hand-crafted fly-eye sunglasses featured prominently on the cover of his 2009 album
Ready for the Weekend as well as music videos such as ‘I’m not alone’ and ‘Acceptable In the 80’s’. He also would wear them around
at events as well as them becoming the name and logo for his record label ‘Fly Eye Records’.

For an older audience member of Calvin Harris this would be a remeberable and reconigable icon that would relate to the artist as
well as older albums and music. For an new audience member this would educiate them about his history within music industry as
well as carry on the same incongraphy within in a new generation of audiences (mainstream music). The imagie on the front the
advert and digipak is a closeup shot of the fly eye glasses.
Like in my first draft I have kept in with the convention of keeping the same imagery and iconography through both medium, as I’ve
used the same Image as well as logo on both the album and the advert. Goodwin says this allows audiences to create a link between
both prints because they both included the same elements. The idea behind me taking off glasses off in the inside cover is to
establish eye contact between the consumer and Calvin Harris making his character seem relatable as Richard Dyer would say.
I kept it simple with the typography by using text that is similar Calvin’s logo for newer audiences to identify with and understand
whose album it is. This logo would also most likely be used for promotion adverts for nightclub appearances or events he is playing at,
which would be mostly attended by people age of 18 or over.
The magazine advert is promoting the release of the album which is unconventional for the
EDM genre but not with mainstream music. Because of Calvin’s appearance within the top 40
charts, advertising the release of his album will attract the mainstreamers towards his music.
When undertaking some peer feedback people immediately recognised the image of me
wearing the glasses relating to Calvin Harris’s concept of wearing the fly eye glasses within his
earlier albums. This shows that within a EDM and mainstream market this digipak would work
because of how well it relates to Calvin’s earlier work and how easily his audience can relate to
it and recognise who it is.
I was also thinking about creating a magazine advert based on an appearance Calvin Harris will make in order to promote in album
with a club/festival setting.
3 Digipak

Magazine Advert

My third and final digipak idea developed from the concept of not including an image of Calvin at all. The reason behind doing this is
to again present how affective his typography is and how his current audience don’t need an image of Calvin Harris to make the link
as they are already presented through his typography and iconography. Just like with digipak one let’s imagine that the CH logo is
Calvin’s official logo that everyone knows him by.
The only concern I have with this draft is the conventional portrayal I have created by not presenting Calvin as being relatable. Within
all my other digipaks and magazine drafts I have made sure to make his character look relatable because of it being a common
convention and element of his image. Not including him within the digipak already creates connotations of him being presents and
absent as Dyer would say because they his audience can’t see the artist and no direct mode address is made between the artist and
consumer. But to apply to Calvin’s relating concept, I decided to include an image on the inside cover of people rising their hands up.
at one of his events (festival or nightclub) which is unheard of within the genre. But will attract his existing audience in because they
can relate with being at one of his events and the fact he’s displaying his audience through his product instead of himself.
Just like in all my other drafts I’m keeping with the convention of using the same typography keeping the same look as all his other
digipaks as Goodwin says audiences will decode and identify it being part of the artists branding. I will be setting the type in black for
the iconography and type to stand out against the white background. Setting it this colour will also make the focal point the text which
audiences will view first because of how much it stands out. I’ve gone against Calvin’s typical design format, by not included the
artists name when typically, both the artist and the album name are together again to highlight the importance of his iconography.
Audiences already know whose album it is from the typography and icons that Calvin continuously presents to his audience. With this
draft I’m also making the view point, the whole digipak. When typically, Calvin tends to get his audience to focus on one section of the
digipak where all the typography has been placed. Going against these conventions makes for a more creative yet subtle design that
audiences will find intriguing as it’s different to another digipaks Calvin has released. When looking at Young and Rubicam the 4’Cs
theory we know that Calvin’s target audience is the mainstreamers. But creating a different design and straying away from the typical
design will also attract social groups like the reformers and the explorers who love change and like to challenge conventions to be
different. The outcome from this is an expansion within his existing audience making his audience even bigger and bringing them in
the genres of EDM and mainstream music.
With this draft of a magazine advert, I’ve gone back to promoting an event Calvin Harris is attending with features from the album.
Within this advert I’ve used another EDM orientated club called Hi in Ibiza. Unlike in my digipak this time I’ve decided to include an
image of Calvin Harris as it’s a conventional feature of HI’s poster but also for people outside of Calvin’s audience who are club-
goers. A s we’ve discussed his face is an icon so including it on the poster will allow not only his audience to know who it is but also
people outside of his fan base. Below I’ve used big bold typography displaying to club-goers when he is on as well as using the HI
logo within Calvin iconography that is recognised through all his products. I will make sure I’m costumed wearing a plain black shirt to
represent Calvin Harris as being relatable which is also compensated through direct eye contact with the viewer. Keeping in with
Calvin’s and EDM conventions I made sure to include the CH logo within both products to create a link between Calvin’s branding.

HI Ibiza Typical EDM poster at HI

After drafting my idea, I then went on to develop and experiment with the three photographs I took to feature within the digipaks and
adverts.

Because I was happy with the lighting in all three imagines I wanted to see if could experiment with PowerPoint to see what effects I
could create. The first idea I had was to manipulate the Calvin Harris Fly eye glasses on to one of the photographs in order to create
the concept I’ve had for my second digipak.
This imagine meets Calvin’s conventions that are included within his
older form of iconography. Keeping the same trademark within his
products will be recognised by his audience allow them to identify it
being him. One element I don’t like is the concept of Calvin not making
direct eye contact with the audience which creates conations of him
being present and absent as Dyer would, which goes against my
existing portray of Calvin’s figure being relatable.

Once I added to Fly eye glasses I wanted to see if I could interpret Calvin’s front cover imagine on his 2007 album I created disco to
see if I could implement that within my final digipak for audiences to identify with the artist and know form of iconography and
trademarking. With this attempt I used a different imagine as it was earlier for me to remove the background from it .

Then for my last experiment I wanted to enlarge an imagine in a digipak format to establish direct eye contact which I want to be the
main focal point of the back cover. Enlarging the imagine focuses more on face making the eye contact unmissable. The reason why
it’s important is because if the consumer can look at the artist it Blumer and Katz say it forms a personal relationship with between the
artist and consumer. Stuart Hall would add that some audience members may decode the preferred meaning making them feel they
know you which also makes Calvin be seen again as relatable (Dyer).