2. DIGIPAK #1: GENRE
The genre for this digipak is not well
established through the inside designs
especially – the song/music video is Hip-
Hop/R&B but the imagery here suggests
rock, with the black costumes, dark make
up, aggressive font and fire iconography.
3. DIGIPAK #1: AUDIENCE AND REPRESENTATION
Upon doing a little research, the target
audience for their genre is females, aged
late teens to early twenties. This
demographic is represented well on the
digipak, and is meant to ‘empower’ those
that the target audience consists of.
However it does also sexualise women,
which is very stereotypical representation
regardless of the media product/text.
4. DIGIPAK #1: LAYOUT
The layout for this digipak is good,
however the back image doesn’t quite
fit with the theme – I feel the image
bottom left would be a better idea, as it
matches the front cover but also
contrasts from a lighting perspective,
the track list would also be more visible
if this was the case. However the
barcode and legal information are in a
decent place. The disc areas go well
together and match the inside right
panel. As for the front cover, I think it is
really effective and the only criticism I
would make about the layout is that
part of the title disappears behind one
of the girls – but this could indicate the
importance of the artist on the front
cover of a digipak.
5. DIGIPAK #1: FONT AND COLOURS
This digipak has a great colour scheme, but it is ruined by the back image. The black and red/orange go well
together to make an impact – however there are too many colours on the back, and the font colour is an issue too.
The title font is consistent throughout the digipak, and it is very striking and unique, however it may be too harsh for
the genre until you reach the track listing, which is fair enough but the font chosen for the listing is hard to read,
along with its black and yellow colour that doesn’t go with anything else on the digipak. Nevertheless, the font for
the legal information is formal, as it should be, but due to the colour of the background, it is hard to read in black.
6. DIGIPAK #1: IMAGE
The first image is my least favourite,
as nothing but the costume matches
the rest of the images within the
digipak. The image for the front cover
was a great choice as it puts emphasis
solely on the artists’/those who
perform in the video. The fire images
within the digipak are very creative
and go well together, but don’t
establish the genre.
7. DIGIPAK #1: MISE – EN - SCENE
The costumes are similar to those used in the original video
and they’re iconic for Beyoncé, the original artist. They work
well in conveying the message of the video, however look a
bit too gothic for the genre. Lighting is natural for the
bottom three panels and assumedly artificial for the top
three considering they are photo shopped or green
screened. The lighting contrast between the front cover and
the inside (bottom left) is good, so perhaps this would have
been a better image for the back cover as noted previously.
The acting is perfect for telling the song and music video’s
story, you can tell the women have attitude, and they
maintain strong stances with very expressive, dominating
body language. The make up is very bold and fierce, which
portrays the music videos message of being confident and
making a statement. All of the locations/settings of the
digipak are decent, apart from the back cover which is a
little out of place as the background and colours don’t
match – the fire touch is very creative though.
8. DIGIPAK #1: LIKES AND DISLIKES
Likes: The positions in which the women are stood makes it very clear what the music video is about, and
as does their clothing – also the settings, bar the back cover, are great choices, especially the front cover as
it focuses the attention on the artists/performers and nowhere else. The font used for the artist and album
name is really striking too and the artist is also well promoted on this digipak.
Dislikes: The back cover doesn’t live up to the standard of the rest of the digipak, the font and colours of
the track list was a bad choice and the background of the image doesn’t suit the digipaks theme. Overall,
the digipak looks too gothic, and so it ultimately fails to establish the genre.
