Initial Research - Digipak

In addition to the creation of my music video, as part of the promotion package for an unsigned artist, I am also going to create two additional products that will promote the artist, get his music heard by the public and therefore sell his work. The two products I have decided to create as part of the promotion package is a digipak for the CD as well as a magazine advertisement, advertising not only the album but the artist himself.

To ensure the products I create are successful, professional, appeal to the target audience and present a true representation or the artist and his work, I am going to carry out some initial research to gather a range of conventions by analysing existing products that I can then apply to my own publications throughout the planning and creation stages of each product. From this analysis I can also get a clear understanding of which particular conventions appeal to my target audience and which ones are successful whilst also getting inspiration for the designing of my won products.

To begin, I have analysed a range of existing digipak's from famous artists. I have analysed both the front album art as well as the internal design.

Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams

Front cover

The Jack Johnson album art is very much a precise representation of the music on his album. The simplistic, desert scene album art is an accurate reflection of Jack Johnson's tropical, acoustic themed music on the In Between Dreams album. The front of the CD uses two contrasting colours yellow and black throughout the album which makes the cover stand out from others and also makes the writing and image clear against the bright background. On a large number of album covers, the artists profile is usually featured however, the In Between Dreams album takes a different approach with a long shot of the artist picking something from a tree, although this is unconventional the different style makes the album unique and also further reflects the acoustic tropical music that Jack Johnson creates. The majority of the front cover space is devoted to the image however, in a blank space in the top right hand corner the artist name and the album name is featured in an easy to read and clear font. Although the name of the artist is in the same contrasting colours, the album name is in white which makes it harder to read however this could be because when people will be looking for an album, people will want to know the name of the artist rather than the album name. Apart from the album and artist name, the cover doesn't feature any other writing. The minimalist approach to the CD cover not only reflects the artists music but also draws attention to the CD when amongst others in a shop. (Although not on the photograph, the actual album cover features two stickers on the album front. One saying the album is a special UK addition and therefore includes bonus tracks and the single 'Sitting, Waiting, Wishing'. The other stick on the album lets the buyer know the album is a Britt award winner. The use of these additional stickers will encourage audiences to buy the album by presenting on of its most famous tracks whilst also ensuring its high quality by letting the buyer know its an award winning product).

Inside

On the inside of the digipak, the tropical, bright yellow and green colour scheme is continued. The continued colour scheme makes for a professional looking product as well as a continued reflection of the artists music. Conventionally, the Jack Johnson digipak consists of two different, folding out sections. Immediately when opening the digipak, a photograph of the artist can be seen on the left side of the album, this image not only provides the audience with an image of the artist as there isn't one on the front of the album but also links the CD to the promotional poster (below). The left side of the digipak features a 'pocket' (where the image of the artist is) which holds a small square booklet featuring a short production account of each of the album songs. In each section the song lyrics, writers, musicians and products are listed in the same font as used in other areas of the digipak as well as a range of artistic photographs of the recording of the album. The left side of the digipak features the CD holder where the actual disk is held. Like many other CD's, the image on the disk and the image below the CD are the same so the image remains even when the CD is removed which maintains the digipaks overall professional appearance. Although the construction of the digipak is quite conventional, the materials used are slightly different. Instead of using a plastic box for the digipak, the In Between Dreams album is made from card, although this is unconventional, it is again, a relfection of the artists music, but also increases the aesthetic quality of the digipak. On turning over the digipak, the rest of the content can be found, including the barcode, copyright information, song list, producer logos and websites. By including all of this information on the back, when sealed on a shop shelf all the nessesary information can be found without opening the packaging.

Keane - Under The Iron Sea

Front Cover

The Keane album cover is quite unconventional, however this offers a unique approach to the cover and therefore creates an appealing and eye catching cover that will draw audiences attention to the CD and therefore encourage them to purchase the album which is the preliminary aim of the album art. Unlike a number of the albums, the Keane CD doesn't feature an image of the band, instead the album features a computer generated image that represents the album name 'Under The Iron Sea'. Using the image to represent the album name not only links the two together and creates a professional album cover but it also allows audience to easily find the CD if they were looking for the album name as apposed the artist name. Although the CD cover is unconventional, it's unique style and use of colour schemes makes it look professional and aesthetically pleasing. Another aspect of the album that makes it look professional is the use of a continuous colour scheme throughout, the designer has used colours from the sea design in the text so that they are both kept linked together making the cover look professional, sophisticated and aesthetically pleasing. Like many other albums, the amount of text written on the cover is kept to a minimum so only includes the artist name and the album name, however conventionally the albums feature the artist name above the album name in a larger font, where as the Keane album shows the two together in the same size font. By making the two fonts the same size, it's harder to tell the difference and therefore may draw the audiences attention away from the lettering. (Again, although not on the photograph, the 'Under The Iron Sea' album also features a silver universal special addition sticker on the album front which ensures a high quality for the audience and therefore encourages them to purchase the album).

