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Analysis of Artist’s Digipaks from Chosen Genre of INDIE ROCK By: Sophie Webster

Analysis ofArtists Digipaks from Chosen Genre

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Artists Digipaks from chosen genre.

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  • 1. FIRST DIGIPAKFOALS - HOLY FIRE

2. Outside 2 PanelsThis first digipak conforms to theconventional layout of a digipak, with theartists name and album title taking priorityon the front, and track listing taking priorityon the back. Institutional details such as theFoals official website link can be found inmuch smaller font at the bottom of thedigipak. This suggests a relaxed approach topromotion as content is minimalist andsubtle, reinforcing the representationthat Foals are a straightforward band. This can also be connoted through the use of simple font ArielBlack, although putting all text on the digipak in capital letters gives the typography (and the songtitles and artists name) authority, as well as making it more practical for the audience to read. Thedesign is minimalist, with black & white being used as a base throughout the colour scheme, but theimagery on the front cover of the digipak (right) makes the genre of music clear. The mise-en-scene isof horses in the sea, a warming scene, however the high contrast and low exposure on the imagemeans the mise-en-scene is harsh and rough rather than calming and scenic which is what anaudience would expect. With the scene being distorted to look rough the innocence of it goes, and adarker realism is represented. This identifies Foals as an indie rock band because their innocencegoes, and they are represented with a harsh exterior, making them seem serious musicians who areall about the music and not the product or aesthetic, as the darkness in the image has beenheightened and not reduced, like it would be in a pop digipak to connote perfection. 3. Inside 2 PanelsInside the digipak the imagery of the seacontinues. This connotes the idea that thisFoals album Holy Fire took a long time toproduce, or is different to other Foals workas the sea represents a journey or a meansof getting to somewhere else. This imagerycould also indicate the ambience of therecord given the connotations of serenityand peacefulness. This idea of an ambientrecord is reinforced through the lack of textOn the inside of the album, reflecting the easy-listening element of the music. The lack of interferencewith the inclusion of text on the imagery here could connote the calm before the storm the albumcover being the calm and the music being the storm.The album disk unconventionally contains more information than usual, with a fulltrack listing and record label logos. Although unusual this is a good use of design as theaudience is forced to re-read the song titles making them more familiar with them.This will also appeal to the audience, because if the digipak is lost the track listing is onthe actual CD itself making it more practical. 4. Booklet0 The idea of a relaxed organic albumcontinues in the digipak booklet. This isreinforced by the lyrics of the tracksbeing hand written in a sketchy format,making the booklet appear more as ascrap book. This messy presentation oflyrics shows that Foals are not clinical inpresentation and do not try and cover upmistakes they just present themselves ina very real way.The concept of the album coming from organic roots and the theme of nature continues with aninteresting mirrored image of a jungle setting. This expansive image suggests that the album has arange of atmospheres as well as cultural diversity with a mixture of sounds from around the world.The inclusion of a picture of the band themselves taken with a film camera, along with the subtlemuted colours of the image, creates a retro feeling, representing artists Foals as classic rockstars.The dark tones in the image again suggest that Foals are not clinical and precise in presentation, andare represented as having a harsh exterior and so a harsh sound. 5. Artists Identity/Synergy0 Foals have established their brand identity through obscure ornonobvious Imagery choices for their products but they have aunique typography, and these elements subsequentlyheighten the individuality of their sound.As a band Foals very much keep themselves out of the spotlight, highlightingthe fact that the music itself is the key focus. Foalss brand image is veryorganic and ambient. This is suggested by their use of nature based imagery .Their use of bold, simple typography with straight angles suggests they are amasculine band with a suggestively predominantly male audience.Foals have created a consistent digipak, whichcontents can be found throughout the Holy Firepromotional campaign. Their Magazine Advert (left)has obvious Synergy to the album. The imagery andcolour scheme instantly stands out as beingcohesive to the album, as does the same minimalistlayout. Although Minimalist, the layout for themagazine advert is authorities with the artists nameand album title taking up half the advert.Institutional links like reviews from Time Out andNME give the audience an indication of the genreof music Foals create, with NME and Time Out beingvery genre specialised music magazines for indie orrock. Lastly, the imagery chosen works well for bothan album and a magazine advert because it is sounusual it is unique, and the colour tones used arevibrant and make the black typography stand outeven at a glance. 