This document analyzes several digipaks from different artists, examining how they represent genre and promote the artist. It discusses how Paramore's Riot album cover uses close-ups and edgy fonts/colors to represent their genre and encourage fan connection. Avril Lavigne's self-titled album cover also uses close-ups and makeup styles to portray genre while enticing fans. Green Day's American Idiot cover symbolizes themes through its heart grenade image and font choices to strongly convey the band's tone and appeal to both male and female audiences.

1. Digipak Analysis
Natalie Suchecki

2. What is a digipak?
A digipak is the name for the type of packaging used for CD’s and DVD’s. These are typically made from cardboard
often with a internal plastic section to hold one or more disks. The digipak was first created by Meadwestvaco and is
now a registered trademark of AGI-Shorewood, an Atlas Holdings LLC company. However over time these gatefold
designs have become more and more popular and are now used by more and more manufacturers.
This style of packaging is often used for CD singles or special editions of an artists album, for example the live tour
album or the greatest hits.
Below are some examples of Digipaks.

3. How do digipaks benefit the artist?
The artists predominate genre will often be represented on the front of the case, which allows us to identify with their
style of music. They often embody a theme and a message about the artist also, emphasising the artists brand image.
Fans may also be able to relate to this which in turn will encourage popularity for this artist. The digipak is often used to
exemplify the creative approach to the genre and pose a link often between the lyrics and visuals to reinforce the
intentions of the artist.
Digipaks often convey Andrew Goodwin's theory. Often on the front of digipaks there is a close up of the artist which
allows us to recognise their music instantly. The notion of looking is also incorporated which can encourage a personal
feeling between the artist themselves and the fan. An artist can only be in one place at once, a digipak allows them to
engage with their fans as much as possible and provide them with ‘a kit’ to feel closer to them.
Digipaks obviously benefit the promotional aspects of the music industry through helping the record label bring
awareness to the artist. This encourages consumers e.g. fans to buy and listen to the artist, a digipak is just a single
entry point into their world. The record label will often produce posters and other merchandise to increase the entry
points fans have to their artist. Furthermore it could be said that a digipak suggests loyalty between a fan and the artist.

4. Paramore Riot Analysis
The album Riot was released in 2007 and was their first real breakthrough with their single ‘Misery
Business’. Paramores aim was to express their genre uniquely and they band did not want to be
seen as a typical rock band. They wanted to find a way for their fans to relate to their music and
express themselves through the music that they created.
On the front cover the central image of the band is the main focus point. Here each member of the
band, in particular the main singer Hayley Williams are looking directly at the audience to encourage
us to engage with them. This is the notion of looking and makes the band stand out and catch our
eye when on the shelves. It can often mean that fans relate more with the band as it creates a
personal feel as you feel they are just looking at you. In addition to this the image is taken through a
high angle shot which makes the band look up as if they are addressing us to a higher power,
making us feel special and this gives a friendly impression. The use of bold black on a white back
ground makes us able to see the band clearer, yet the shading of the colours hides some of their
attributes connoting mystery and makes us want to look further at perhaps posters and other leaflets
that are within the digipak.
These colours are conventional of the genre and the use of orange for the title is a bold contrast and
suggests to us that this is an important feature. The whole image of the band and the title ‘Riot’
suggest chaos, in particular the typography used reinforces this as it is a rough sketch which gives
the band an edgy feel opposed to a script style font that would connote formality. Once more
reinforcing the genre just as Andrew Goodwin suggests.
The title suggests that we should be laid back and let go of ourselves, to an extent. Which recreates
the bands mission to allow fans to relate to their music and express themselves as many paramore
fans are often between the age of 16-25.

