Digipak
- 1. Front Cover: Main Image: As I am hoping to have a main female in my music video along with a break-up ballad/song , I may go ahead with a song by a pop artist such as Britney Spears. The main focus of this digipak is clearly the artist herself as she is presented throughout. The photograph of her on the front shows her directly facing and looking into the camera, making it personal for the consumer to make them feel as if they know the star. Britney Spears is known as a sex symbol and is used on the album to appeal to both females and males as she can be seen as a role model who girls look up to and aspire to be like as well as an artist that many people find attractive. Her hair and make-up is also quite bold as appearance and image is important for pop artists. Typeface: The font used on the cover is girly which links with the album’s name ‘femme fatale’ and also appeals to her target audience which will mostly be females. The gold font portrays she is a strong female character and the same impression is given off throughout the entire digipak as gold and white are the two main colours used for the house style. Back Cover: Main Image: Again, Britney Spears is used as the main image as she is the main selling point because she is so well know and has such a big fanbase. Personally, I think the use of this image is very clever as Britney appears to be looking at the tracklisting. This draws the viewer’s attention to the songs that are included in the album. Furthermore, her outfit and hair is vey glamorous which ties in with the album’s theme. It is also very typical of pop artists to show off their costume as their image is very important. For example, her black dress may have connotations of wealth and class to give off a positive image of the star. Track listing: Compared to the images used on the digipak, the typeface for the track lsiting appears to be quite simple as it uses a simple font in the colour black. This may have been used so more attention would be focused on the artist as she is likely the first thing the viewer will notice when looking at the album. Inside Panel CD: Colour: The CD also uses a lighter shade of gold to stay with the house style of the digipak. Overall, the CD itself is quite basic and this is normal for many album digipaks as this is not the main piece on show. Typeface: The font used for the album name is presented in a much lighter colour compared to the background so it easy to recognise and notice as it stands out. However, the font is much more basic than the font shown on the cover as the cover is significantly more important. Another clever aspect to point out is the use of the number 7 presented on the CD which also appears on the cover within the album’s name. This has likely been placed on the album as this is in fact, Britney’s seventh album.
- 2. Front Cover: Colours: Compared to pop artists, indie bands like ‘Imagine Dragons’ digipaks tend to be much more symbolic and imaginative . The colours used on this album cover are quite dark and link in with the suspense and mystery of the album. The colours used are quite earthy and neutral yet because they are quite dark, it further links in with the album’s name ‘night visions’. This makes the name of the album more memorable for the audience and the fans as they are able to link it back/remember it from the main image. Typeface: As you would expect from an indie band, the typeface use for the band’s name is quite unusual and unique. As this same font has been used across their singles, their name and particular style has become more recognisable - a way for the band to become more popular and well-known. On the other hand, the actual album’s name is presented is a much more simpler front, perhaps so more attention is focused on the image and the actual band’s name. Although the album’s name is clearly important, the image will make the audience think of the title and as Imagine Dragons were a new band at the time, it was important to make sure the band’s name was presented clearly. Back Cover: Colours: The back cover for this album is extremely basic as only two simple colours are used – black and white. As the track listing is shown in white, it stands out from the rest of the cover. This may mean the songs are significantly important and may be one of the main selling points of this digipak. Track listing: The font used for the track listing is the same one used for the album name on the front cover. This way, the album has a particular house style that is obvious to the viewer. The tracks are also all presented in upper case like the band’s and the album’s name. As they are presented in upper case, it may again mean they are important. Inside Panel CD: Colours: Again, the inside panel CD is very plain. Overall, this means the front cover is the most important part of the digipak. The colours are again black and white, meaning the only part of the digipak which includes any other colours is in fact the front cover of the album. Typeface: The same font has been used consistently throughout the digipak as the font used on the front and back cover is also the font used on the actual CD. The only words used on the CD are ‘Imagine Dragons Night Visions’ as this are the two most vital things to include on an inside panel CD – the artist and the album/single’s name.
- 3. Front Cover: Main Image: The alternative rock band ‘The Fray’ which produce many slow songs also have a more symbolic approach towards their album digipak. For the image on the front over of the album, they have used a light bulb which could link to the name of the album ‘How To Save A Life’. The light bulb’s glow and light could represent a person’s life. As this type of image is symbolic, it makes the reader think about what the meaning behind it could be. Colours: The colours used are quite simple and dull. As they are not bright, this clearly concludes they are not a pop artist as pop artists tend to use bright colours for their album artwork. Typeface: The font used for both the album title and the band’s name is quite childlike – untypical of how a rock band would present themselves. The font is also shown in a white colour to stand out against the dark background. Back Cover: Main Image: The image used for the back cover, in my opinion, is also very different and unique as it uses an interesting image of the band themselves. This is another aspect which is quite unusual for rock bands to do yet it makes it more personal for the audience as they now know who they are listening to. In the background, you can see an old building and the photo seems to have some sort of old effect added to it - making the photo appear yellow. This links with the colours used on the front cover. Track listing: The way they have track listed their songs is also quite interesting. Instead of simply presenting them in a list, they have all been presented in the sky of the photo. This way the songs almost fit in within the image so they become part of the photo. Inside Panel CD: Colours: The inside panel CD shows similar colours of the ones used on the front and back cover as the digipak has a particular house style. The brown colour has also been seen on the front cover in the background as well as on the photo on the back cover (for example, the building). However, this time only one tone has been used as opposed to several on the covers. Typeface: The same font from both the covers has been used again for the CD. The font is also shown in white to stand out. As well as the album title and the band’s name, the track listing is also on the CD. This is popular to do on some CDs however most just include the album and the band’s name.
- 4. Front Cover: Main Image: As I have also started to look at and research the band ‘The Pretty Reckless’, I thought I would look at the type of style they use for their digipaks. I would say this digipak is successful because of the images it uses. Compared to the other digipaks I have analysed, this one includes more images. There is also a type of consistent theme throughout the digipak. The photo used on the front is of a child dressed the way one of the band members would dress. This is an interesting approach of presenting the band without actually using pictures of the actual band members. As the child is wearing a black leather jacket, it highlights the music genre rock. The fact the child is also holding a lighter links with the album’s name ‘Light Me Up’ yet could come across as quite controversial. It is often normal for rock bands to present controversial artwork. This is also another way to make them more memorable. Typeface: The font used for the band’s name is presented in the same way across the digipak so it is more recognisable for the fans. Colours: The colours used are quite dark and the main colour is black as the leather jacket is the main focus and the band’s name is also presented in this colour. The album’s name however is in red. Both red and black colours are often associated with the genre rock so the use of these colours make it clear this is a rock band. Back Cover: Main Image: The image on the back is the band. Yet, the fact they are presented in black and white makes it more interesting. It also goes with them theme of the digipak as black and white is also used on the actual CD. Track Listing: The songs are listed above the photo of the band in a red font. Instead, of being listed down the back of the cover, they are shown across the top – this means they don’t take up as much room as a track listing normally does because the image of the band is more important. Inside Panel CD: Main Image: The image used on the CD again links with the image on the front cover of the child. Colours: I think the use of black and white looks more exciting than just using normal colours. The consistent use of these colours also makes the digipak look better overall. The only use of colour is the album’s name which is shown in a red font which makes it more noticeable. Typeface: The same fonts are used again to make the product look professional.