Analysing 5 different Digi-paks

1. AncillaryTask
digi-paks
As a group we have decided to analyse Digipacks and
websites

2. WhatisaDigi-pack
Essentially a digi-pack is an album cover,presented almost as a book styled
format.The basic content of a digi-pack the CD case with the specific album
name titled, where inside will be the actual CD normally with the artist
labelled alongside lyrics/book information.Presented on the back is the
tracklist of the songs on the album.
Typical conventions for a Digi-pack
- Image of artist/associated image with the album name.
- Artist information - track list
- Name of artist - Name of album/single
- consistent house style -record label

3. Rihanna-Louddigipak
The theme of this digi pak is a huge contrast to the album name “LOVE”.
From the digi-pak the represented theme is: love,romance but also weakness
all these emotions interlink content of her songs. Therefore the album name
“LOUD” actually reflects the personality of the artist, but also relates to
her style choices and music.
The close up of Rihanna has a sexual nature about it. Her enhanced lips are
emphasised by the bold red lipstick and her golden skin would be deemed
attractive but also using the rule of thirds because they are large and
central. The striking colours do relate to the album,loud despite Rihanna
looking down and avoiding eye contact with the audience which could suggest
shyness however we as the audience are aware of her personality.The purity
of the front cover is challenged by the faint tattoo emphasising her
position of being a R&B artist. However Rihanna has challenged the
conventions by presenting herself as sexy on the front cover (which she has
done in the past) with minimal clothing on showing themselves an object of
desire. Even though Rihanna is associated with R&B she goes against these
conventions to create a more purer image that reflects a more innocent side
of the love theme than the usual sexual objectifying of the female artist.
It’s also worth mention typography,which is minimal and just features her
name in small white writing and very spaced out highlighting the simplicity
of the album.
FrontCover

4. Inside DIGI-PAK/loud
This large fold out image of Rihanna laying down, her body language and facial expression
suggest a sense of worry but perhaps almost freedom and she looks quite settled laying
around a bunch of roses however this creates an enigma towards to audience as the audience
have to work how what it means. This ambiguity of Rihanna laying there is very contrasting
to with the title cover which is in your draw to your attention which then creates the idea
that there is is more to the artist then meets with the eye,therefore creating and drawing
attention to her album cover. The roses also are associated with the connotation of love
alongside the colour red however she’s detached from reality but the meaning digs deeper.
The artist being in pain from love is represented by a rose bush even though it looks
beautiful it is covered in thorns which could present a toxic relationship which then once
again creates an enigmatic narrative.

5. Cdandback-Loud
There is a strong use of the colour red throughout this digi
pak. Which could suggest the relationship with the emotional
songs featured on the CD. The artist is shown in a white dress
which relates to the theme of fairy tale. However there is
also a hazy filter and the colour balance has been altered to
become pinkier which enhances the main colour of red used on
this digi pak. On the CD itself a beautiful image of a pale
pink rose used to create beauty but in addition that the songs
on the cd are beautiful. The typography on the back of the
album cover is exactly the same outline on the front cover.

6. Rihanna-Unapologetic
The album is titled Unapologetic which defines the way in which one
does not acknowledge or express regret. Especially considering the
typography of the font which could be contrasted to graffiti which is
a common connotation of R&B music almost imitating hand-writing
representing emotions of her being hurt but also cold. The
relationship between this word and fearless correlate as rihanna
seems outspoken and confident and isn’t afraid to talk about topics
no matter how explicit/taboo language without feeling bad. This type
of rebellious behaviour is enhanced by extremely sexualised fashion
alongside the confidence she brings to the music industry. Also the
word “diamonds” holds a lot of value on the album, as it is was the
first single released on the album. Essentially all the words are
associated with the artists for example “ROC” which is the
label/record company Rihanna is signed to which is funded by Jay-Z in
2008. The label is quite dominant within the music industry and acts
as a promotional tool for the company. The word “roc” is seen as a
symbol of an actual rock this is to reinforce the hegemonic power of
of the label.