5. Furthermore, the entire front cover is full of words written in a sketched typography
connoting a rough and urban environment just as many of their music videos do. This
shows their genre and allows the audience to identify with this quickly.
At the bottom right is some orange coloured text, standing out from the rest of the piece
we automatically recognise that this is important information similar to a strap line on a
magazine. This information is about the band and their promotion company and is used to
catch your eye and make you recognise them.
The repitition of the title ‘Riot’ surrounds the band numerous times and this is a
promotional technique to allow us to easily remember the bands name. This is a simple
and effective background not only for promotional purposes but it reinforces genre giving
that urban feel and also the black allows the orange to stand out more. The typography is
signifying anger and frustration which is something conventional of a rock band, this gives
the notion of rebelling something closely associated with the title ‘Riot’.
The back cover is very similar in terms of house styles and conventions. The title names
are in bright orange to contrast with the black background, making them appear as
important information and stand out from the rest, a technique also used on the front
cover. The large image on the back makes us easily able to recognise the band and once
more the close up is used as a promotional technique so that we can relate to them. We
also see the notion of looking here also, so that no matter which way we look at the album
we feel a link to them. The shot is also at eye level which means that are addressing the
audience directly which gives a friendly approach. This image however contrasts with the
one on the front which connotes chaos and anger.
I have noticed how the production credits are in a simple plain text to signify their
importance.

6. The inside cover has information of the main songs lyrics such as
‘Misery business’ and ‘Thats what you get’ which are the bands most
successful tracks from this album.
This also shows a close up of each band member which furthermore
allows us to identify with them easier. The entire piece is used as a
promotional technique to allow us to engage with the band and feel a
connection with them.
There are also credits to the producers from whom the band would
like to thank. This is done in similar typography to that of the front and
back cover to carry on the signification of the urban and rough feel
which represent the band and reinforces the genre.
The CD front cover is very bold and is used solely to reinforce the title
of the album. The use of orange on a white background is very bold.
Orange itself connotes heat, passion and perhaps anger as the colour
is close to a red. These are all conventions of a rock band like
paramore.
The same typography is used however we see it better here. The
scratched effect symbolises anger and frustration and really does
reinforce the title ‘Riot’ along with their genre and intentions.
I feel the overall digipak is an excellent representation of their band,
genre and mission. It reflects all of the main aspects associated with
this type of music whilst promoting the band in a subtle way.

7. Avril Lavigne
For my second digipak analysis I have chosen to analyse Avril Lavigne's album ‘Avril Lavigne’.
I've chosen this artist and digipak as I feel it links closely and shares conventions similar to our
chosen band Paramore.
This is her fifth album which was released in November 2013. On her album is a mixture of pop
rock and punk rock songs which is integrating her past production with her new production as she
develops herself as an artist.
The front cover consists of a bold black background which connotes mystery and follows
conventions of a rock genre. The title written in white contrasts well and stands out which allows
us to recognise and identify with it instantly, a convention I have noticed across many albums.
The typography is stencil like which gives it a rougher more laid back theme. The white particles
surrounding it can be seen as representing chalk, as though she has written the title on herself
which reinforces the idea of her being a young artist.
The close up of her is a good promotional technique as it allows the audience to recognise whos
album it is when it is on the shelves. Notice she is not looking directly at us which disputes with
the theory of Andrew Goodwin and the notion of looking. This shows rebellion which is a strong
convention of rock music.
The use of makeup is important here also. She is photographed looking very pale with bold black
eyes and little colour to her lips. This is often associated with this genre for example Marilyn
Manson was often portrayed in this way. This once more reinforces genre. The use of bold black
eye makeup allows us to engage with her more personally, and helps us to gain eye contact even
though she is not looking directly at us. The hair style pulls her hair away from her face which also
makes her more recognisable.
The simplistic front cover design reinforces the idea of simplicity, a laid back lifestyle and a care
free life, all strong connotations of rock artists and bands.

8. The colour scheme is followed onto the back of the digipak which represent continuity. Here we see a
medium close up of the artist who appears very feminine. In this image she looks directly at us, reinforcing
the notion of looking. This also links to the male gaze, she is enticing both men and women to look at her
and perhaps want to be her. Her beauty is amplified by her makeup and her hairstyle off of the face allows
us to recognise this clearer.
The black background only makes her stand out more as the bright lighting on her pale face makes her
appear 3D making her stand out to the audience and appear closer to them. She is also aligned centre left
of the piece making her the focal point where our eyes will go automatically which in turn is a very clever
promotional technique.
The tracks are listed and numbered on the back in a narrow and neat typography, which contrasts to the
font used on the paramore album. The font connotes formality, femininity, beauty and precision. Everything
associated with female artists. However I do feel that this typography does not represent her genre very
well and can be perhaps misleading to somebody looking at this who does not know her as an artist.
The barcode is surrounded by a white mist which makes it stand out more this fits with the album and
colour scheme. Everything looks formal and in place which shows that the digipak has been well thought
out. However once more this does not reflect a rock genre.
The production company along with other important information is displayed in the bottom left hand corner
of the CD in plain and simplistic writing to show us that this is important information, this is a convention of
any digipak.
The spine of the album shows the record label logo, to make it easily identifiable. The name of the album
and artist is one and is displayed once more in a bold white constrasting with the background, this will
stand out on shelves in the stores and also stand out on a fans own shelf.

