Analysis of digipaks.

1. DIGIPAK ANALYSES
JUSTIN BIEBER ‘BELIEVE’ + RIHANNA ‘TALK THAT TALK’

2. Justin Bieber
(see numbers for annotations)
12
3
4

3.  1 – A close-up shot of the artist on the front cover of a digipak is a stereotypical convention. The image shows Justin
Bieber looking thoughtfully into the distance, enhancing the meaning of the title of the album ‘Believe’. Audiences can
connote that perhaps the album is inspired by the artist thinking about and pursuing and believing in his dreams, thus
clues to consumers of what the possible meaning behind the lyrics of the songs on the album are. The colours used on the
front cover are very high-key, warm and yellow-toned; implying that the style of the pop songs are potentially more
and inspirational, as yellow is associated with happiness and optimism. The name of the artist is in a sans-serif font in white,
spaced out typography. This suggests that because it is not in bold and the most noticeable element on the front of the
digipak, Justin Bieber as a pop artist is very well known, and audiences will recognise his star iconography simply from the
colours, typography and imagery used on the front cover.
 2 – The back of the digipak keeps the yellow-toned theme, making the outside of the digipak look put together and
reinforces the star iconography of the album. Justin Bieber is photographed using a guitar, which also adds to his
iconography as an artist. It also could imply the genre of music to the audience that the album is based predominantly
around – although Justin Bieber is known for pop music, it could imply that there are acoustic tones within the album,
the effect of appealing to a wider target audience. The track list is in a standard, black typography, once again putting
emphasis on the image of the artist, suggesting how most of his songs are very well known to audiences and do not need
be in bold to grab consumers’ attention. On the back there is little white space, connoting that even if the back of the
looks a tad cluttered, fans of the artist will still buy it because they are dedicated to listening to his music.
 3 – On the inside of the digipak, there are more images of Justin Bieber in the yellow lighting. There is the use of a
smoke machine, a very dramatic special effect, which are very stereotypical to the pop genre. In the second long-shot
Bieber’s face is covered by very white, high-key lighting, again implying how he is still recognisable from simply his
because he has such a strong brand image and star iconography. The tones of lighting however are more varied on these
images. There are some bluer tones, which give the digipak more variation and makes it more visually appealing and
engaging for audiences to look at.
 4 – In the middle of the digipak the album title is placed across the middle of the page, in the same font as the title on
the front of the digipak. This has the effect of bringing the album together and making the style of the album recognisable
across the whole digipak for consumers.

4. Rihanna
(see numbers for annotations)
1
2
3
4

5.  1 – The front cover of Rihanna’s digipak features a mid-shot of her face, with her looking moodily into the camera. The way
she is posing juxtaposes the stereotypical representation of women throughout the media – they are usually portrayed to be
feminine and passive. The image therefore suggests to the audience that her album may be subverting the stereotypes of pop
genre, the music possibly having a different feel/tone to it. This effectively pulls in a wider target audience alongside the usual
dedicated fans of Rihanna. The front cover features a single ‘R’ in a sketchy style typography, alongside no other text. This
that the ‘R’ could be Rihanna’s star iconography symbol that is recognisable to audiences across her merchandise – this is a
feature used commonly with big artists in order to increase their star awareness. The title of the album is in very small
across the bottom, almost unnoticeable against the very high-key lighted image, once again suggesting how she is
as an artist just through imagery and letter symbols.
 2 – Mise-en-scene on the back of the digipak through props and costume portray Rihanna’s rebellious personality – the use
of a cigarette is something viewed as taboo in society, so a medium-close up of her smoking reinforces her ‘bad girl’ image. The
use of a black-and-white colour theme is consistently used through the digipak which brings it all together effectively. The track
list is very small, squashed together on the right hand side of the back cover, implying how Rihanna’s songs are not the main
focus of the album, instead it could be possibly about promoting a new, reformed star image.
 3 – Inside the digipak there is a continuation of the black and white colours, as well as the ‘masculine’ appearance of the
artist, which on these images is reflected through Rihanna’s sitting pose, her black boots and facial expression. The setting in
which she is photographed appears to be in a rundown doorway, perhaps intertextually referencing a scene in a music video
one of the songs on the album, therefore effectively promoting her music.
 4 – The design of the CD itself also matches with the rest of the digipak – however it is more visually engaging for
consumers, as the name of the album is written on a newspaper headline. The effect of this is to hook consumers into listening
the album if they were to flip open the digipak before opening it. Furthermore the use of newspaper aesthetic gives the album
USP, making it more recognisable to the audience, and giving the digipak ability to be spoke about among social groups, a use
media by consumers as stated in the Uses and Gratifications Theory.