6. Second DigipakArctic Monkeys AM 7. Outside 2 PanelsThis second digipak is minimalist throughlayout in comparison to the first Foalsdigipak, and uses graphics in design morethan imagery. In addition, the cover of thedigipak (right panel) subverts the normalconventions for any didipak from any genreby the artists name and album name notbeing featured. This information is onlyfeatured on the spine of the digipak.The front cover contains a single graphic image. In fact, the lines in this image do join to form theoutline of band initials AM, although this is very subtle and would not appeal to a wider audience orbe effective in a magazine advert as the stand alone key feature to promote the artist without theirname being obviously written in more prominent typography as this is too subtle. The back cover ofthe digipak conforms to the more conventional layout key features, with the track listing, record labellogo and the artists own website featuring. The monochrome style continues on this panel, with thefront cover graphic image continuing through the track listing. The effect of this gives the digipak ageometric design style, connoting that this album is modern, clean cut and sophisticated. The imageitself replicates a heart monitor flat line/life line in medical terms. The activity of the line indicated bythe dramatic peaks and troughs connotes that this album is alive and loud. This graphic representsthe artist as troublemakers, as the lines activity is so dramatic. The overall use of black and whitecolour and minimalist/geometric design represents the artist as slick, masculine and direct becausethese elements convey confidence and strength. 8. Inside 2 PanelsInside the digipak continuity andsynergy is kept with the samemonochrome style and minimalistdesign being used. This digipak usesgenre specific iconography throughusing dark subdued colour schemes,which gives the digipak a moodyaesthetic with realism rather thansurrealism, which can often be foundin pop album designs.However, the image of artist Arctic Monkeys presented on the right panel above does to a small extentrepresent a superficial representation as they are all dressed in perfect suits in an artificial studio. This isuncommon in the indie rock genre as most artists here promote realism, wearing jeans and t shirts likeFoals in their Holy Fire digipak rather than tailored suits. However this image is synergy to the rest ofthe digipak in keeping with the slick monochrome theme and representation of a moody band as none ofthe people are smiling and only two are having direct mode of address with the camera. This reinforcesthe troublemaker representation as the artists appear mysterious and suspicious, also indicated by onemember crossing his arms, a sign of reserved body language. This image could also connote that thealbum is hugely personal, perhaps a break up album, having high emotional value for the artists as theimage has a reflective mood and the composition of the band members is intimate but unified. 9. BookletThe digipak booklet is moreclinical and organised incomparison to the Foals digipak.The synergy of minimalist designand structured organisationcontinues with a monochromethemed layout of the track listingwith accompanying lyrics. Theselyrics are typed in a simple yeteffective size 11 cambria font.This makes the text more practicalfor the audience to read in comparison to the Foals digipak booklet, increasing audience appealthrough simplicity. The contents of the booklet reinforces the idea of this albums personalexpression from the artists. The lyrics read Do I wanna know, If this feeling flows both ways?Youve got me, baby are you mine? and I wanna be yours. These lyrics, along with the fact thatthey are written in white; the colour of purity and innocence, suggest a softer, calmer side to theband. 10. Artists Identity/SynergyArctic Monkeys have consistently identified themselves as the new rock & roll mans band having anoutrageous troublemaker streak. This is established through the realism in their lyrics and albumcovers. Bottom right is their second album Favourite Worst Nightmare. The imagery of the albumshows a gloomy depiction of cheap council houses. This represents the band as down to earth, acontrasting representation of AM which makes the band seem superior with itsslick design and limited content.Appearing on the same social level astheir target audience maximises audienceappeal as they feel included and almostpart of the band itself. Their Tourposter (left) and magazine advert (right)show clear synergy withThe album, also adopting aMonochrome theme with a minimalistLayout. The Image graphic found onThe album front cover is used againAs a key feature here, meaning it hasbecome their brand image just asmuch as their logo. By having just thelead singer featured on the tour poster,The audience understands that he is theKey man. 11. Third DigipakJake Bugg Jake Bugg 12. Outside 2 PanelsArtist Jake Bugg could becategorised in the acoustic musicgenre because his guitar is soprominent in his music and brandimage. However, because his musicis so upbeat and because his brandimage is constructed on thestereotype of a moody,controversial teenager (a deeplyrealist representation) he can beanalysed in the indie rock genre.The imagery on these digipak outside panels confirms Buggs representation as a moody, mysteriousartist. This is connoted by the desaturated colours and muted vibrancy through using a sepia effecton the images, and Buggs composition; with his hands in his pockets , he demonstrates anunwillingness to engage with the audience , creating ambiguity and the idea of rebellion. Using asepia effect, and featuring genre iconography of a guitar in the images gives the album a vintage ortraditional style. The layout of the digipak mostly conforms to conventional layout key features withthe album title located in the top right corner out of obstruction of the primary imagery. However,Institutional details such as reviews have been included on the front cover of the album, a conventionuncommon in the indie rock genre as these artists do not usually rely on critical acclaim. Althoughone could argue that the primary reason for their inclusion is because this is a debut album, meaningsuch reviews from acclaimed sources could bring a new artist vital exposure and credibility. 