Inside

The ‘Under The Iron Sea’ album features a number of conventional characteristics including the digipak layout and structure. For example the clear plastic album case folds out into two different sections one side features plastic brackets which hold the pull out booklet which is featured in many different albums whereas the right side features the actual disk. The use of these materials and this particular style of album case are commonly used by a number of artists and their production companies to create a product that audiences will be familiar with and therefore feel more comfortable purchasing. Once the cardboard pull out has been removed from the plastic brackets on the left hand side of the digipak, it can then be folded out vertically in a long, 6 square design (including the front cover) that has two different sides. The front cover acts as the top of the image which includes (as mentioned above) the waves that represent the album name ‘Under The Iron Sea’. The computer generated graphics below the image are to represent literally under the iron sea. These unusual yet artistic graphics would definitely appeal to the target audience of people interested in indie music aged 20+, especially men. On other side of the card pull out, the lyrics of each of the songs are dotted between the 6 different squares however although the pull out seems quite conventional, the content isn’t as stereotypical as it doesn’t include features such as thank you notes, production information or copyright details. However, these details can be found on the reverse side of the CD case. On the back of the album, the complete song list, a barcode, copyright details and production/recording company logos. By including this information on the digipak exterior, the buyer is able to see all require information about the album without opening the packaging. Although the colour scheme for the all of the digipak content has been derived from the front image of the digipak, the use of the blue and green shades on a black background on the reverse side of the album, make the lettering quite hard to read, however the use of a consistent colour scheme makes the album look very professional and therefore encourages people to pick up the CD and potentially buy purchase the album which is their preliminary aim.

James Morrison - Songs For You, Truths For Me

Front Cover

The James Morrison album, Songs For You, Truths For Me. Uses both conventional and unconventional features in order to make an album cover that appeals to the target audience of his music. The album features a photograph of the artist which is quite stereotypical for the front of a digipak however, the photographer and the artist have made it slightly unconventional by making it very informal and casual, making it appeal very natural. The use of a natural image instead of a posed and unnatural photograph will appeal to the target audience by making the artist appear 'normal'. The photograph of the artist features the man standing to on side, allowing space for the singers name, the album name and 'deluxe edition', the lettering like many others is kept to a minimum so the audience is not discouraged from looking at or buying the CD but the important information is still presented. The artist name is considerably bigger than the album name making sure the public attention is drawn to that first however, below the performers name and the CD name, one line reads 'Deluxe edition', the use of this line on the front of the CD is to try and persuade the public to buy the album with the thought that its special edition and that they would be getting something better than the original CD. Although the photograph on the digipak cover contains a number of the same, dull colours, the text doesn't really conform to the colour scheme with it fading from brown to green, however the use of contrasting colours on the text draw attention to the lettering making it easy to read whilst also making it stand out which is important when on a shop shelf amongst others. Like many of the other CD covers, the James Morrison album displays the artist name as the logo rather than random lettering which creates house style and links it to his other media products whilst also giving people something to recognise and therefore find the CD easily.

Inside

The James Morrison album – Songs for you, Truths for me, features quite a conventional layout as aswell as a conventional construction with the use of folding out sections to display aspects of the digipak. However, instead of folding out into two different sections when fully open, the James Morrison album folds out into three sections. On the left side of the digipak, a small booklet can be slid out from four plastic brackets which holds similar information as other digipak booklets. For example all of the lyrics from the album songs, as well as a range of natural looking photographs of the artists as well as photographs of him performing which allows the audience to be able to imagine the artist performing each of the songs whilst also presenting the audience with a range of images which captures the artist in his everyday life. The booklet also a number of thank you notes from the artist to various people as well as a list of production details, highlighting musicians and producers that were involved in the making of the album which again, provides the audience with some extra information about the album. The middle of the digipak when folds out, links to the promotional poster by taking a square of the photograph background and applying it to the middle square of the digipak, the link between the two media products creates a link that gives audiences something to recognise whilst also creating a consistent house style that makes the products look professional. Due to the fact the album is a special addition and therefore holds two different CD’s an added disk holder is featured in the digipak, meaning the CD needs to fold out an extra time leaving four different squares. The fact that the CD features a produced version of each song and an acoustic version of each song could encourage people to buy the album knowing they are getting more for their money. The conventional layout of this album is further continued onto the back of the album where a number of stereotypical features can be found including a song list (both disks), copyright information, a barcode, website links and the producer logos. Like the other CD’s, the inclusion of these features on the back of the digipak provides the audience with necessary information without the box being opened, meaning the product is protected the customer’s requirements are met.

