Planning Ancillary Products

DO's and DON'T's

When learning about the different conventions a digipak and an advert contain we came across some things not to do and things that were necessary to do in order to create good ancillary products.

Do

• Use clear fonts
• Use appropriate size for images and font
• Use clear photos that are in focus
• Use photos that are an appropriate shape for the page
• Use a layout that follows the rule of thirds for composition
• Use an appropriate type of  face that follows: genre conventions and a house style
• Be careful where you place the font. It must follow genre conventions and it needs to be clear from a distance
• Follow the conventions of the 3 colour rule and use of colour that is appropriate for: images, font and background
• Think carefully about how you use and integrate: font, text, language and image
• Use appropriate industry logos and conventions, properly positioned: barcode, date, copyright, titles and artist name  

Don't

• Stretch images, this will make them out of focus
• Use layer styles
• Use unnecessary effects. Any effects used MUST suit the genre
• Place text across the artist's face
• Use a font simply because you like it
• Feel you need a separate photo on every panel 'be creative' 

After reading this, I felt a lot more confident in making my ancillary products as I now had a better idea of what to do. I knew what things to avoid doing and how I could get some extra marks. I think this was very useful for everyone.