Archive for the ‘DVD Cover Design’ Category

As a performer, you, no doubt, have a natural desire to share your talents with the world and, you have chosen to do this through the creation of your own CD or DVD, spending months and months perfecting it – through blood, sweat and (yes!) some tears and, in the process, giving a huge part of yourself over to this labor of love. However, while you may very well think that the hard work is now done, in reality, you are only halfway through this project.

Let’s face it –many people are visually oriented, in fact, catching the consumer’s “eye” is one of the most “central “themes in marketing and advertising. Millions are spent each year on assessing and studying the importance of “packaging” which means that, not only does the quality of your product have to be amazing, but the cover design also has to rock – no easy task.

Now, the challenge is to create a DVD or CD cover design that will not only represent you, as the artist, but to construct a cover that will also clearly speak to the message that you have been working so hard to spread, through your own artistic talents.

If you are lucky enough to possess graphic design or visual art experience, then, you truly do understand just how powerful and vital the “perfect” cover design is – however, if you are like the vast majority of us, you, you know very little about these types of things and are in need of some help.

Fortunately, finding a professional, such as graphic designer, to conceptualize and create a DVD or CD cover that will perfectly fit the vision you have for your product is the way to go and is incredibly easy. Graphic designers, for the most part, combine a natural gift – an “eye” for design, with years of education and hands on experience. They can create, out of nothing, the most amazing designs, that will simply blow your mind.

So, do yourself a huge favor and spend some quality money and time working with a graphic designer. The packaging of your product is NOT the place where you want to try to “save” a few pennies – in fact it should be one of the areas where you choose to invest the most. However, if money is a consideration (and it usually is), you may want to follow a few guidelines before hiring a design artist.

• Prepare a basic vision of what you would like to see as a “base” design. This way, the artist can have something to start with;

• Be clear about the message you want your CD or DVD to send;

• Ask the designer to spend some time discovering your CD or DVD – and then ask them for their own input;

• Be realistic about what can and cannot be done. You might want to add suggestions, but, in the end, the designer is the professional who is recognized in the field – so it might very well pay to listen to his/her suggestions.

You have given, so much of yourself, to make sure that the CD or DVD truly represents you, why not make sure that the end results speak volumes about you and your own artistic talents.

Whether it’s your bands first CD or a compilation of your greatest hits, your future fans won’t be sure they want to buy your CD until they can actually see it and hold it in their hands. What kind of CD cover design is on your CD? You may have lots of the latest recording equipment to do it yourself, but have you thought about hiring an artist who specializes in CD graphic design?

A graphic artist who specializes in CD graphic design might be a way to go if you aren’t happy with slapping yet another zany photo on the cover of your somewhat serious album. Hiring someone to help you with your CD graphic design could help you set the mood for the first time listener who has only just heard you play live or heard your one song on rotation on the local radio station. CD cover design is very important in communicating that first impression bands want to leave with their listeners. It can say a lot of things.

A CD album design done well should look tight and professional. No sloppy edges, no obvious photoshopping, and it should have a mood that is similar to the whole of the album. You may want to go for an extra punch in your album packaging and consider CD sleeve design. Having a sleeve fit over your album may be better for your greatest hits, but can make it pop and stand out in a record store where you are competing against many other CD cover designs to attract listeners who have never heard your CD.

Make sure the band can come up with several designs to take to the CD graphic artist. Going into a design studio with something in mind is much like walking into the recording studio with the kind of music you want to record in mind. It’s going to save you money and help narrow down the decision making process.

CD cover design, while important, doesn’t have to prevent you and your band from getting your CD out in time for your next tour. Just take a few minutes to think about hiring a graphic designer. You’ll be glad you did. Good luck and rock and roll!

Discover how affordable professional cd design can be here