The document discusses the conventions of a digipak that the author has learned through research. It provides details on typical elements found on the front cover, back cover, CD, inside cover, and spine of a digipak. These include featuring the artist name and album title in distinctive fonts, inclusion of track listings, copyright information, and barcode. The author then analyzes their own designed digipak for a fictional band, noting how it follows conventions such as font styles and placement of elements, while also challenging some conventions through design choices like the positioning of text.

1. QUESTION 1 –
IN WHAT WAYS DOES
YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT
USE, DEVELOP OR
CHALLENGE FORMS AND
CONVENTIONS OF REAL
MEDIA PRODUCTS?

2. WHAT HAVE I LEARNT ABOUT THE
CONVENTIONS OF A DIGIPAK?
THROUGH MY INTERNET RESEARCH INTO THE CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF A
DIGIPAK I HAVE NOW LEARNT WHAT THE STANDARD FEATURES ARE OF THIS TYPE
OF PRODUCT. IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT AND NECESSARY TO DO SO BEFORE
BEGINNING TO PLAN THE DESIGN OF MY DIGIPAK SO I KNEW HOW TO MAKE MORE
PRODUCT APPEAR AS LEGITIMATE AND PROFESSIONAL AS POSSIBLE.

3. CONVENTIONS OF A DIGIPAK: FRONT COVER
• USUALLY FEATURE A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE ARTIST OR A RELEVANT
SUBJECT TO THE ALBUM, QUIRKY ILLUSTRATIONS OR CARTOON,
ABSTRACT OR DYNAMIC DESIGN OR ARTWORK OR A SYMBOL
REPRESENTING THE ARTIST OR SPECIFIC ALBUM THAT COVERS
THE ENTIRE SPACE.
• NAME OF ARTIST AT THE TOP OF THE COVER, ILLUSTRATED USING
QUIRKY STYLISH FONT OR MODERN AND BOLD SANS-SERIF FONT.
THE TYPOGRAPHY OF THE ARTIST NAME CAN EITHER BE THE
LOGO OF THE BAND MAKING EACH ALBUM PRODUCED BY THEM
EASILY RECOGNISABLE OR SPECIFIC FONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE
DESIGN OF THE ALBUM.
• NAME OF ALBUM POSITIONED ON THE FRONT COVER GIVING THE
AUDIENCE VITAL INFORMATION IN A SIMILAR OR EXACT FONT STYLE
OF THE ARTIST NAME, STARTING THE CONSISTENT STYLE OF THE
PRODUCT THAT SHOULD BE PORTRAYED THROUGHOUT.

4. CONVENTIONS OF A DIGIPAK: BACK COVER
• TRACK LISTING OF CONTENTS OF ALBUM SEPARATED BY BULLET
POINTS, NUMBERS OR SYMBOLS. SOMETIMES THE LENGTH OF SONG
IS INCLUDED.
• COPYRIGHT AND PRODUCTION ACCREDITATIONS POSITIONED
DISCRETELY AT THE BOTTOM IN PLAIN, SIMPLE, EASY TO READ FONT.
• BARCODE ON THE BOTTOM EDGE DESPITE GENRE.
• RECORD COMPANY LOGO.
• WEBSITE ADDRESS OF COMPANY AND ARTIST.
• THE SAME COLOUR SCHEME AND TYPOGRAPHY CONTINUED TO
CREATE FLUENCY THROUGHOUT PRODUCT AND A OBVIOUS STYLE
FITTING IN WITH THE GENRE.
• SIMILAR IMAGE OR DESIGN TO FRONT COVER; EITHER ONE BLOCK
COLOUR OR A MORE SUBTLE DESIGN SO NOT TO OVER CROWD THE
SPACE.

5. CONVENTIONS OF A DIGIPAK: CD
• TRACK LISTING OF CONTENTS OF ALBUM SEPARATED BY BULLET POINTS, NUMBERS OR SYMBOLS.
SOMETIMES THE LENGTH OF SONG IS INCLUDED.
• COPYRIGHT NOTICES PROTECTING THE CONTENTS OF THE CD E.G. LYRICS AND AUDIO, CURVED AROUND
THE EDGE OF THE DISK.
• MANUFACTURE INFORMATION E.G. LOCATION
• RECORD LABEL LOGO
• ARTIST WEBSITE ADDRESS
• NAME OF ARTIST AND ALBUM OF THE SAME FONT STYLE.
• INDIE CD’S ARE USUALLY A SIMPLE DESIGN CONSISTING OF A COUPLE OF COLOURS TAKEN FROM THE
APPOINTED COLOUR SCHEME, THE MOST COMMON IS BLACK AS THIS SLEEK AND CONTEMPORARY.

