Research into Digipaks

Lauren Morgan

This is a digipak for Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” album which is clearly in the pop genre due to the pink colour scheme representing it as girly and the candy as fun and fantasy-like. The target audience for this album would obviously be females because of the colour scheme and the presentation of Katy Perry, her beauty being something that young girls aspire to or idolise her for. On this note, Katy Perry’s beauty and naked body could also draw in the male audience due to the attraction, linking in with Laura Mulvey’s ‘Male Gaze’ theory.The images of Katy Perry posing naked surrounded by candyfloss embodies a sexual image alongside depicting her as childlike and feminine, appealing to her target demographic. Katy’s hair and makeup is stereotypically styled similar to a burlesque dancer’s which portrays her as a sex symbol whilst being surrounded by sweets and cakes, demonstrating her personality as flirtatious and sweet.The typography layout on the front cover is very central and simple, creating a relaxed feel however the font of the text ensures that it is not too simple and boring as they have used bright pink and white colours with very curly and candy-like font, linking in well with the theme of the album.The title of the album ‘Teenage Dream’ gives the impression that she is reliving her teenage years and showing her experiences through her album and songs whilst incorporating her newly found sexual side to show how much she has developed and grown over the years.

This is a digipak for David Guetta’s album “One Love” which belongs to the electro house genre of music which could be connotated through the simplicity of the front cover with the one random splash of colour alongside the image of him with sunglasses on.The layout of this digipak is kept very simple which leaves the audience wondering what the contents could be like as not much has been given away from the front cover itself, allowing the music to speak for itself.The pink font ‘One Love’ contrasts against the black and white background, drawing the audiences attention to that first and then onto the image of David himself. The font is also messy and looks as though it has been hand-drawn, representing Guetta’s upbeat and perhaps ‘messy’ music.The back page of the digipak is also kept very simple with the black, white and pink colour scheme, allowing you to focus purely on the track names whilst slightly maintaining the messy theme throughout.

This is a digipak for Arctic Monkeys album “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” which belongs to the indie rock genre, shown through the black and white colour scheme and the images used.The main image on the digipak is of a male smoking a cigarette, wearing a white top with his eyes half closed. The dark lighting creates a grungy and dirty atmosphere, linking in with the musical genre and also represents the band as typical everyday people.The ‘Arctic Monkeys’ logo on the top left of the album cover stands out from the black background because of it being surrounded by a white box. This makes it the first feature that the audience would notice, creating themselves a strong brand identity.They have chosen not to include the band name on the front cover which suggests that they want the image and band logo to be the main focus, intriguing the audience to want to find out more about the album and what is included.On the back page of the digipak, the track list is positioned on the top left hand side with the white text standing out against the black background. They kept the text small and basic to maintain the minimalistic theme throughout the album, also emphasising the image on the back. It is similar to the image on the front cover however his body language has been altered into a more intriguing and perhaps emotional posture, linking in with the album name and lyrics of the songs, connoting a deeper meaning in comparison to the standard front cover.

This is a digipak for Beyonce’s “Dangerously in Love” album which is in the pop genre, portrayed through the use of bright lighting, colours and sexualised images used.The image on the front cover is a mid-shot of Beyonce herself, wearing a very revealing diamond crop top and standard jeans. The diamond top connotes a very wealthy and glamorous personality along with her being sexualised to an extreme due to the amount of flesh that she has on show and the confident stance that she is in. The low angle shot used provides her with power as it makes the audience feel like they are looking up and admiring her. The simple blue background makes Beyonce stand out and ensures that she is the main feature of the front cover. Despite the fact that blue is stereotypically seen as a male colour, she manages to prevent this stereotype from being seen due to her outfit, windswept hair and tilted posture, making it as feminine as possible. This also makes the white text of ‘Beyonce’ and the album name stand out.The image on the back page of the digipak is placed on the left hand side alongside the track list down the right hand side. Beyonce is arching her back, pushing her bum out and looking directly at the camera which is typically seen as a sexual pose, providing herself with a sex appeal.The white font against the blue background has been maintained on the back cover, carrying on the theme throughout.The target audience for this album would be for 16-25 year old females due to her being a well-known feminist and role model for young girls. The glamorous images used will appeal to females due to them most likely aspiring to look like her, however the male audience are not completely disregarded from being a target audience. The sexualised image links in with Laura Mulvey’s ‘Male Gaze’ theory, using attractive and suggestive images to entice them in.

This is a digipak for Kings of Leon’s “Come Around Sundown” album which is in the alternative rock genre.The main image on the front cover is of an exotic island which relates in with the theme of the album and the album name. The paradise island links in with the idea of escapism within the album, losing themselves in the music and it also portrays an image of perfection, representing a place that is picturesque and ideal for people to visit.The layout of the front cover is very simplistic, using the image to take over the whole of the front cover and only two simple lines of text at the top and bottom stating the band name and the album name. This simplicity reflects Kings of Leon and the laidback music that they produce.The sepia colour effect used makes the album look more professional and creates a house style to be used throughout the digipak, maintaining the theme.The back page of the digipak shows the band within the unique setting, maintaining the house style and theme of the sun setting and idea of escapism. The image is eye-catching due to the sunset shining through the middle of the band, highlighting their figures and emphasises the importance of them, making it easier to identify the band and creates a more personal feel to the album as they are involved.The track list is positioned in the top right hand corner, keeping it separate from the image which then makes the image more dominant and the main feature that the band want the audience to look at.

This is a digipak for Foo Fighters “Wasting Light” album which is in the alternative rock genre.The colour scheme for this album consists of a black background with the album and band name in red text at the top placed in the centre, along with the multi-coloured image beneath this. This black and red colour scheme connotes a dark and fierce atmosphere which strongly links in with the alternative rock genre.The multi-coloured image in the centre of the album cover is a combination of the band members faces together in a collage, using a variety of pink, red, green and blue colours. This images immediately adds a personal touch to the album, providing them with a strong brand identity and ensures that they are recognisable to the audience. The variety of colours used makes them stand out against the black background and also makes it unbiased with the target audience gender, appealing to both genders.The text font on the back of the digipak remains the same as on the front, maintaining a house style throughout. However the red text that appears on the front is in contrast to the white text that is on the back, with parts of that white text having been faded which provides it with an industrial/rough appearance. The image on the back of the digipak looks like someone playing the guitar, with the colours and focus being distorted which links in with the rock genre being wild and heavy.