Digipak analysis
- 2. Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly The album revolves around cultural and political issues and was released in 2015 at the time of increasing reports of police brutality. The artwork reflects these social issues, with the cover artwork showing the aftermath of a black revolution on the White House Lawn. The image is shot in striking monochrome with the quality of a vintage Polaroid, and it features a large group of mostly shirtless black men and children – plus one baby, cradled by Lamar himself and, possibly, one woman – arranged in a victory tableau on the lawn in front of the White House. Lamars music is rap/ hip hop and considering the cultural roots of the genre, these political issues would be prevelant for the time, and it can be inferred that the artist was using his music as a voice of supression and brutality. The song titles on the back of the CD are written in what appears to be in kids handwriting, giving the album a personal feel. The back cover of To Pimp a Butterfly shows the tracks listed in Kendrick's handwriting which exaggerates to the audience that it his own genius creation. Also, the simple black on white colouring gives it an urban feel and I believe has a good effect. One version of the CD has braille on it, which when translated, reads as a blank letter by Kendrick Lamar. Another has a lone image of the butterfly links with the title To Pimp a Butterfly which itself is a riff on Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Also, butterflies symbolise hope, which could be used to show Kendrick's hope for equal rights for black people.
- 3. Cream- Disraeli Gears The album art for the cream album has a distinctly psychedelic and experimental style, which reflects their psychedelic/ blues/ hard rock genre and the era in which it was created. The cover is bright and attention grabbing, and it resembles the sensation of a hallucinogenic acid trip, which links to the hippie subculture of the 60s/70s. The CD itself contrasts with the cover in terms of colour, the cover printed in multiple colours, whilst the CD is only in purple and black, however, it shares the same messy lucid art style. One version of the back of the album is more minimalistic , with the song titles being easily readable, standing out in white ink against a plain, hot pink background. An alternative back cover is far more visually chaotic, the art style in the form of a collage. The album name is printed in distinctive font across the top, and the song titles are printed in small font underneath. This version better represents the band, however, its far easier to read the track titles in the first.
- 4. The Horrors- Strange House The album art for the CD cover of strange house perfectly reflects the bands general vibe and genre. The whole pack is printed in black & white, which fits their dark image and name. Garage rock/ Gothic punk monochrome The small print on this advertisement includes brief reviews from popular prints such as the Guardian and Mojo. It also includes details of the tour and their MySpace. This is the least relevant text on the advertisement and so it is in small print. With the band using a MySpace it hints towards it's niche audience as they are an indie band. Currently most artists promote themselves on the likes of Facebook and Twitter. The band member's style is particularly generic for the genre of the band wearing leather jackets, extravagant hair styles and eyeliner. This style attracts the audience who are fans of the band for their style which is unique to the band. The band are all wearing black with the exception of drummer who wears white symbolises the rebellion and independence that the band thrives to show. The colour used are a bleak pallet of black and white which again supports the genre which often is shown in black and white to make it look more gothic and eerie. The font used on this advertisement is white which stands out on the dark background. The Horrors can be described as an Indie Rock Band and so their name and the album title stand out individually on the advertisement.