Digipak Research

Research

When researching digipak covers of rock bands from the 70’s I found that quite a lot of them used bright colours within the design. I feel that these colours reflect the style of the 70’s and will also draw the audiences eye to the album and encourage them to buy it. Some album covers also use darker colours mixed with brighter colours, this really helps the bright colours to stand out. Quite a lot of the album covers during the 70’s have an image of the band incorporated on the cover. This would be a good way of informing the audience who the band are especially if the band are new and upcoming. Therefore when designing the cover of our digipak we will include an image of the band. On many album covers, the band also uses a band logo. This helps to make the album more recognisable for the audience. So, we will be including The Buzzcocks logo on our cover.

Artist name: On the cover of the digipak they have placed the artists name at the top of the page and in big font. This helps it to stand out and grab the audiences attention. By making the colour of the font white it links to the white shirt that the artist is wearing therefore allowing the audience to make the connection between the two.

Track List: On the back cover of the digipak they have added a track list for the album. By using a large font and not including anything else on the back cover it has made the track list the centre of attention. This will make it easier for the audience to read.

CD: On the CD they have kept the design quite simple yet eye catching. They have used the same cream colour that is used throughout the album, however they have added red roses to give it a special and unique effect.

Lyrics: Instead of including pictures within this digipak they have included lyrics to the songs. This may be linked to the artist having particularly meaningful lyrics and wanting to share them with her audience. With the lyrics the audience can almost connect at a stronger level with the songs and the artist.

Album title: I believe that the album title is an important aspect of the process because it will give the audience an idea of what the album will be like and what kind of music the album will consist of. For instance, the title of this album is ‘Born To Die’ indicating to the audience that the songs may consist of a somber, sad theme. We can see on the digital cover is another important piece of information due to the fact that her name and the album name are the only pieces of writing on the cover. Therefore these two pieces of information become the focus of attention.

ResearchBand and album name on spine of digipak: By placing the names on the spine of the digipak it means that when the album in on the shelf the audience can still see which band it is and which album it is. This makes it easier for the audience to find it so that they can make the purchase.

They have used an image of the band on the cover of the digipak to make the album more recognisable to the audience. They have also made the image of the band the focus of attention on the album cover so that the audiences eyes are instantly drawn to this picture. However instead of using a simple photograph the band have added colour and used a collage effect to tie in with the bands rock genre.

Track list: You can see that they have made the track list the focus of attention on the back cover because they haven't included any other dominating imagery which may be a distraction for the audience. However to link the back cover with the front cover they have used the same colours and design. This also adds interest and will be eye catching for the audience.

Band and album name: They have used a larger and more bold font for the name of the band, this helps it to stand out to the audience and catch their attention. They have then placed the name of the album closely below the name in smaller font, therefore after reading the bands name the audiences eyes will be drawn down to the album name.

The name of the producers have been placed at the top of the information, therefore this will be the first thing that the audience read. However this information is in a smaller font so that the audience have the option to read this. This section also includes social media links thereofore promoting the band and encouraging people to follow them and continue to buy their music.

Album cover: On this particular digipak cover, the name of the band is ‘The 1975’ and the album name was also ‘The 1975’. This meant that the only text on the cover is ‘The 1975’ making it the focus of attention for the audience. As well as this, this piece of text is highlighted by light surrounding it. The fact that the album cover is made up of a photograph links to how the band are up to date and modern.

Throughout the digipak they continue a theme of black and white. This makes it look modern and professional. The design is very minimalistic and appealing to the eye, this will attract the audiences attention and make them want to buy the album.

The font used throughout the digipak appears to be a typewriter font, giving a retro and slightly old fashioned look. This contrasts with the modern outlook of the album cover yet creates a visually appealing effect on the digipak. Also this links to how the band generally go against stereotypes and the norm rock music genre conventions.

Research

Track list: Similar to other digipaks, the track list is the focus of attention on the back cover of the album. By only having the track list and nothing else surrounding it, this is instantly directing the audiences attention to the list. They have also used the same design as the front cover, placing the track list in the centre of the light box. This helps to make the digipak flow and work well together to create a professional outlook.

CD Design: Like other digipaks and albums, the CD design has been kept fairly simple and minimal. However to tie it in with the rest of the digipak they have used a similar dark grey colour scheme. Differently to the album cover, they have written ‘The 1975’ in a black colour only slightly showing up against the grey background. Therefore giving a subtle effect so as to not distract the audience from wanting to play the CD.

Credits: On this digipak they have included a credits for everyone involved in the creation of the album. They have also included the logos for the production company.