Digipaka type of packaging for CDs or DVDs,

typically made from cardboard with an internal plastic holder for one or more

discs.

Did you know…Digipak is a registered trademark of AGI media who originally developed the packaging style, but the term digipak has come into more common use for other similar packaging. Even when it’s produced by other companies or with varying materials.

Ellie GouldingThe effect of having subtle

stars on the actual CD relates to the

album name

Star image- as she is the first thing you would spot

when opening the pack

Artist name is lit up to relate to the

album name. Lights are also featured in her

hair

The back features lyrics to her most common songs

allowing the audience to learn all the lyrics and

sing along.

The background of the back of the album has different diffused pictures with stars on top, which links into her theme and it also incorporated at the front of the CD. This theme is incorporated throughout the entire digipak.

The artist is the main attention of the album cover to show that it is her album and so when the audience listens to it they are able to put an image of her to her voice.

The ‘XCX’ in her name is the main attention of the CD and the font has been made transparent to show the image of the background

The artist creates her image within the clothes she’s wearing for example, she’s wearing black trousers that are ripped and a top with mesh sleeves. This would give off a grungy style suggesting that her music is targeted at an audience that have a similar style to her,

The font for her songs are spaced out and in capital letters. This would draw attention to it as you can clearly see what each song is called.

The white and black colours contrast against each other which makes it stand outThe colours chosen for the album cover is black and white which can be symbolic of the artist as you either like or you don’t as you can also tell through her music- this is something which she emphasises. The theme of her album cover portrays a grungy look as it is black and has low key lighting. This also portrays her personality and her genre of music through the presentation of her character. The audience she is attempting to attract would be those of similar taste.

This CD is very simple and leaves the audience wondering what the genre of the music is. It leaves a statement as it is very simple which correlates to her album cover and image she portrays.The symbolic use of the colour white promotes purity and her innocent nature which juxtaposes the exterior of the album cover. The use of the icon at the top of the CD is an image of her which may be there as a logo which her fans may recognise.

• There is no text or any sort of wording which links to the front cover of the digipak , however, the red roses link to the title, ‘Born to Die’ due to the idea of funerals.

• The roses symbolise love and passion - when you give a rose to someone you imply that you care about them or feel some way about them. This suggests that the artist, Lana Del Rey, is communicating with the her audience, she’s implying the that the CD is like a present to the audience from her and that shows that’s she cares about her fans.

• An alternative idea would be that the roses could potentially look like blood stains reflecting a melancholic atmosphere.

• Moreover, the colour red could imply patriotism as her front cover includes blue and white as well. This links to one of her songs ‘National Anthem’.

• The overall look to this CD is very old, classic, slightly faced and instagram soaked.

These are all the songs within the album and they very coordinated. The white writing suggest the main songs and the black writing suggest the bonus songs. The songs are presented very simply yet they leave a bold statement that the album is mostly about the music. There is a uniform song font which makes them look unified as a whole suggesting that all the songs carry the same conceptual message.

What features are included in successful digipaks?

The album cover with the title and the artist name. the artist is the main image so this implies her star image is the main key.

List of the song names in the album cover

The CD itself

A poster/picture of the artist.

There is a continuous theme throughout. In this example it is gold and black with tessellation design.

A bar code to be able to purchase the album

Who the artist works for. The record label.

What extra features do different digipak’s consist of?

• Stickers• QR codes to website links • Voucher codes for discounts on merchandise• Merchandise e.g. -Key rings -T shirt -Temporary transfer tattoos -Posters etc.• Lyrics • Extras CD’s such as special additions

What colour pallets work successfully in a digipak?

These album covers have things in common which are a polaroid effect which seems to be trending in most album covers. There are also a range of colours within the album covers above.

In this Rihanna album the same theme and colour has been used throughout the album cover. The colour red is the main theme to the cover, the effect of the images and themes are a expired, out of date theme.

How do different digipak’s successfully incorporate their concept?

Depending on the genre and target audience, digipak’s will consist of various features to successfully put across their concept. For example rock bands may include a guitar pick, r&b artists will include posters as their star image is key.For the album cover itself, different genre’s have different themes for example rock bands mainly have their logo e.g. The Rolling stones has the lips with tongue as their image to represent them, however a r&b or pop artist would normally have a picture of themselves to portray their star image and it usually correlates to their genre of music.

This album cover is very different and stands out as it has a lot of things going on. This links to the way Lady GAGA’s music and appearance which is very bold and messy.

Britney Spears album cover is very flashy which corresponds to the music that she produces. She is also shown on the front cover of he digipak which shows that she is trying to be portrayed as someone who is glamourous.

The digipak for Beyoncé has a star image of her on the front as well as the back and in side the cover. However the CD is made to look like a Vinyl CD. The colours used are mainly yellow and black which are very minimalist.

The XX digipak is seen to be very different as it is very simple with black and white colours which correspond with each other. The artists do not show their faces on the digipak as they may want people to recognise their music through the letter ‘X’. They used cut outs of the letter ‘X’ to try and differentiate it from others.

How large/small are different features in the design? (e.g. band name, credits)

• A recurring theme within the given examples is that the artists image is key as they are the first thing you would look at

• Adele, Britney and Nicole Sherzinger’s cover features their name as the largest font so their name is highly recognised

• Rihanna has the album name as the largest font and the ‘featuring’ in the smallest as this may not be relevant due to her being the most important thing in the image.