ANM 324 Project 5
Creating a CD cover/back brings together all the design and technical skills we’ve studied this semester. These are small works of marketing art that, if successful, demand attention and help sell the artist they represent.

Here’s my general grading criteria for this project:

95-100- CD cover, spine and back is complete and artwork is challenging. Type has resonance and is very readable. The CD has excellent shelf appeal and demonstrates your clear command of the Illustrator toolset. Production info/upc included. The CD cover is a work of art!

90-95-CD is very well done but there are some minor flaws in concept or execution. Type styling may not resonate with the content or theme of the product or you may have created a less than spectacular composition of image and text. Omitted production info/upc.

85-89-CD is good but may not completely communicate the essence of the artist in either type resonance or design elements. Production notes missing.

80-85-Label has obvious technical and design issues that will prevent it from having good shelf appeal. Type doesn’t fit or image is too complex to be clearly understood by shoppers.

70-80-CD cover is not effective is communicating the essence of the product and major requirements are missing. There are significant technical flaws.

70-below very late work

Note: Late work will be downgraded by 10 pts

N0 Group Critique Required

Anita Kunz Group

Laura Allen-I can’t really tell what images you started with the overall effect is very attractive. I like the soft blend and the rough fonts. they all work well together and both front and back compliment each other. The list of tracks is very readable thanks to the outline type style…I’m not usually a fan of outlines but in this case it works exceptionally well. Excellent work…this would have great shelf appeal.

Kayal Garrett-What a great band! There’s lots of potential here…I like your primary cover image of the band and the logo behind, although not clear is repeated on the back. My overall opinion is that the composition could have more consistency. The gradient on the back is harsh and metallic compared to the more personal font. I you’ve styled the Queen name with an interesting extrusion…it seems to me that this could be much larger and make for a more dramatic and eye-catching element on the CD. Type is a little hard to read on the back..I’m not sure if this is a result of the conversion from an illustrator file to jpeg. Thin line and stroked fonts can be problematic..consider when you use them. No publishing notes or upc as required.

Aaron Keisler- You took a little different twist with a classical CD. The beautiful illustration/painting definitely communicates a classical theme. My question is how could you make a complementary back without just duplicating the image? I’d like to see you be a little more creative. For the back, maybe you could have cut away part of the original image leaving the instruments? I can also envision a rough paper texture that is colorized in one of the front colors or perhaps . In either case you would be creating a much more simple background for the text. As is, the type over the lightest areas is hard to read. Readability is paramount. UPC and publication notes look good!

Rosenwald Group

Ariel Asher-Your cover looks great. It’s very attractive and would definitely be eye-catching on the shelf. The type is especially well done…however, you did not create outlines of the fonts (back) so I couldn’t open in Illustrator. I just want you to be aware of this as an issue designers have to be prepared to deal with. I could open in Adobe Acrobat but converting to the web from is not as clean and I preferred seeing your file as an ai file. I really like the way you showed both front and back in the package view. Isn’t that 3D feature great? Very nice work and a very complete presentation.

Kathie Palomar-Your cover with the stylized star in flag motif looks great and is a fitting intro to the CD. The back is also interesting with a continuation of the star plus a photo which I believe you said you took yourself. Type is very readable too. My only concern is the color palette…the yellow just doesn’t fit very well with the red, white and blue. I think I would have just gone with the red, white and blue. The other option is to go with one of the harmonious color palettes or use the Illustrator color guide to establish your palette. You’ve demonstrated excellent skill with the drawing and type tools! Well done!!

Morgan Shaw-What fun! I really like the combination of text and images in your composition. The type styles really fit the retro “pin-up” model and 50’s car. It’s just plain fun. The back is a little stark with just the wheel…and it hurts to see it distorted. Gotta make those circles perfect. I can see lots of elements in the cover that could have been repeated in some way on the back. Perhaps the flames on the car could be a large pattern on the back?? Type is very readable and the use of a transparent block on the back is a great way to ensure good quality with the type.
Your CD is very creative…and one of my favorites.

Alana Woldhagen
-It looks like this project was rushed. Either the front or back could be the cover….this leaves me with an unresolved visual hierarchy. I actually like the filter you used on the backside. I think it would have been more interesting and creative to continue with some element from the front to the back..maybe it’s the interesting texture or a pattern? I think you’ve also used too many different decorative type styles…keep it simple. Repeat a style from front to back. You did not include the upc or publishing notes as requirement for the project.

Tassie Burton-Your use of the player button is a very creative concept. We all recognize and it would standout from all the other CDs on the rack. I also like the way continued it on the back , but in the background. The recording board is kind of busy and detailed but I get it that you are focusing on a technical theme. Type is very readable. Publishing notes and upc code complete the picture. Excellent work and a strong demonstration of your Illustrator skills.

Samuel Ross-I really like the geometric blend at the top of the cover…it’s interesting and when combined with the Black Noise type it’s very compelling. Why didn’t you continue with one of those elements on the back. They look like two very different designs…I encouraged you to consider consistency. A 3D version of the angular pieces on the front might be a good way to communicate depth in the group’s music. Type on the back is marginally readable..but you did not include the publication notes and upc code as required in the project.

