WHAT IS A DIGIPAK
A Digipak is a style of packaging, typically used for CD singles or special editions albums. Digipaks are normally in a book form layout, with 4 or more fold out panels; with the CD or CD’s encased inside. Digipaks are used to promote the album or single, by using eye catching images of the artists. They will usually include some aspect of brand identity, for example having the artist on the cover seen in an iconic way, or through the use of colour seen in videos of theirs etc. They are also used to tell the audience more information about the artist or band, sometimes digipaks will include a sleeve, which will have additional images and information for the audience to read, to learn more about the artist and the story behind their music. Digipak’s were created by MeadWestvaco, and around the 2000’s is when they became a lot more popular by artists, labels and also audiences. They massively benefit artists and their music, because it’s a promotional process; which brings awareness to them. They are advertised a lot more than a regular CD, because they are seen as ‘special’ and ‘professional.’ Digipak’s are often associated with being bought by ‘fans’, as they would need the special edition copy of their favourite artists album, with more aspects; from images to extras and personal information about the chosen artist.
FRONT COVERS
Conventionally any digipak or album cover, the front cover will have a picture of the artist or band so audiences can quickly recognize the album. Usually it will be a medium or close up shot of the artist or band, as this is most engaging; usually with their name in bold above their head, much like a magazine layout; as this is most eye catching and striking. Conventionally, as well as having the artists name on the front cover, there will also be the name of the album or single, to make it clear to audiences.
INDIE FRONT COVERS
Indie covers usually break conventions of an album or single cover. Instead of having an image of the artist or band, indie artists like to use art as a way of promoting their identity and music. Using art as the main focus of their album is a way to emphasis their alternative style, which supports their genre of music. The art used is also another way to promote the art work and perhaps the artist. This is also another way artists and bands can create an identity, by having the same artists design all the covers, which gives them a specific style. Sometimes with album art, the idea will have come from one of the artists songs, either from lyrics or the style of one of their music videos. For example the Killers Day and Age album coverwas designed by the artist Paul Normansell, his art work is made up entirely of dots which form an image. His work is not only seen on the album cover but his work was also seen in one of the bands videos, where they hold portraits of themselves painted by him.
DIGIPAK ANALYSIS
THE BEATLES - ABBEY ROAD
The front cover consists of one image which covers the whole front side of the Digipak. This photograph is of The Beatles crossing Abbey Road on a pelican crossing. The location of the picture relates to the band because Abbey Road was where they recorded many of their songs. The photograph is displayed only. This highlights the significance of The Beatles, and captivate their target audience, as they will be recognised by the location of the photo. . The camera shot of a long shot was used so that a full body shot could be taken of the band, conveying that there is no hierarchy within the group. In fact, half of their faces cannot be seen, supporting the idea of equality. Equality was a significant theme during the sixties and seventies, so The Beatles wanted to portray their strong beliefs in this area through their album cover.
BACK COVER
The back cover consists of the album title, the name of the band, a track list containing 25 songs, a section which promotes the personnel and production involved and the produciton logo on the top right hand corner. The image displayed on the back cover does not show the band themselves, but of a wall and the blurred image of an unknown female walking on the right hand side. This contrasts the front cover image because this gives a sense of mystery to the theme of the album. Also, it depicts their genre of Rock because by showing an image of a brick wall, it solidifies their music. This captivates their wide target audience because it is what is expected of a Rock band. In addition, the font of the titles above the track lists have a resemblance to a road sign which you would find pinned to a brick wall, portraying the theme of "Abbey Road", highlighting again its significance.
INSIDE PANELS
On the inside of the Digipak, there are three photographs of The Beatles. They were included within the Digipak because any fan of a band/artist loves to see images of their favourite artists. They aim to please their target audience and promote them as Rock artists. The choice to include full body shots of the band connote their Rock genre. They are wearing denim clothes and are standing in a stereotypical way which portrays the "musicianship" of the Rock genre. These photos could be treated as having sentimental value to their fans and are worth a lot of money. It captivates the audience to buy their idol's albums.
THE 1975- THE 1975
The front cover of the album features the bands name and album name as they are the same. The colour scheme is black and white and the design is minimalistic. This makes the bands’ image seem minimalistic and stylish. The studio setting of the photo and the neon sign style of the title has connotation of the urban city, and of artistic influence. The photo is centered and edited well, giving the photo a sleek and professional finish. I believe this is conventional of an indie group as it stylish and muted; it’s not bright and distracting, like say a pop music album cover would be. The members of the band commonly dress in all black, and this matches the colour scheme of the digipak.
CD
The CD of the digipak has the same font and titling of the album cover, which maintains the brand identity. The design of the CD is extremely minimalistic; this is unconventional as normally CD’s have more text on them than this one. I believe the artist has chosen this specifically to keep up the style of the identity not being cluttered or busy. It makes the bands image very stylish and mysterious.
INSIDE
This is a very conventional inside cover of a digipak as it features lots of text and logos of companies involved in the production of the album. This information is prominently found on this inside cover, so this makes the album seem industry standard and professional. It’s important to achieve this image, as it promises audience a good quality; an album that does not look certified and proficient will appear to advertise an uncertified, shabby product.
BACK COVER
The back image is almost parallel to the front cover; only the text has changed to label the titles of the songs on the album. This is conventional as almost all album covers have this feature, and audiences like it as it makes it easy to find which song they want to listen to easier. Making the product easier for the audience to use means that audiences will like the product more and it will be successful. As always the style and mise-en- scene of the digipak is very consistent, which is a very important factor to consider when making my own brand.
WEBSITE ANALYSIS
MY OWN CREATION
For the digipak part, i decided to try and make it by myself by giving it a try on my own in order to brush up on my photoshop skills. After spending a couple of hours and a lot of creative research, I created this.
CREATION OF FINAL DIGIPAK