6. CONVENTIONS OF A DIGIPAK: INSIDE COVER
• ONE LARGE IMAGE OR PIECE OF ART SIMILAR OR THE SAME TO FRONT
COVER.
• COPYRIGHT CREDITS OF PRODUCTION AND MANUFACTURING OF
PRODUCT.
• PERSONAL THANK YOU MESSAGES FROM ARTIST AND RECORD LABEL.
INSIDE…..
• EXTRA ‘BEHIND THE SCENES’ PHOTOGRAPHS OF ARTIST/S
• LYRICS TO EACH SONG
• THANK YOU MESSAGES FROM ARTIST AND RECORD LABEL
• QUOTES FROM ARTIST/S
• COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
• CREDITS OF DIGIPAK E.G. ILLUSTRATORS AND DESIGNERS

7. CONVENTIONS OF A DIGIPAK: SPINE
• NAME OF ARTIST AND ALBUM IN THE SAME FONT STYLE,
TYPOGRAPHY SIMILAR OR EXACT TO THE REST OF THE
DIGIPAK.
• CATALOGUE NUMBER
• RECORD LABEL NAME (NOT THE LOGO USUALLY )

8. CONVENTIONS OF A ALBUM ADVERT/POSTER• NAME OF ARTIST AND ALBUM SIMILAR OR SAME FONTS TO DIGIPAK OR
MUSIC VIDEO IF ADVERTISING A HIT OR NEW SINGLE, SHOWING
FAMILIARITY BETWEEN THE PRODUCTS. THE NAME OF ARTIST IS USUALLY
RIGHT AT THE TOP IN THE LARGEST FONT, FOLLOWING THE Z THEORY OF
READING THE TEXT FROM TOP TO BOTTOM IN A EFFICIENT ORDER.
• MAIN BACKGROUND IMAGE/ARTWORK USING A PHOTOGRAPH FROM THE
SAME PHOTO SHOOT AS DIGIPAK, SIMILAR
PHOTOGRAPHY/CINEMATOGRAPHY TO MUSIC VIDEO. A SIMILAR PIECE OF
ARTWORK OR SLIGHTLY ALTERED E.G. COLOURS TO PROMOTED
PRODUCT COVERING THE ENTIRE POSTER SPACE.
• SMALL IMAGE OF FRONT OF DIGIPAK.
• DATE OF RELEASE/DOWNLOAD DATE OR STATING ‘OUT NOW’.
• SOCIAL MEDIA AND WEBSITE LINKS
• TYPES OF MEDIA DOWNLOAD E.G. ITUNES AND PLACES TO BUY ALBUM
E.G. AMAZON
• SPECIAL OFFERS
• EXTRA PRODUCT CONTENT E.G. BONUS DVD
• RECORD LABEL LOGO
• STAR RATING AND QUOTED REVIEWS FROM NEWSPAPERS AND
MAGAZINES.

9. CONVENTIONS OF A MUSIC VIDEO AND INDIE
GENRE
• CAMERA SHOTS: LONG SHOTS, CLOSE-UP AND MID SHOT ARE THE MOST COMMON IN
ORDER TO PUT EMPHASIS ON EITHER LOCATION, ARTIST OR EMOTIONS.
• CAMERA MOVEMENT: TILTS, PANS, TRACKING AND CRANE SHOTS USED TO TRACK ARTIST
DURING PERFORMANCE OR THE PACE OF THE NARRATIVE
• MISE ENS CENE: ARRANGEMENT OF PERFORMERS ON STAGE, PROPS USED SUCH MUSICAL
INSTRUMENTS, COSTUME, LIGHTING, COLOUR
• EDITING: JUMP CUTS ARE THE DOMINANT TECHNIQUE USED AS IT ALLOWS A SUDDEN CHANGE
FROM DIFFERENT SCENES. TRANSITIONS SUCH AS FADE AND DISSOLVE ARE ALSO POPULAR BY
ADDING TO THE MOOD AND EFFECT DURING VIDEO.
• INDIIE: ARTIST/BAND SHOWN THROUGHOUT EITHER PERFORMING OR ACTING, EXTREME
CLOSE-UPS AND LONG SHOTS ARE COMMON, DARK LOCATION AND LIGHTING (SOMETIMES
MONOCHROME), FAST PACED, EDITING CUT TOT THE BEAT, SPECIAL EFFECTS, INTENSE
LIGHTING, GRAINY/RETRO FILTERS, ABSTRACT/CONTROVERSIAL IMAGES, SOCIAL REALISM
SUBJECT, USE OF DRUGS AND ALCOHOL, PERFORMING WHILST PLAYING INSTRUMENTS,
LOCATION OF LIVE GIG

