1. DIGIPAK ANALYSIS
In this presentation I will analyse two digipaks in terms of practicality, aesthetic quality
and conventions.

2. “CHANNEL ORANGE” - FRANK OCEAN
The front and back covers of this
Although the style of the
digipak are very much ‘less is more’
digipak is simple and
– this reflects the message of the
features no images or long
album itself and the style of artist
sections of text, there is a
Frank Ocean is.
promotional sticker on the
bottom right hand corner. It is important to keep the
This is used to attract new general feel of the digipak in
audiences who may not be line with the type of
familiar with the artist or artist/band I am promoting,
his music. and the style of music.
This is an effective idea
that I should take into Parental Advisory notice is
account when planning vital when the album
my own digipak – contains explicit material.
especially as the
artist/band I will be
promoting will be
relatively underground. Legal facts are also vital aspects of an
album cover.
Presenting them in the
form of a single strip
means that it doesn’t take
up too much space and
sticks to the feel of the
digipak.

3. “CHANNEL ORANGE” - FRANK OCEAN
Under each panel there is a slot – one to hold the cd
and the other to hold the booklet that comes with
the digipak.
Being a 4 panel digipak, when the consumer opens it
up, they are presented with striking, bold artwork
which extends the concept of the album. This image highlights the clever use of
When making a 4 panel digipak it is important to consider colour and prints that runs through the
how effective the images and text are, and to be selective whole product, including the cd itself.
about what will feature on the digipak – due to design Using a recurring theme with a strict
constraints. focus makes the product look more like a
collection than individual aspects of a
digipak.

4. “CHANNEL ORANGE” - FRANK OCEAN
Included in the digipak is a booklet,
featuring lyrics and pictures.
The text in the booklet consists of lyrics to all
songs, and the writing and producing credits for
each track.
Although some albums do not include song lyrics, it
is a chance for fans and new listeners to connect with
the music and perhaps focus on the music as
opposed to the pictures included in the promotional
material. Depending on the type of artist/band it
would be an effective technique to use.
The images are generally spread over two pages and
are dark and mysterious – not necessarily featuring the
face of the artist. This goes against the conventions of
promotional material, as usually the material would
feature various shots of the artist/band, perhaps from
multiple photo shoots.
However, the images do stick to the general concept of
the album, with its film and video game inspired skits,
psychedelic music influences and the reference to
grapheme-colour synthesia in the title of the album.

5. “TRILOGY” – THE WEEKND
The front and back panels of this digipak use subtle,
black and white images and text – and achieve an
effective final product. The design of the digipak reflects
the style of music and artist directly, it is very much a
dark rhythm and blues sound combined with powerful
lyrics and a zoned out, drug-induced mood.
Parental Advisory notice is vital when the album
contains explicit material.
The back panel includes the time
span of which the 3 mix tapes were
recorded – providing details like
these is a key technique used to
reach out to the artists’ fans.
Conventions include: barcode, credits, record label logo
(XO) and legal information

6. “TRILOGY” – THE WEEKND
When the consumer opens the first panel of
the digipak, a full track listing can be seen,
outlining how many songs there are on the
cd’s. There is also a clear and concise strip
of information concerning the credits of the
album at the bottom of the panel.
This idea of paying close attention to how
the consumer opens the material is vital and
I should definitely consider the order of
information and images that I use when
designing my own digipak.
As there are 3 cd’s included in this digipak, there
are booklets to go with each one. Each booklet
has its own individual concept and
theme, echoing the style of music of each
corresponding cd. The booklets slot directly into
the compartments under each cd.

7. “TRILOGY” – THE WEEKND
This image shows the contents of the
digipak and highlights just how much can go
into a single album cover. An important
aspect of this particular digipak is the ease
at which everything slots into each other –
meaning that the consumer is able to
navigate their way through the product with
clear direction and understanding of the
artist and music.
I like the way that all items in this digipak
follow the recurring black and white theme,
making the products look of a very high quality
and unlike most existing products (which often
try to use bright colours and large text sizes to
grab attention).
The focus is very much on keeping the design
simple, which is definitely something I would
consider doing when designing my own.