Assigment #4: Music CD Packaging

 

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Assignment: design packaging for a music CD.

Front Cover
Booklet
Back Cover
Strange nd interesting packaging ideas

Designing CDs and CD Packaging -- boilerplate conventions:

The packaging of a music CD must persuade customers to buy/download the music -- the visual brand or style should reflect if not visually define something of the music recorded. The CD and its packaging must communicate a variety of information.


Specifications for designing the packaging for each CD:

CDs can be packaged in any of a wide variety of containers, but most popular by far is the jewel CD case. More info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_disc_packaging

The front lid contains tabs to keep the liner notes in place. The liner notes typically will be a 120 mm × 120 mm (4.72 in x 4.72 in) booklet, or a single 242 mm × 120 mm (9.53 in x 4.72 in) leaf folded in half. In addition, there is usually a back card, 150 mm × 118 mm (5.9 in x 4.65 in), underneath the media tray and visible through the clear back, often listing the track names, studio, copyright data and other information.

FRONT Cover:

1 - The paper for the front cover must be 120mm or 4.72 inches wide as well as high.

2 - The music publishing company's logo, name, copyright statement, location, and catalogue number must appear. You may use any of the recording company logos posted on this page.

3 - The name of the recording artist and the title of the album must be prominent texts.

4 - Other: misc. logos; compact disc symbol; etc.


BACK Cover:

1 - The paper for the back cover must be 135mm (5.3 inches) wide and 120mm (4.72 inches) high.

1 - The music publishing company's logo, name, copyright statement, location, and catalogue number must appear.

2 - The name of the recording artist and the title of the album.

3 - The playlist -- the list of separately recorded pieces of music -- must include titles, their order and duration (minutes:seconds).


4 - Other: barcodes; logos; etc.


Your assignment is to design the CD's brand and packaging and to post your designs on your blog.

Your assignment also stresses creativity: innovative ideas, imaginative attempts are all more important than keeping to the boring old conventions (even if you fail!)

Here are some sites with CD designs that you may find useful or inspiring:

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/08/03/35-beautiful-music-album-covers/

http://bestdesignoptions.com/?p=7947

http://www.touchey.com/post/15395825342/15-creative-music-cd-cover-designs


http://blogof.francescomugnai.com/2010/03/the-30-most-impressive-cd-and-dvd-packaging-ive-seen-in-a-while/

http://asideproject.com/music/

http://cvhsdesign.edublogs.org/assignments-2/assignments/cd-album-cover-art/