13. Inside 2 PanelsInside the digipak the same mise-en-scene is used, creating clearconsistency. Subverting the genreconventions, Bugg heavily featureshimself in the albums mise-en-scenemaking his personalappearance/brand the key featureof the album. The other 2 digipaksmainly feature one portrait of theartist/band but make imagery orgraphics the focus. Having acigarette, the connotations of rebellion and carelessness continues. These connotations dohave audience appeal, as musicians are looked up to and worshipped by their audience asrole models, these qualities could be viewed as admirable or sexy by audiences who liketheir musicians real and down to earth as it makes them more relatable. Unlike the ArcitcMonkeys self portrait, Bugg looks more relatable and down to earth here given the relaxed,ordinary costume choice of jeans and jacket. The only typography used can be found on therecord label logos and copyright information locatedon the physical CD disk itself. 14. BookletThis digipak booklet is similar to the ArcticMonkeys digipak booklet, taking a minimalistapproach to layout, choosing black and redbackgrounds with simple white typographymounted. This use of red, white and monochrome,costume choice of a Harrington jacket, along withthe rawness and authenticity of the mise-en-scenerepresents Bugg as a mod. A mod is a British subculture, emerging in the 1960s with the Rock & Rollera of The Who & The Stones; ultimately reinforcingthe connotation of tradition and vintage style. The colour red itself connotes passion but also danger,Supporting the idea that Bugg is controversial or a trouble maker. The booklet layout is organised andstructured giving track listing and lyrics. The simple style compliments the formatted but chaoticlayout, with the plain background allowing the typography to stand out.From analysing these three different Indie Rock digipaks,it is apparent that there are two design styles used. Thefirst is the clinical simple approach with just lyrics, andthe second a more chaotic booklet with lyrics, artistportraits and other imagery. Overall I think the morechaotic digipak booklet with a scrap book design styleIs the more original of the two and is more effective as aPromotional device as it involves the audience more. 15. Artists Identity/SynergyBugg primarily creates synergy in his other promotional material by consistently making himself and hisguitar the key focus. He also uses a recognisable and consistent style of black jeans and a jacket, and hasestablished his brand Identity as a mysterious, quiet, moody teenager through hisslumped and distant composition and posture, and use of dramatic lighting shownbest with his second album campaign Shangri-La below. Buggs magazine advertfor Shangi-La found below still makes him and his guitar the key focus, but thelocation of an artificial studio is unconventional to the genre as it is superficial.Although unconventional mise-en-scene, the design and imagery of the advertsuccessfully matches the album. The use of such a vibrant yellow connotes energycontrasting to Buggsdebut album whichhad a vintage aestheticwith subdued tones.This suggests thatBuggs brand imageand sound is nowmore modern andlively. 16. Other Indie Rock AlbumsOn the right are two Black Keys album, the firstEl Camino (2011) and the Second Turn Blue.(2014) The different styles of imagery andgraphic is obvious. This shift in use oftraditional conventional genre iconography ofabstract imagery to modern graphic is becomingmore common as the conventional designapproach. Other Indie Rock bands such as ArcticMonkeys, Kasabian and Friendly Fires haveDone this with their most recent album releasesThis could be to appeal to a wider audience,As the Indie Rock genre is currentlygrowing in accessibility and popularity.This Franz Ferdinand 2005 albumYou could have it So Much Better isVery similar to Arctic Monkeys 2013sAM. Subverting the typical layoutconventions the album title cannot befound on the front cover creatingambiguity. However the FranzFerdinand typography is bold andconfident, connoting that so is theirsound and brand image. The graphicused also suggests that an album titleisn't needed as the artists name aloneis enough to appeal to an audience.This Neutral Milk HotelAlbum cover is a goodexample of how abstractIndie Rock albumimagery can be. The styleis vintage and paintinglike, and this individualityappeals to the alternativetarget audience. 17. Overall Findings0 I have discovered that with Indie Rock albums graphics are common instead ofstraightforward digital photography. Manipulated images are alternative and unusual,heightening individuality.0 Secondly, Indie Rock albums are often minimalist and reserved in content like reviews.Contrasting to Pop albums, they mainly use imagery as their central focus.0 The design and style of these albums is either subtle in vibrancy and colour schemes(with monochrome) or overtly obnoxious (with reds, yellows and experimental Huebalances on images) which visualise the attitude of the artists or songs.