JPF Home Page Forums Creative Arts Forums Visual Arts and Photography Forum CD Cover

Hi folks,

I was hoping to get some input from you visual specialists.

When I finally get round to putting out an album I was thinking of using the picture in my avatar as a cover. It can be seen larger at my soundclick page

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=740403

A friend sketched it some years back and I really love it. However my family and friends think it looks demonic. I would like to hear the thoughts of people who have never seen me before and therefore perhaps don't have the bias of those that do.

Thanks in advance

Andy

Hey, it is a cool picture but I agree, it looks very intense and somewhat evil. Does it represent your music? I don't think it does.

PS - I like your sound

It doesn't look demonic to me or evil but it gives the impression of despair or a dissolute individual. I agree with Vikki about your sound.

Thank you very much Jean and Vikki nice of you to say so.

The songs for the album are mostly pretty dark introspectives and the provisional title is "Does anyone know this man" if that gives more context to the image.

Andy

The base concept of the piece is good an even though I haven't heard your music yet I think I understand where you are coming from for the CD cover. However when ever you have something dark and it involves a person where the eyes are focused on promotes a lot of mood to it. So if it is dark and he looks like he is looking directly into your eyes well I could see how that would be a little intimidating but lets say he was looking down and off to the left it would give a more brooding feel which may be better. On a side note it is a bit of a rough drawing and could use a more professional touch. Art is a big selling point even when it comes to selling music so it has to catch the buyer's eye.

Thanks for the input Ito, I will take your points into consideration.

Andy

Some test marketing would be revealing. At events where you play or your type of music is played, ask 25 to 100 people what they think. Try not to influence them. I'd tell them just what you told us, 'I'm thinking of using this on my CD cover. What do you think?'. See if it is more negatives or positives. Build the actual pic, (or several) including the words that it will have on it too. They all play a part in the message communicated and received. If the response seems negative think about putting it inside instead of THE cover. Or tweak it with some positive images, instruments, flowers, trees, flutterbies, la la's. Humans will go with ya just about anywhere if ya give 'em a little color. I just got an image of a string of tiny primary-colored flowers, red, yellow, blue, joined one by one as if you laid one's blossom over another's green-leaved stem, about a quarter inch from the edge, all the way around. Just a tiny string of color.

Gary,

Thanks very much, some good advice there.

I like the idea of the flowers might look in to that.

Thanks again.

Andy

Hey all,

Just popping over from good ole Lyric Forum 3, where I've only recently been introduced to Andy and his music. I was, though, immediately intrigued by his avatar portrait (both my parents are artists) and when he gave me a bit of history and told me there was a thread about it over here, I thought I'd throw in my two cents.

First, obviously, I really liked the sketch. I agree it's a bit rough, but that's partly why I like it....I'm so sick of all the stylized covers out there...or as I told Andy on the other forum Man In Shadow Giving Suggestive Smile or Trying to Look Fierce or whatever. I think it's very evocative of the mood his songs create. (That isn't to say I wouldn't consider a tighter rough version....)

I suppose I'm probably the only person projecting THIS take on it, but I also felt it had the semblance of someone sitting on a witness stand. I thought this would be very cool from an artist's standpoint -- aren't we all basically "on trial" when we put our music out there? I didn't get the sense he was looking at me, so much as looking down, though, so I'll have to check that angle out more closely...

I do think the idea of testing the waters at a venue is a good one....b/c essentially, those people are your audience. The question then becomes if your audience is ho-hum about it, would it make them less likely to buy it? Probably not....and perhaps more importantly, might you reach an additional segment of the market by taking this risk? I guess then, I would take the focus group idea to the next level, and ask some regular Joes (and Josephines) on the street, to see what they think as well.

But ultimately, it needs to be what's going to make you happy, Andy (don't know where you lie on the "commerce vs. artistic integrity spectrum"!)

One last thought....don't know about your resources or anything, but might you consider an A version and a B version of the cover? Or maybe you can work that into your "testing" somehow?

Anyhoo, you folks are the experts in this arena, I just wanted to show my support of Andy's idea. Good luck to all of you, and see you around the boards!


Cheers,
Beth

I like it Andy.

And I did think it fit well with the two songs I've heard of yours so far. Didn't look evil to me - just looks like a guy who has seen an awful lot....

Since this is the only image I've seen of you, I have no idea whether it captures your personality and looks. I don't think you'd want someone looking at one of your CD's while you're standing there and going, "Who is THAT?".

But if there's no mistaking that it's you, I'd say it's a good fit....

Scott