CD Digipak Analysis- Rihanna

1. CD Digipak Analysis

2. Character
Rihanna’s red hair and lips, which feature on the front
cover and insert of the digipak, are stereotypically
associated with love and sex portraying her as being in
love or as being hurt by someone she loves. Another
feature of her character that conveys this is the
wedding dress that she is wearing on the insert. This
also suggests that she is in love and is happy.
Her make-up and the way in which the photographs
on the front cover and the insert have been edited
give Rihanna a golden glow on her skin. This
represents wealth and that she is healthy, signalling to
us, as an audience, that she is happy but also depicting
the R&B style of her music through the
representations of wealth and gold.
Overall Rihanna’s character on the front of the CD and
the insert are positive as she is portraying that she is in
love and is happy.
The back cover of the CD however creates a more
negative representation of her. She is sat on a stool in
a suggestive position and is wearing very little
clothing. This reveals a more promiscuous
representation of Rihanna and is therefore more
negative than the happy, in love representation on the
front and insert.

3. Narrative
The images and colours used on the CD
cover and insert imply that the artist is
either in love or hurt. She is facing
downwards and not directly addressing her
audience, suggesting that she is hurt or
upset and doesn’t want to show that she is.
However, the red and cream colours of her
lips, hair, dress and roses depict love and
happiness and so her facial expression
could also denote love and her facial
expression is actually of relaxation rather
than pain. The edit of the photograph
creates a soft effect which also suggests
happiness and relaxation.
The confusion between the idea that she is
in a happy or broken relationship generates
a narrative enigma as we aren’t sure what
she is feeling and we are therefore left to
wonder and create scenarios of what she
could be going through.

4. Iconography
The font used is stylish and simple. It is also
informal which is depicted through the large
spaces between each letters and the sans serif
style. The album and Rihanna as an artist is
portrayed as more alternative because of this. The
tattoos that are visible on her neck on the front
cover and her side on the back cover also
represent this alternative, non traditional style of
music.
Rihanna’s arched back and provocative clothing
and position on the back cover are iconic of R&B
music as stereotypically women are sexually
objectified in this genre of music. Additionally her
position and costume are iconic of the mediated
image that Rihanna has created for herself. She
represents herself as being a sex symbol by
wearing heavy lip make-up and revealing
costumes. Although this representation is negative
towards women and, in particular, feminists, we
instantly recognise it as being Rihanna because of
this self-created image.

5. Setting
The setting on the insert is a bed of roses representing love and happiness. The artist
also looks very relaxed and dream-like in this setting as she is lying down and wearing
what looks like a wedding dress. This reinforces the representation of love in the
image.
On the back cover the setting is dark and seedy looking and has elements within the
mise en scene that denote that it could be a strip club. The curtains and worn looking
wooden floorboards and stool that she is sat on all symbolise this dilapidated image of
a bar or club. The way that she is sitting, with her hands between her legs adds to the
seedy representation of the setting.

6. Technical and Audio Codes
The lighting changes from high-key and happy on the front cover to low-key and mysterious
on the back cover. This generates a narrative enigma as we do not know whether she is
happy or not.
The close-up shot of Rihanna on the front cover signifies that she is revealed, the camera is
in her face and she doesn’t have anything to hide behind. In comparison to this, the image
on the back cover is more reserved and she is more sheltered as the camera is further away
in a long shot and her back is arched, concealing more of her body. This implies that she is
more relaxed on the front than she is on the back as she feel she has to hide from everyone
else on the back or she is embarrassed or ashamed if her surroundings or body.
The way in which the colours have been edited to make them more vibrant creates a more
sexual portrayal of her as her lips and hair are bright red, a colour associated with love and
sex.