These are techniques of which I have used in order to successfully create a complete front cover and tray card for my album.

1. Album Cover
Creation

2. Initial Front Cover Photo
and Templates
This is my initial front cover photo for my album, unedited and
at first phase. I plan to manipulate the photo in order for it to
match one of the templates of which are below. I plan to
design the photo in this way as I want the album to simulate a
head, having the face on the front cover, the back of the head
on the tray card, and the lyrics within the album, giving the
impression that the inside is like a brain with all of the artists
thoughts and feelings as the lyrics. I also want to include a
light side and a dark side both to suggest that he has a light
and a dark side to his personality and to connote that people
all have different thoughts and perspectives on everyday life
and that they will all see him in a different way. I may also use
something to represent cracked glass to show multiple
personalities and thoughts and perspectives of people on the
artist and everyday life. I will try both to see the outcome.

3. Step 1
I have opened the image in Photoshop
and I have used the Polygonal Lasso
tool in order to cut out the
background. I understand that I could
have used the magic want tool as the
background is pretty much all the
same colour, yet I feel that polygonal
lasso is much more accurate and gets
rid of unwanted edges when zoomed
in far enough. It then outputs a clear
cut image of which doesn’t have any
outstanding edges that are clearly
visible.

4. Step 2
I then added a dark grey background
and put a slight outer glow on the
artist to try and put a bit more
emphasis on him as opposed to the
background as I am trying to portray
the entire album to be his head. I have
added a dark grey background as an
initial colour of which I will develop as
the process moves forward.

5. Step 3
After applying the background colour, I
used the polygonal lasso tool to create
a bar stretching across the album
diagonally to support the name of the
artist and the name of the album. I also
used a black colour overlay initially so I
am able to distinguish it from
everything else on the album, which is
also mainly the reason why it is there to
show the names of both the artist and
the album.

6. Step 4
Again, using the polygonal lasso tool, I
created a new layer via cut from one side
of be background, which will represent
the alternate perspective or ‘dark side’ of
the album cover. This is being used to
represent the other side to both the
artist and people in general so it can
become more relatable to people who
are not where they want to be. It also
represents the fact that there is always
another side to which a perspective is
based upon, bringing the idea of counter
or opposing perceptions of both the
artist and individuals. I also used inner
shadow to create a small vignette effect
on the album to give it more of an in
depth tone.

7. Step 5
Adjusting the saturation and lightness
applied to only one layer, I made half of my
artists face darker yet on the contrasting
side to show that personality and thought
can just as easily be two sides of the same
coin as they are different to one another. I
used polygonal lasso again to cut the artists
face in half in order to separate the two
colours from either side. I will carry on to do
the same with the other side and add in all
else that is needed to finalise the front
cover.

8. Step 6
After applying the same changes but with
opposite colours, I decided to add more of
an effect using the polygonal lasso tool
and the inner shadow effect in the
blending options. The bars that appear on
the right side of the album are on the same
layer as the red background which had an
effect on the other side once applied.
Therefore, even though the bars are the
same colour as the grey background, the
shadow brings out a strange effect which
suits the album in a way as it is called
‘Distort Reality’ which encourages
difference and obscurity.

9. Step 7
I have produced two different final designs of
which I am considering. I have one that includes the
black bar which is used to firstly, put emphasis on
the text in front of it and secondly, to suggest that
the name is just a label that gets in front of who the
artist really is and that they are just seen as a name
with a bad history behind it as opposed to their
true personality and characteristics of which the
public don’t see very often, putting emphasis on
the fact that the media is used heavily to exploit
and create controversy. The other image does not
include the black bar as it shows the actual divide
between the two colours, and in a metaphorical
context, the actual divide between the perceptions
of people and the artist himself.

10. Final Design (Front Cover)
This is my final design for my front cover of the album. It is
the first thing that the audience will see before purchasing
it and it will set the tone for the way in which individuals
will see it. It is tailored to the interests of the open and ever
expanding mind, showing different or distorted views upon
everyone and everything. I now need to export this into
InDesign and make sure that the album matches that of the
template.

11. Tray Card
I have used the same template for
the tray card, yet I have inverted the
textures to simulate that it is of a
transparent background and that
the head effect is applied further. I
now need to add a barcode which I
plan to use on the back. I want this
to symbolise that the artist is
somewhat owned by the media and
all they care about is the money
they make from him as opposed to
actually considering the personality
and characteristics he has.

12. Paint Splatter Placement
I plan to have the barcode supported
by a paint splatter which may
represent the carelessness of the
media towards the artist even further. I
have also used the Warp tool in order
to try to make the splatter look more
realistic as I have tried to make it curve
with the artists neck.

13. Barcode Placement
I have placed the barcode almost
entirely over the splatter to try and
show the fact that it may have been
tried to be covered up. I have also
centred the barcode with the album
cover to try and bring a sense of
symmetry to the tray card.

14. Final Design (Tray Card)
The final design of my tray card is used to the effect
where it represents the head and mind of the artist to
the full extent, having one half on one side and the
second half on the other side. It, again, is used to
represent that the album is just the case to something
much greater that lies within, similar to when you look at
someone, you just see them as an average person and
you have no idea what that person is thinking, their
limitations and what they are capable of.