A kick-ass CD Packaging artwork has the ability to stop on our tracks and actually hold the CD to examine it closer. Then we say “hmmm…interesting”, examine it more, then buy it or put it back. But definitely when we get home, the band’s name sticks to our head…then we google it, maybe tweet about the awesome Packaging (if we’re that captivated) or we tell our friends.
Needless to say, CD packaging has a bigger role aside from protecting the CD inside it. CD Packaging is one of the best tools for marketing your music and you should never ever underestimate its power to convince people to buy (or at least talk about) your music and packaging. I follow music blogs like pitchfork and billboard and they either talk about a band’s music AND the music packaging everytime an album is about to be released. CD packaging should be given a good amount of attention and importance.
So you want to make your CD packaging awesome yet you simply do not have a concrete concept in mind. You might want to try these simple but effective ways in designing your CD packaging.
Table of Contents
Play with the Text
Yes, you can make a kick-ass CD packaging simply by playing with your album’s title and band name. The good thing about this is that it is very cost-effective…why, you do not even have to hire a photographer or a photoshop expert to make this. All you need is a little designing know-how and some Photoshop skills. You may also want to have a catchy phrase so people would surely pay attention to your CD packaging and grab your album. here’s a very easy tutorial in making creative album covers using text.
Effortless Polaroids
Do you have your band’s Polaroid photos or digital photos saved in your computer? Then you might want to check each one of them to find the most interesting photograph for your album artwork. In fact, you can even use a random photo of anyone or anything (just make sure you get their permission) and make it your CD packaging artwork like what these bands did. But you have to make sure that the picture is intriguing enough or catchy enough. Your goal here is to be “anti-art” and go effortless with cheap photos as if you really do not care. You have to bear that in mind so you can have your point across. With all the glossy,over-the-top artwork around, the plain-ness of your CD packaging would grab their attention.
Optical Illusion
Now this is one of the best ways CD packaging can be used as a marketing tool. Many people love their brains or eyes being challenged and giving them a puzzle like an optical illusion is a good trick. Word about your CD packaging would definitely spread like wildfire. Of course, you have to hire a professional graphic designer to do your CD packaging to ensure the quality and the effectiveness of the Illusion.
Geeky Portraits
Yes, we’ve seen a lot of these CD packaging like Weezer’s and I personally find it cute. Not only is this cute, it would appeal to those hippies who like the effortless, anti-art, anti-bling look. Just take a photo of you together and photos of each one of you wearing a geeky facial expression. This is the challenge of this kind of CD packaging concept, you have to have a good facial expression to make it effective. You are trying to convey something using your face and it should come out from your picture.
Flesh
Oh yeah! Sex sell,sex sell, sex sells. Even the conservatives take second glances at pictures of sexy people and flesh. That’s just how humans are and until now it hasn’t changed a bit. A sexy body paired with a really good concept and composition would be an instant eye-magnet in record stores. Whether you take sexiness seriously or you make fun of bodies and the concept of hotness, the important thing there is that you showed them some skin. People love it—well, to some extent. You should know your market first to know how you should design your fleshy CD packaging.
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