Studio Brief 02 - VHS Cover Progression

From finalising the composition of the VHS sleeve, experimentation was done on the colour scheme and type setting.

The colour combinations were chosen based on the VHS cover sleeve research. This is so that the end product looks as genuine as possible. The choice for FUJI as being the brand of the VHS cover design is based on a personal biased opinion of the company. 

1a

1b

1c

As for the hierarchy of information on the cover, varying weights of the typeface were used to give varying degrees of emphasis on the subject, as shown in image 1a. A more bold weight tells the reader that this information is important and is the focal idea surrounding the content. The italicised "PLAY SAFE" carries the same intention however does so in a more subtle way. Despite this, the problem with 1a is that the centralised text makes it harder for the reader to read quickly and naturally with the last line being the longest, it draws the most attention. In 1b the centralised text is removed and was opted for a more justified format. In this iteration, the cap height forms the hierarchy with the first line being the largest and subsequent lines following. This decrease in cap height draws the readers eye more naturally down the list of information. However the language used was still too formal for the intended younger audience and didn't fully communicate what the leaflet is about. In the last and final choice for the cover content, a change in language was made and the weights of the typeface. In this iteration, the bold and italicised "the dangers of electricity" stand out from the copy, making the title of the leaflet the main focal point that should have been the initial aim. This is emphasised through the change in line width from the other two. 

After gaining feedback on which colour combinations were most successful, these two were the most favoured. However some comments were made on the choice of FUJI as being the brand and therefore it was changed to JVC which is more aligned to the UK demographic as they famously sponsored Arsenal FC's football kit in the 80s. In this change, there were subtle additions made to help carry the authenticity of the leaflet being a VHS through. In the final iteration, JVC was changed to GOV from a comment that was questioning whether the audience would realise that this was a Public leaflet from first glance. The use of GOV therefore becomes an effective play on VHS brands that better communicates whom this leaflet is from. 

Such as the grade of cassette it was and the quality that was often mentioned on the cover. 

Along with these changes came the addition of a gradient along the lightning bolt. This was added to bring a sense of "wow" factor that wasn't present in the original flat designs. The gradient also brings in some dynamism to the cover as well as carry off a slightly metallic finish. 

As for the back cover, a similar approach was made from the front cover. Information displayed here is mainly regarding the actual VHS itself and not the content inside. 

After the experimentation, these are the final iterations of both colour combinations. The change of the E-240 to E-980 is to make the reference to 1980 more obvious. There is also the addition of the cutout at the side of the VHS cover sleeve which was overlooked in the initial mockups. The change of the white to a beige was influenced by seeing these designs printed which will be explained in another blogpost.