7. Rihanna-unapologetic cd
This is the first time we see the artist name whereas on the front the artist name
isn’t displayed this could be because the CD has more significant whereas the cover
is what the audience desire. The title of the font is the exact same on the front of
the CD which could be repeated to justify the significance. The image is very
different as it is very abstract but also very sexual as it focuses on her lips which
is connotated with sexual desires. The whole colour of the digi pak is black and
white and remains the same. However the only difference is the prominent colour of
silver which provides the evidence of the genre.
There is a miniature booklook on the left of the digipak next to
the CD. Which displays all the information of those who wrote and
recorded the song.Whereas the image in the middle,rihanna appears
to be content as she's seen smoking. Which all relates to the theme
of this album, herself being comfortable in her own skin whilst
being bold and controversial.

8. BackCover-Unapologetic
The medium close up shows sees Rihanna topless another
explicit image on the digipak however the leather jacket
signifies her high profile in the fashion industry as she is
admired for her bold fashion statements. The image sees
Rihanna in content as she is clenching her fists in victory.
Connotations of triumph or victory. However the technique of
voyeurism is used as she is not facing the camera but the
camera lense appears to be spying on her to promote her in a
sexual manner. The colour scheme remains the same
throughout with this black and white theme. The tracklist is
horizontal allowing a clear structure for the audience. The
font is identical to the font on the front imitating hand
written. Also on every back cover it’s important to notice
the barcode and copyright informations

9. AliciaKeys-Thediaryofaliciakeys
The position of Alicia keys is bare with no facial
expression despite looking as if something is hidden
which is why there is only half of her body, this then
could interlink with the album name of “The diary of
Alicia Keys” The use of the piano features is significant
with the artist due to many of her songs featuring the
piano,this is a huge asset to the artist singing career
which is why it takes up half of the album i.e her other
half however it could suggest that her songs are her
hidden secrets her personal diary seeing as her stage
name “keys” relating to the piano, We can identify the
genre of music R&B which is shown through the authentic
colours of black,brown and white which is why her makeup
and clothing is based on the same colours but also humid.
The typography of the title of the album cover is all in
lowercase and fonts that imitates handwriting to make it
more involved on a personal level also with the colour
being white which makes the title stand out more.

10. BACKCOVER-Thediaryofaliciakeys
The image of the piano takes up most of the frame and dominates the image
again,the piano looks fairly wrecked compared to the authentic view of
the album cover and how the back and front are continuous. Instead of
repeating the image of the artist they have decided to use the image of
the piano again to emphasis the major role it has within her music,which
suggests she wants people to buy/listen to her music because of the
actual music rather than using her looks to attract attention so going
against the male gaze theory which is unusual for pop artist. With the
top of the piano being present but not in it’s prefered place suggests
there is more to meaning and depth as you can see the mechanical side
which could relate to her songs. It’s also worth mentioning the barcode
is situated in the top right and isn’t overlapping the image of the
piano. Also the typography, the white writing is used to stand out from
the piano so it can be easily read. There is a tracklist with the number
of the song being the colour yellow compared to the white to make it
distinctive in addition also features the tracklist for the bonus CD.

11. cD-ThediaryofAliciakeys
The white image allows the audience to identify the image on
the CD.The overlapping of the keys reinforce Alicia name and
reminds the audience however in this case the key could also be
symbolic to the album title of “Diary” and the keys could be
unlocking the diary and listening to her songs. The text is
kept to a minimum with only the title of the record album and
the legal documentation of the CD. She also takes the same
approach with her singing as her sing is stripped back yet she
has so much force with her vocals due to the meaning and
emotion with the song.

12. FRONTCOVER-nothingwasthesameTo begin with Drake is known for his soft and emotional lyrics.
Majority of his songs contains contain R&B and pop elements. Where he
both sings and raps. He preaches to be the first artist to be able to
both sing and rap and is known for his lyrics speaking the truth. The
colour and different shades of blue are dominant within the album and
is very eye-catching compared to other albums. The colour blue is
normally associated with loyalty,wisdom and truth which are just a
few of the elements Drake’s songs are about. However the main focus
is the oil painting of a child staring to the right,this child could
represent how much Drake has grown and developed as a person but
still carries the same optimistic nature just like when he was a
child,but also could reach to his younger audience to always follow
your dreams.The title of the artist alongside the album is placed in
the corner of the album but is quite difficult to identify this could
represent Drakes opinion on fame,how his name doesn’t matter rather
than the music is more important. The ‘parental advisory’ sticker
indicates that the digi pak may feature language and content that
could be deemed offensive. Normally R&B artist are criticised for
using weapons such as guns and knifes where Drake challenges these
conventions and focus.