Colbie Caillat - Coco

Front Cover

The Colbie Caillat CD is quite conventional in the way it's layed out and its content. The album cover features a head shot of the artist to one side, leaving enough space for the artists logo and a border. The use of a head shot of the artists on the front of the album to allow people to recognise the artist, the use of the artist on the front of the album also acts as a type of branding and making people know that the CD and music is hers. The album cover also features the artists logo which works in the same way as the head shot, giving people something to recognise when its on a shop shelf amongst other CD's. The use of her logo on the CD is again a way of branding the product to her audience, the logo is used on a range of her media products including her website and her other albums. The use of her logo throughout the products creates a house style which again, gives people something to recognise but also links all of the products together. The album cover hosts quite a summery theme which is a true representation of the light, summery, acoustic music that the artist produces. The light and pure image that has been presented offers quite an angelic view of the artist. Like many album covers, the Coco album doesn't feature any text other than the artist name and the album name, the use of minimal text keeps the cover looking simple yet professional and aesthetically pleasing. Again, similar to many other album covers, the artists name is considerably larger than the album name, this could be because people typically look for a specific artist rather than an album so the first thing that people need to be drawn to is the artists name.

Inside

The Coco album has a similar use of materials and inclusion of specific features as the Jack Johnson In Between Dreams album. However instead of folding out into two different sections, the album folds into three sections and therefore has enough space to display all the required information without including an extra pull out/booklet. Although the album has a unique layout it still holds all of the stereotypical features that conventional digipaks. For example the right hand side of the digipak when unfolded forms the holder for the disk. With the extra booklet that is usually included in albums, eliminated from the Colbie Caillat digipak, the information that would be included is now displayed on the other squares. For example on the left side of the digipak (when folded out) there are a range of photographs of the artist and the middle square is dedicated to thank you messages to people who contributed to the formation of the album. Although a lot of the content that would be displayed in the album pull out, is presented on the digipak interior, the lyrics for the songs are not displayed anywhere on the digipak which is commonly included in digipaks. With there being a larger number of folding out sections in the digipak, there are a larger number of sections on the back of the album which is uncommon for conventional digipaks. When turned over, on the left square there is a break down of each song including the name and production details, details of which are usually displayed in the digipak booklet. Although the digipak contains a range of unconventional features in a unique and professional way, some aspects of the design are quite steretypical such as the back square of the digipak (the middle when reversed) contains a number of features such as the copyright information, track list, barcode and production logos. The only aspect of the back of the album that is slightly different to others was the use of another photograph of the artist as the background.

Kt Tunstall - Eye To The Telescope

Front Cover

The Kt Tunstall album, Eye To The Telescope, uses a number of conventional and effective techniques in the design of the CD cover in order to appeal to her target audience. The first of the conventions being the photograph of the artist in order to give the audiences something to recognise as well branding the CD as her own. As well as using an actual photograph of the artist, the design also incorporates computer graphics of a floral design into the album cover to make it look more unique and therefore draw the attention of a large audience. Another particularly important part of the album cover is the use of a colour scheme that links the text and the photograph together giving it a high quality appearance that will make audiences want to buy the product. The design has taken the black, white and brown colours from the artists clothes and applied them to the colour of the text and the background. By using colours straight from the photograph it automatically brings the content together which ensures a consistent colour scheme made up of colours that compliment each other and therefore make it look very professional and eye catching. Like other CD's, the Eye To The Telescope CD contains as little text as possible and displays the artist name in a larger, different coloured font than the album name. Having the artists name in a larger font makes sure the audiences attention is drawn straight to that rather than the image of the album name, this is primarily because audiences typically look for the artist name as apposed to the album name so having Kt Tunstall in a larger font ensures they can easily find the CD when amongst others on a shop shelf. Although there is very little text on the album cover, the artist name was not just ordinary text it was the artists logo which is used on a number of her media products including her website and other albums. The use of the logo throughout a number of products including the album creates a house style and again, something for the audiences to recognise. (As well as these front cover features, the album cover, although not on the photograph, holds a sticker labelling the album to be a winner of the 'Nationwide - Mercury Prize - Album of the year'. By pointing these particular points out on the album front, audiences will be persuaded to buy the album with its quality ensured).

Inside

 

Summary/Conventions

Fronts

• Album covers often use a combination of computer graphics and photographs to create an aesthetically pleasing image
• With photographs on the cover, the artist is often featured standing to one side in order to leave blank space for the text
• Very little text is used on the album covers. Usually just the name of the artist and the album name
• When displaying the artists name, it is usually considerably larger than the album name 
• The colour of the digipak text is usually taken from the image of the cover, linking the two together
• Digipaks often feature the artists logo which creates a house style between all of their media products

Interior

• Albums fold out at least once to accomdate the CD holder as well as an information insert or card (including lyrics)
• Booklet that is usually included often features the song lyrics, producer information, thank you notes, (sometimes copy right information) and a range of photographs of the artist
• The back of the album often have similar features including a barcode, production logos, a track list, copyright information and website links
• Colour scheme and picture nature is derived from the rest of the digipak
• Interior often links to the promotional posters to create a house style and link all of the media products together
• The spine of each album features the album name, recording company logos and the artist name