2. Digipak Task
Provide a detailed textual analysis of the following digipaks.
You will need to consider the following:
• The image
• The background
• Use of Colour
• Layout
• Use and position of text
• Font selection and variety
• Other information provided
You need to annotate each part of the digipak. Remember to
link your ideas to the image of the artist, their genre of music
and the target audience.
6. Front cover
• The image portrayed on the front cover of the CD is a man in a bear costume giving a piggy back to an
actual bear who is roaring. This links to the image of the artists as the band are quite trendy and ‘hipster’
and the image on the front cover is different and somewhat considered ‘cool’ to young adults and
teenagers. It links to the genre of the band as they fit into the genre of punk rock and this genre is
demonstrated through the use of darkness as the image is far from bright and cheery. The image links to
the target audience as their target audience consists of young adults from the ages of 15– 25, and the
image compliments it as it is an animation and not very mature as a picture. The background of the front
cover links to the image of the artists as they are quite ‘punky’ and alternative have a dark image and the
background of the front cover is quite dark and has a gradient effect which also links to the genre of music
being punk rock as the dark atmosphere compliments the genre. The use of colour on the front cover is
bright red and a very deep red which fits to the image and genre of the artist as they represent punk rock
and the use of the red compliments it as it is the opposite to bright and cheerful and is more on the grim
side. There is a contrast in the colours used (bright red, dark red, dark brown, bright yellow) The layout of
the front cover is quite simple with the image in the centre and the titles and artists name on each side of
the image, and this links with the image of the artist as they aren't really an ‘out there’ band as they look
very simple rather than portraying a complex , loud image. The layout links to the genre of the band as it’s
quite simple and more to do with the music rather than the image of the band. The layout would be
attractive to their target audience as the album cover would stand out to them due to the contrast in
colours and the image used as a whole. The use and position of text is straight forward and it’s easy to
recognise who the artists are due to the text being clear and spaced out, so it is easy to read and this is an
advantage as their target audience won’t have to spend time figuring out who the artist is and what the
name of the album is. The font selection is clear and easy to read, the letters are mostly in capitals and the
words are spaced out evenly to make it as clear as possible which is convenient for people looking at the
album cover as they have made it as understandable as possible.
7. Back cover
• The image on the back cover is very small and portrays two cartoon
skeleton pirates having a sword fight and this links to the image of the
artist as its youthful and ‘edgy’ which conforms to what the artist’s
portray. The background is very plain and this diverts the main focus of the
back cover to the text and images used. The use of colour on the back
cover is significant because a deep red is used but an ombre/gradient
effect is used, going into a dark red towards the bottom of the back cover.
The text is presented in a bright orange/yellow tone which contrasts with
the red, making it stand out which is an advantage because it makes the
text clear and easy to read. The layout of the back cover is presented with
the text in the middle as the main focus and the label
information/barcode/etc. at the bottom. All the text is in capital letters,
which makes it clear and easy to read. It is also presented in an organised
fashion with a vertical list of the song titles. The back cover links with the
genre of the artist as it is looks youthful and well put together which also
compliments the target audience too.
8. Disc
The disc portrays a very simple, plain yellow background which
fits in with the colour scheme of the whole pack. The bright
yellow shade stands out and has the title of the album and
artist’s name on each other side of the hole in the disk, which is
presented in an organised, easy to understand fashion. The text
is portrayed in mostly capital letters which conforms with the
theme of the rest of the pack. There is a blue print on the disk
which provides information about the record label however it is
difficult to identify and read, which brings the main focus to the
rest of the disk.
9. Conventions
• Summarise the conventions of a CD cover i.e.
typical features.
• Include the front covers
• Back covers
• Discs
• Try to find typical features of the inlays (inside the
CD) and the spines
• Do the conventions of CD covers vary according
to genre of music?
10. Conventions
• For the genre of punk rock/indie, a typical
convention is for illustrations or images to be shown
on the front cover, on some occasions the artist will
be shown too. The back covers always consist of the
track list in front of a coloured background and/or
some sort of image shown too. The disc is typically
very plain, and normally just shows the title of the
album. The conventions of CD covers do occasionally
fit in with the genre of music, but is more focused to
fit the image of the artist/album.
