Research into digipaksJustine Mason

What is a digipak?

A patented type of packaging for CDs or DVDs.

Consists of gatefold, cardboard outer binding with internal plastic tray to hold one or two disks.

Codes and conventions

Colour scheme – generally reflective of mood/genre of album.

Main image - on front – typically band/artist or something iconic/symbolic of them – links to music video of particular song on album.

Band/artist name – on front – large font – catch audience’ attention – makes album identifiable.

Album title – on front and spine.

Tracklist – on back – generally contrasting colours – clear and readable.

Extra images of band/artist, something iconic/symbolic or information/quote from band/artist – on inside panels.

Folk/bluegrass digipaks

As the genre of music we have chosen is folk/bluegrass, I have looked at band/artist’s albums of the same genre:

My influences

I like the idea of having the band featured on the cover holding/playing their instruments, as this is typically used in folk/bluegrass genre digipaks.

Therefore, I focused my research on these types of digipaks…

I came across this album cover from Rockford Express. I like how each member of the band are holding the instrument they play. Also, the band are situated amongst greenery and nature which is a common convention of the folk/bluegrass genre.

This is an album cover from The Almanac Singers. Similar to the previous cover, this one also features each member of the band holding their instruments. However, the photo has been taken mid-performance when the band are playing their instruments and singing. The band are situated outside an old house or hall, however I prefer the natural setting of the previous cover because it allows the genre to be more recognisable.

I also came across this album cover from Tommy Shaw, which features the artist playing his instrument in an empty hall/barn. I like the way this cover has been edited with emphasising the shadows to give a black and white effect. This makes the image look quite old and retro and I would like to experiment with this effect on Photoshop for my own digipak.

I found this cover of Keller Williams with the Travelin’ McCourys’ album. I especially like how the band’s faces are not featured, only their hands holding pieces related to the instruments they play. This allows the audience to recognise the style of music from first glance.

I found this digipak cover of Noah & the Whale’s album ‘Last Night on Earth’. I specifically like how the image of the band is layered over the image of the city at night. It creates a very interesting effect and I would like to use this in my own digipak.

I found the original photo of the band and I like the way they are positioned; facing away from each other, looking in different directions and some seated. The different levels make the image more interesting to look at, therefore I will try and recreate this when taking my own photos.

For the background image, which I will layer with my photo of the band, I don’t think a photo of a street will be appropriate for my digipak. As my album is of the folk/bluegrass genre, I would like to use a more natural image of nature, following the conventions of folk digipaks. Therefore, I came across these images which I will try to recreate and layer over the main image of the band.