Kroencke Group

Caitlin Ayers-That blue pool water certainly makes this cover eye-catching! Further exploration reveals a scary shark theme. The float on the cover is fun but I would like to see the threat of the shark. Maybe it could be a faint shadow in the background? Tell me more…a CD can be like a two page story. Now, on the back the shark had become dominant..so what’s happened to the float? Maybe we just see those three colors in his mouth? Should the shark be partially transparent so it looks like it’s in the water? I’m full of questions. That would be exciting and demand the viewer’s attention..that’s what it’s about. Type works OK but almost difficult to read against the busy water texture. Fun with lots of potential, but would like to have seen you present a more complete story.

Elliot Harris-I really like the gears and clockwork theme you’ve created. I think it would be interesting to take this one step further. What if the backside had the clock parts all piled in disarray at the bottom. I envision the hands (like those that make-up the type characters) piled in there too. This would be a play on the title, “We Couldn’t Think Of A Name” so all that’s left are the parts of the letters.. I’m just thinking about taking the concept one step beyond the obvious repeat of elements from front to back. I see the upc but the requirement was also for publishing notes typically found on a CD. The typestyle is fun but at smaller font size (track names) it becomes less readable….use with caution.

Michael Kuntz-I think you made a big improvement by reducing the size of the diamonds in his eyes..they are more subtle but would get your attention on the shelf. The diamonds combined with the title create a consistent theme. To me, the back lacks some continuity with the front..where are those diamonds?
I realize the danger would be overpowering the simple text based backside..perhaps a very faint but large b/w version of a large faceted in the background? I would just like to see something that brings front and back together. Your publishing notes are very complete..looks professional!

Candeda Parks-I’m surprised more students didn’t use the Twilight movie for this project. The haunting image of the wolf and woods looks great on the cover. The pictures of the actors lacks some consistency…they have different colorcasts and it looks like the guy’s image in the center is distorted. I realize this isn’t a Photoshop class but I would suggest taking all the color out of the people (deaturate). This would also help with the visual transition to the backside of the CD which is partially black and white. Type has a strong texture that resonates the woods theme..I would suggest making the title New Moon larger to establish clear visual hierarchy. Your publishing notes and upc look great. Looks like you had fun with this one!! Maybe a fan too?

Rodolpho Torrencampo-I think this is one of the most successful projects you’ve done. The images type and color all work very well together. Maybe you’re a ballroom dancing expert too? That makes it all the more interesting. The only thing I would suggest, from a compositional perspective, is to make the dancers on the front larger…this establishes a stronger visual hierarchy..they could be scaled-up so the Ballroom Dancing title even covers the bottom of her gown. Text looks good…consider minimizing the variety of type. The script font is strong and better reflects the motion of dancing. Looks like you had fun with this…nice work.

Sahnnon Fannin-It looks like you got into the drawing tools to create the sword graphics on the cover. I’m not sure what the music of Zelda would be but…I do recognize it as a popular game. I do like the continuity with the repeated triangles on the back. The number of tracks on the back are overwhelming…I’ve never seen a CD with that volume. Designing is also about information architecture…since you had full control, I would suggest cutting back to make that back a more interesting composition. Maybe fewer track names could be incorporated into a pattern with those triangles. I encourage you consider creative solutions as you explore the possibilities with Illustrator and its application as a graphic design tool.

Frazier Group

Claire Lacombe-Your CD cover is the most successful in class! I love the bold colors and graphics you’ve used. It’s very attractive and would jump-out to shoppers on the shelves. Type has resonance and is very readable…dang, I can’t find anything to complain about. I also like the production mark-up you’ve added to the CD..you must have learned that with InDesign? Excellent work and demonstration of your Illustrator skills!

Adam Watts-It was fun to hear that you could use your CD design for your photography class! There’s always going to be creative uses for the skills you’ve learned here. The cover looks very good and I enjoyed reading about your inspiration and creative work. The backside compliments the front with thumbnails of photos. I was a little confused about the quantity of images…I suspect there are just a few. Maybe you should include notes on how many and at what resolution they are provided. The open spaces in the pattern of images..is begging for some additional notes…not a lot but a few lines would complete the rectangle. Production notes and upc look great. Hope you did well in the class..the photos look beautiful!

Kimberly Johnson-Love the strong extend hand and root on the cover..did you consdider making the hand appear to grab the bottom of the 311 logo? I can envision the energy created by those elements interacting. I do like the fact that you brought the hand into the back but the position is kind of awkward with the single drumb stick…looks a bit unresolved. Type has good resonance for the theme and is very readable..good upc and production notes. Yeah!

Tamara Ruxin-How could you pass-up a Burl Ives CD. Even knowing who Burl Ives is kind of dates some of us! Your solution is straight forward..not especially dramatic. I think it would be targeting kids so in that context it is effective. I’m curious if the artwork is original or an image you pasted in…it would be a natural for Illustrator drawing. Production notes are excellent and type is very clear and readable.

Rachel Ladd- I really like your CD…great color and bold images all work well to market this girl band. Not sure if it’s a girl band but that’s my guess. The colors would certainly be attractive to that young audience. It looks like you’ve really incorporated your Photohsop skills into the blending and textures of the images..that’s great. Type is fun and compliments the theme. The CD is very complete and one of the most successful in the class. Excellent work!

Nancy Her-What an interesting and eye-catching cover. The pattern almost pulsates. I would have liked to have seen a stronger transiton between front and back..the only consistency is the color of the track names. I’m wondering if the jagged holes are supposed to reflect the “Big Bang” theme..if so, it’s not as clear as it cold be. Perhaps the back should be the result of a big bang…torn, blackend background perhaps? I do see the production notes and upc but why is the copyright line duplicated? Looks odd!