13. FRONTCOVER(DELUXEVERSION)
The version of the album represents Drake as himself in
the same position as the child from the original album
the only difference being he is looking left. This could
suggest that the rapper is reminiscing about his younger
self which could interlink with the song “started from
the bottom”. Once again the colour blue is. His facial
expression suggests that he is trouble or could be his
neutral face. Audiences are able to indicate Drake's
album through it’s simplicity but in depth behind it,
could be compared to his lyrics. The album is portraying
Drake as still trying to find himself as this album is
basically bedroom confessions but a normal guy.
The image to the right,displays both versions side to
side where they both would be looking at each other.
Which contributes to the theme of the album “finding
yourself”

14. CDandinside
These are the contents within the Digipak which
contain the songs in chronological order,then the
next pages are the song titles alongside with the
various artists associated with the song i.e the
songwriters producer e.t.c. The colour scheme for the
booklet are very simple and diverse from the initial
album cover.The font of writing mimics handwriting so
it’s as if Drake promotes his songs by being “down to
earth”
The CD is the exact same image
on the original front cover
which could be symbolise the
child in the sky being Drake
younger and hearing what he’s
achieved as you listen to the
CD.Everything about Drake's
album is very personal and
represents his brand identity.

15. Backcover-Nothingwasthesame
The back of the CD features the list of songs in
chronological order just like the inside of the digipak
and also features the other artists. The colour scheme
followed within the back cover of the light blue. Also
features is the barcode on the right hand sight not
distracting any of the design. In addition Drakes logo is
presented of the owl which represents “OVO” which stands
for October Very Own which is used to indicate that this
is one of Drake's work.The production details are very
small as this isn’t important to the fans. It contains the
necessary details and legal information such as
copyright,production team and record labels etc.

16. LANADELREY-borntodiefrontcover
The front image displays a simple medium close up of
Lana’s face upper and body,with her being the only
character. The designs allows the audience to focus on
her vintage style and appearance. Lana is positioned
directly in the middle of the album cover,also with her
direct address by looking directly at the camera lense
this allows the artist to create a connection with the
audience. Lana is associated with pop however this album
cover makes us question her genre as not much is going
on with the mise-en scene like an indie artist rather
than pop,so it’s portraying both elements within the
front cover. Although it is clear airbrushed has been
used due to her flawless skin. Overall the image of Lana
looks hyper real but so is every other artists cover.
The text is large and spread and also bold which makes
it stand out which allows it to protrude through the
background and making an impact.

17. CD-Borntodie
Iconography is present within the mise en scene of the “Born
to die” CD as the rose represents love somebody has given to
you,which indicate her relationship with her fans,that she
cares deeply and appreciate them but also could link to the
lyrics which are based on love and lust.This continuous
colour of red is also used to show her appreciation of her
country,with the digi pak mainly consisting of red,blue and
white associated with the american flag. There is no text or
any title on the CD,which may not correspond with the songs.
But also with the album name being “Born to die” with roses
being the main consistent flowers at a funeral.

18. Backcover-Borntodie
The text is the same colour on the front
cover,making it iconic to the album and Lana Del
Rey. The text is also the same proximity of the
text on the front cover,suggesting an informal
approach to the appearance of her album and her
attitude towards her music. The colour blue could
be associated with heaven , how when you die you
belong in heaven. An element of simplicity airs
within the back cover with the background colour
being completely white,keeping everything to the
bare minimum:no images just the tracklist as well
as the visible institutional information at the
beginning.

19. Insidepanels-Borntodie
We are given the repeated theme through the mise en scene of classic and vintage
represented through the image of her spreading across two panels. Where her facial
expression hasn’t changed,her placid and innocent face. However the image does
represent a story about the artist,apart from a representation of her style and
character. I think this image is simple and effective as it carries on the
connotation of the theme and style for the audience to continue with. Also the
colours again, her hair representing love lust danger and passion, the blue
creates depth and allows other colours to blend through. Also the white signifies
purity and a sense of perfection which reflects upon the artist sublimely and
technically enhances all other colours with a neutral contrast.