9. MAGAZINE ADVERT #1
This student decided to make two magazine adverts for their
music video – one which uses an image that relates to the
digipak and one that does not. The top magazine advert is the
one I prefer, because it successfully delivers the message of the
music video and the song, whereas the bottom one doesn’t
particularly appeal as an advert for a magazine, and the picture is
pointless, considering the song, its title and its lyrics. The layout
of both are good, and the artist can be seen without text getting
in the way, however the lighting for the top one is a bit dark,
meaning that text in black, as well as the performers faces, is
hard to see, especially compared to the second one. ‘Parental
Advisory’ would usually go on the digipak, and not on the
magazine advert. Elements like the release date, album name and
reviews are very clear and well established in both magazine
adverts, which is good because these are the things the audience
need to take note of. Overall, they are both well made and
photographed, however the top one is certainly better as it
related to the music video and the digipak and gives more of an
11. DIGIPAK #2: GENRE
Genre is well established through the colours
and tones used for this digipak, as well as
through fonts and props – you can tell this
digipak is for an Indie album. Establishing the
genre is an important part of the digipak as
that’s what will reach your target audience and
tell people what kind of music they’d get.
12. DIGIPAK #2: AUDIENCE AND REPRESENTATION
Since I chose the same genre as this student, I
know that her Target Audience is 16-25 year
old girls, generally in education still. This
makes the images used throughout the
digipak very significant as they relate directly
to the target audience. The artist also leaves a
message on one panel of the digipak to
communicate with the audience, this gives the
album a personal touch and is a creative idea –
making the product feel personal is a good
aspect of the indie genre. Because the digipak
is representative of it’s target audience, it
makes it relatable and more appealing.
13. DIGIPAK #2: LAYOUT
The layout on the front cover is very simplistic,
whereas indie digipaks are usually more eccentric,
however it still works. The album name and artist
name are positioned in a really good place, so they
fill a space without obstructing the audiences’ view
of the artist. The layout of the back is less
conventional as the legal information is as visible as
the track list, which artists rarely ever do. On top of
that, the record labels (etc) are too prominent at the
bottom of the back cover – and the HMV logo (if
anywhere) would be on the magazine advert or
plastic covering of the album, not the digipak itself.
The inside layout are very effective, especially the
one with a ‘Message from Meg’
14. DIGIPAK #2: FONT AND COLOURS
The fonts and colours used for this digipak are spot on, my only concern in the sizing. The message uses a
calligraphic font to communicate Meg’s words to the audience – it looks very sophisticated. The two different
shades of pink used on the front of the album work well together, especially with the background and general
tones of the digipak. Having the artists name bigger and higher up than the album name is a convention of the
genre too. The size of the legal information (as mentioned previously) is way too big, although the font is
professional, while the track listing could do with being a bit bigger.
15. DIGIPAK #2: IMAGE
Each image (3/4) serves well in promoting the
artist. They also relate to the music video so a
significant connection can be made. Blurring
the image on the back is a good effect in order
to make the track list stand out, besides we
don’t need to see the artist again as she is on
the front and inside cover – it makes a creative
and soothing effect on the lights, something
that helps establish the genre. The image
behind the CD is very simple, and although it
doesn’t particularly fit with the theme of the
digipak, it still fits with the colours.
16. DIGIPAK #2: MISE – EN - SCENE
Both costume and make – up used in this
digipak are conventional of the indie genre;
simple, natural, etc., and most importantly
relatable for the audience. Lighting is used
efficiently, lowering the tone of the image and
again helping with genre establishment, even
the lights in the background add to the
imagery, as without them the images could
look too boring. Emotionless expressions of
the actors on digipaks/magazine adverts and
music videos is a generic convention of indie
too, this is portrayed well here. The genre
rarely uses props of significance, apart from
instruments like guitars, just like the student
chooses to use in her digipak – it works
brilliantly.
17. DIGIPAK #2: LIKES AND DISLIKES
Likes: The general theme of the digipak and the way it promotes the artist. Also the colours and fonts used
as they’re easy on the eye and work well together. The layout for the front cover looks professional and the
message inside is a really nice touch. It overall manages to establish the genre.
Dislikes: The layout for the back cover, because the legal information takes up way too much place, along
with the record label (etc) at the bottom. Also the HMV logo shouldn’t be there as the artist would want the
album to be sold all over the place, not just in one shop.