10. WHAT CONVENTIONS HAVE I
INCLUDED OR SUBVERTED?
& COMPARING AND CONTRASTING TO REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS

11. FRONT COVER

12. There are similarities and differences when comparing the front cover of my digipak to Vampire Weekend’s album ‘Contra’.
Both front covers have used the same font style for the name of the artist and album, creating a vivid typography style
scheme. Both fonts used on the covers suit each style of genre (indie) as they are easy to read by being bold and coloured
appropriately to make the text stand out. I confidently feel that the font style used reflects the electronic elements of my
music video ‘Regret’ and the electronic rock genre it comes under. The straight lines used to pronounce each letter appears
extremely modern and represents the technology used by the artists to produce their music, showing that Ctrl Z is a band in
keeping with new trends.
However my digipak has subverted the convention of the positioning the artist name at the top rather than the bottom, which
‘Contra’ confirms to. I chose to do this as after manipulating the main image I had less space at the bottom of the cover to put
the lengthy name of the album. Instead I put the album name at the top due to the more available space preventing over
clustering the bottom with images and text thus balancing the proportions of the space. I have used the two most important
and common conventions of a front cover which inform the audience what the album is and who it is by. By using the same
font twice, it will make the digipak more recognisable for fans in future references and more memorable for new listeners.
ARTIST AND
ALBUM
NAMES

13. When designing the main image of my front cover, I wanted to create a point of
comparison between the album name and main image to convey an overall meaning
behind the album. I layered four similar images over one another in Photoshop of
different compositions of my actress looking in different directions. The outcome has
created an almost ghostly effect due to the decreases in opacity . This suits the indie
genre as I have created an abstract main image which also looks very complex and
artistic which I feel my audience would appreciate. The main image links to the
album name as I have presented a range of visions and perspectives of the actress
that have been transformed and thus ‘altered’.
A point of comparison between my main image and Vampire Weekend’s, is that both
feature a random young model who is not apart of the band. The candid polaroid
image covers the entire front cover where the text is positioned around the subject,
a convention confirmed to. Indie front covers can seem be to be quite random,
making them unique and intriguing but still have some relevance to the artist and/or
album. Both front covers feature the subject in the centre where the audience’s
attention is drawn to first. The two young girls could be said to be apart of the artists
target audience and therefore representing them through common emotions or style.
Also both images have a grainy filter layered over the top of the original image,
creating a retro vibe, a popular current trend among those who listen to indie music.
Overall, I confident that my digipak front cover confirms to the traditional
conventions as it has similarities to real products in addition to suiting the genre of
music, indie.
MAIN IMAGE

14. BACK COVER

15. On the back cover I have confirmed to the convention of including the
artist logo, in the top left hand corner. By including the logo again on the
digipak, the artists name is reinforced and accentuated in addition to
maintaining the design of the product. I have not edited the name in any
way as it is proven to look more professional and legitimate buy following
the same colour scheme, as soon of the Artic Monkey’s digipak.
I have created my own copyright information in order
to protect the content and design of my digipak,
under my record label ‘VAC RECORDS’. This is
positioned in a small font right at the bottom as it is
the least interesting and important part of the product
for the audience. I have also included my record label
logo as on all my media products to make it look like
a realistic back cover of a digipak. The barcode also
positioned at the bottom is used for purchasing
purposes, making my digipak look like actual product
that could be brought in a shop or online.

16. The tracks included on the product are neatly organised in a vertical list at the side of the
space, whilst not overlapping the main image. This gives my back cover a sense of order as
the conventions are evenly spaced out and not all clustered together, making the cover easy to
read in order to seek information. I have included 12 songs after finding out the average track
listing includes 9-13 songs, as does the Arctic Monkey’s digipak. I have confirmed to the code
of not listing the single as the first track on the album, instead putting it as number 4. This
allows the audience to look and listen to other tracks first before listening the most common
and popular track, getting a stronger sense of the album. The different line lengths of the songs
help add some rhythm and pattern to the text. I have subverted the convention of mainstream
back cover’s but not including track numbers or lengths as I though this looked unnecessary.
Without the added numbers, the design looks more suited to the indie genre which typically do
not include numbers, enhancing the traditional simplistic style and making it less formally
structured. The font style used is the same as used during my music video and poster creating
a house style between all three products.

17. The main image similar to the mise en scene of the front
cover consists of the same model used throughout my
digipak in a more calm manner. Compared to the
character’s dramatic behaviour in my music here she
appears more exhausted and drained after her
experiences. The model is creating direct eye contact with
the audience, as if she is asking for sympathy or possibly
forgiveness due to her ‘regret’. The audience is drawn into
the model and begins to question her appearance and
state, a key way of selling the digipak as the audience
wants to find out more behind the image, this also
advertises my music video that features the same images.
I have confirmed to the convention of creating a more
simple design compared to the front cover by using a
simple and undistorted photograph. However most albums
usually use just a plain block colour or pattern which I have
subverted as I wanted to present my model in a simpler
form and show off her state more clearly.

