I have fallen in love with the stylistic, simplistic, suave and sophisticated advert for Plan B’s ‘The Defamation Of Strickland Banks’; a superb album and a superb artist I feel I must add. This advert appeared in many music magazines and popular publications and just exudes quality and class; like the image Plan B has created around himself, it is sharp and dapper, for want of a better phrase.
The lettering is trim and tidy; left-aligned, it isn’t superfluously stylish yet it is noticeable and, due to a lack of unnecessary pretentiousness, it is legible and strikingly resonant; the same can be said of the Manic Street Preachers advert seen below.
Plan B himself resides in the bottom right hand corner clutching an old fashioned mic. His style of music, almost suave rap/pop, is unique and the positioning of the chosen image is an extension of this individuality. Donning a dapper suit and clutching an old fashioned microphone, Plan B is akin to the crooners of yesteryear; Sinatra, Martin, Davis Junior and the like. The basic yet stylistic font mirrors this image also. However, Plan B is surrounded by black, darkness; is music has melancholic undertones, his lyrics are ominous or explicit: there is something sinister, hidden, about him. As Plan B is looking to his left, half of his face isn’t exposed; this again suggests that there are deeper, darker facets to his music, clandestine elements to his smooth style.
I want to try and replicate this in my advert as there is something ominous and melancholically haunting about both the track, Pointless Nostalgic and the characters in the music video; there is something surreptitious and strange, something sinister and spooky; again, this is replicated in the Manic Street Preachers mag ad also. Conversely, the mellifluously magical jazzy tones that are resonant in ‘Pointless Nostalgic’ are also classy and stylish and suave; similar to the striking image of Plan B on the poster. However, the very fact that he is positioned in the far right hand bottom corner suggests that he is quite unimportant; his music is King, the messages that underpin the luscious lyrics are more important than Plan B himself. Again this is effective; I might subvert this and have Will’s face dominate the advert to suggest how he sees himself: a self-apotheosised star worthy of fame and fandom.
Both adverts are generously peppered with ratings from prolific publications such as ‘Mixmag’, ‘Q’ and ‘The Big Issue’! The font here matches the title of the album and the artist on the poster but is smaller in size; our attention is with the product but the reviews are still large enough to make an impact on our subconscious. In the left hand bottom corner, a small picture of the album resides. Left-aligned, it continues the sharp and stylistic tidiness of the text and rather superficially, shows the audience what the product will look like. The advert is also accompanied by a website and various company logos; presumably the producers, manufacturers and distributors of the product.
I am taken aback by the trim and tidy layout of this startling advert; it’s message is sonorously overt yet strikingly unassuming. This is something I strongly wish to emulate in my advert, colour scheme and all, as I feel this is simple, sharp and trendy. Yes. It’s trendy!
James McDermott A2 Blog 