18. MAGAZINE ADVERT #2
The layout of the magazine advert is good, especially the
titles, as it gives a clear idea of who and what is being
promoted. The colours and fonts of said titles, as well as the
release date and reviews, white against black or black
against white is a great contrast and makes for good visuals.
Furthermore, the artist is the main focus, as is the case for
most magazine adverts regardless of genre, this promotes
them effectively. The location of which the image was taken
is not the same as the one on the digipak, neither are the
colours, so although the fonts are similar, nothing else fully
indicates that the digipak and magazine advert are related,
and if the student wanted to make this sort of difference, it
would have been more fitting to have the digipak in black
and white and the poster in colour, as the poster is
supposed to catch peoples eye in order to promote the
product. What also would have worked better is to have the
artist wear the same clothes in relation to the digipak. Lastly,
the magazine title from which the review came doesn’t
match the genre, as ‘The Rolling Stone’ is a Rock magazine,
not Indie.
20. DIGIPAK #3: GENRE
The genre of this digipak really isn’t established at all. It is extremely basic, and perhaps this was
the artists idea/unique selling point or it could actually be a convention of the genre, but as a
digipak it has very little to offer. In fact the only way in which the genre may be established is the
colours and fonts - personally I still can’t tell.
21. DIGIPAK #3: AUDIENCE AND REPRESENTATION
The whole album gives no indication towards what
it is trying to represent, or what the music/music
video will represent – it could be considered
enigmatic but the audience need to know what
they’re letting themselves in for, and it is open to
interpretation. As for a target audience, this could
be exactly the design they look for in an album
cover, but it from a technical point of view it doesn’t
work well.
22. DIGIPAK #3: LAYOUT
The layout of this digipak is fairly conventional, apart from the
obvious absence of important titles on the front cover. The
track list is aligned well, and the legal information is positioned
in accordance with the track list, along with the record label.
While the back of the digipak is simple, it is effective is giving
the information needed. The barcodes position is more than
likely a generic convention of their chosen genre.
23. DIGIPAK #3: FONTS AND COLOUR
Fonts and colour are the element most played upon in
this digipak. Most colours are black and white, which
contrast with the really colourful front cover. The font
used for the track list (I assume) is used to establish the
genre, and is very clear being white against a black
background – along with the legal information. This is
the best aspect of their digipak.
24. DIGIPAK #3: IMAGE
Images are very abstract for this digipak, which
may be an indication on the albums genre. All
the art work is obscure, and can therefore be
interpreted in different ways by the audience –
this is an interesting approach for a digipak,
however there is a fine line between creativity
and laziness. There isn’t an image for the area
behind the CD or for the back cover of the
digipak. It doesn’t serve well in promoting the
artist either; without an album or artists name, it
is conventional to at least have a clear image of
the artist to relate the music to its ‘producer’.
25. DIGIPAK #3: MISE – EN – SCENE, LIKES AND DISLIKES
Because there is no photography involved in the making of this digipak. It is really hard to analyse the Mise – En –
Scene included.
Overall, although this album is creative, it fails to do a lot of things digipaks set out to do, such a promote the
artist. It lacks a title, or the artists name on the front cover, which can be considered the most important parts of a
digipak. The fonts and colours are the elements that stand out the most here.
The poster (see next slide) somewhat compensates for the lack of detail put into this product.
26. MAGAZINE ADVERT #3
This magazine advert immediately associates
the album with the poster, as the main picture
is identical to the one found on the front cover
of the digipak. The artists name and album
name is also included, which helps the audience
relate them to the album, since the digipak
doesn’t include this information. Here is an
example of how the artists name is considered
more important than other information,
especially the release date which, although
visible, is in a very tiny sized font at the bottom
of the poster under the record label. It’s
simplistic but also eye catching, which is a good
quality, as the colourful image stands out
among the white and black, and I think if there
was any more information included on this
poster it would look too cluttered.