18. INSIDE COVER, SPINE, CD DISK AND CD TRAY

19. Layered text over main
image by decreasing the
opacity. Content of text is a
lyric taken from my track
‘Regret’, promoting my music
video. The lyric is a
rhetorical question, making
the audience question their
own lives making the product
more personal and thoughtful
to them. The lyrics of all the
tracks are conventionally
found inside the booklet,
therefore the text is tease
and hint to the audience for
what is inside.
The main image is a replica of the
action performed in my music video
of smudging of the make-up. This
action shows how the character
came to such a distraught and
messed state, showing that it was all
self inflicted with regret.
The spine features the
three main conventions
including artist name,
album name and
serial/catolgue number.
The two main texts are in
the same electronic font as
the front, back covers and
poster creating a consistent
typography scheme which
is clear to read. The serial
number is also in a font
previously used and is a
informative convention for
manufacturing and
producing purposes.

20. Name of artist in large
font above the album
name, in the same
electronic font.
Track listing in a horizontal structure covering
space, a convention of a CD informing the
audience.
I have inserted the record label for
copyright reasons and recognition.
Main image continues the
illusion/hallucination effect and dark colour
palette presented on all three of my media
products. I have confirmed to the
conventions by using a simplistic design that
does not over complicate the space as well
as enhancing the house style and brand
identity.
Copyright information such as
date, record company, serial
number and place of
manufacturing confirming to the
conventions.
For the CD tray that holds onto the disk inside the digipak, I have included mainly text, using the
same font of ‘Orator STD’ to create fluency throughout all three media products. As well as
copyright reservations for the band/song writers, record label, location of recording,
photographer and designer I also included thank you messages delivered from the band to the
audience. My aim was to make the album more personally produced from the band to audience as
well as creating closer relationship between. To accentuate this further I have included the
signatures of all the band members (using different handwriting fonts from dafont.com) to make it
look as if each copy of the album has been physically signed. Usually these conventions are seen
on the inside cover however because I chose to create a more aestically pleasing piece of artwork I
was unable to include. As I thought these conventions were still very important and relevant to the
product I have created this extra part of the digipak that was not initially apart of my ancillary task.

21. POSTER

22. I have positioned the necessary conventions of a album poster in relative importance;
starting with the artist name and ending with the website address and record label. By
doing this it is obvious to the audience what artist album is being advertised by following
the Z theory, they will read this first. The name of the album which is the second largest
text size has a 3D effect to make it stand out against the complex background and
increase its significance. Through my research I discovered that posters have attributes of
the digipak, hence why I have used the exact same fonts and a small image of the front
cover to make advert clearer for the audience and producing a house style. The main
image is quite different to the outside packaging of the digipak, however it strongly
resembles the spiral design of the CD and projection footage used in the music video. I
have promoted the music video in addition to the digipak through including the statement
‘includes hit single regret’ appealing to those familiar with the song or intriguing those
possibly interested. Another convention I have confirmed to is by including ways of
downloading the album in addition to also promoting media downloading brands such as
ITunes and Spotify. Because the album is ‘out now’ this gives audience members
immediate information allowing them to quickly download the music as well as keeping up-
date to popular music trends. I have kept to the colour scheme of green and white in order
to not over power and complicate the limited space. This will not draw attention away from
the actress Millie who appears across all three media products, by other colours. I feel
confident in that it is clear my poster belong to the indie pop/electronic genre due to the
harsh contrast between bright and dark colours and the seriousness/moodiness of the
subject. The electronic vibe is denoted through the neon spiral resembling abstract
technology and graphic design.

23. By comparing my poster to a real poster
by ‘Kings of Leon’ I can conclude that I
have confirmed the codes and
conventions of a music advertisement
poster. There are many similarities when
comparing the two poster, particularly the
mise en scene of the page and the
structure of the correct relevant
conventions. By presenting the subject
in the centre of the poster and anchoring
the text around the main image it draws
the attention inwards and thus intriguing
the audience and making them want to
find out more, where I have provided the
links to do so (e.g. website address.)
Another point of comparison is the use of
an abstract image that has been digitally
or physically manipulated, confirming to
the indie genre codes.

24. THE CONVENTIONS I HAVE
USED IN MY MUSIC VIDEO ARE
EXPLAINED IN THE FOLLOWING
BLOGPOST. I HAVE NARRATED
MY MUSIC VIDEO VIA A
YOUTUBE VIDEO (QUESTION 1
PART B)