9. Inside the digipak is the CD which uses brighter colours to attract the attention
of the audience. The deep blue symbolizes depth, stability and confidence. This
also provides a contrast to the colour scheme of black and white. The extreme
close up of Avril printed on the disk shows her eyes in greater detail. The notion
of looking and the strong gaze provides a link between the artist and the
audience and encourages us to engage with the artist.
The booklet features a medium close up of Avril following the colour scheme
used throughout the rest of the digipak. Once more she looks deeply into our
eyes to capture our gaze. The netted sleeves of her top reveal her arms but not
to a great extent, this creates a sense of mystery and can be linked to the male
gaze where she invites us to view her and all her femininity.
Written in plain simplistic writing at the side of the booklet is the company logo
and the artists web address, used as an entry point for us to enter into her
world, this is also a promotional technique.
The interior of the booklet features a range of images from a photoshoot that
reveal more to us about her as an artist. These images reflect her beauty and
allow us to see her as more than just a singer. These are used to encourage us
to take an interest in her and perhaps for females to idolize her. The use of red
connotes danger something conventional of her music and something which
reinforces the genre.
The writing in the lyric book gives credit to everybody who has helped her to
produce her music and each individual song and is written in clear simple
typography so that we can understand this well.

10. Green Day
American idiot is the seventh studio album produced by the american punk rock band Green
Day. The album was produced by longtime collaborator Rob Cavallo.
As mentioned before it is obvious that the conventions of a rock genre are very different to that
of pop or indie music. This is represented particularly well on this album which does not feature
an image of the band as the main focal point on the digipak cover.
The colour scheme of red, black and white is very conventional of the rock genre. The black
background reflects the punk rock element of the music and gives a deeper, darker overall feel
to the band. The use of white font on top of the black creates a bold, impressionistic feeling
which will instantly catch the eyes of the audience when on the shelves amongst other albums.
Furthermore, black generally holds negative connotations also of death, tragedy, loss and
despair which are often themes that feature in the songs of rock bands. Therefore we can say
that there is a clear link between the lyrics and the visuals.
Red is a prominent colour connoting often passion, danger or hatred. On this cover the heart is
coloured red, symbolizing passion. Yet is also portrayed as a grenade. This is a mixture of two
antithetic symbols of love and of hate. This suggests that the two are very close and that one
may lead to the other, connoting that love is destructive. This strongly conveys the tone of their
music.
The blood dripping from the heart and the grenade may appeal to males as grenades are often
used in video games that are played by males. On the other hand the heart and the strong
meaning conveyed may appeal to females and therefore this cover is targeted at a wide
audience. Also the use of the distressed font reflects the rebellious attitude of the band which
appeals to their male primary target audience.

11. The colour scheme is followed through onto the back of the album, where the
important information such as the tracklist is shown in a contrasting colour to
make it stand out more to the audience. This could also show connotations of
rebellion as typically text is black on a white background, this shows they are
going against the norm which is very conventional of a rock band. This may
also show that they are exciting, young and free and dont play by the rules.
The use of a magnifying glass could symbolize that they are looking for
something or that they are lost, this could be reflected in the lyrics in their
songs once more reinforcing the link between the lyrics and the visuals. A
magnifying glass could also connote crime as they can be used to look for
clues. This reinforces rebellion and the overall rock genre.
The colour scheme used on the disk shows continuity through the use of
colours. It is also consistent with the front cover depicting the image of the
hand with blood dripping from it.
The use of white on black for the track list highlights the important features as
done on the back of the digipak. The layout of the disk and overall covers
really does reinforce their genre and the conventional intentions that rock
bands hold. This is opposed to pop artists who mainly feature images of
themselves on their digipaks to show that their image is vital to the success of
their career.
The booklet inside the digipak shows the lyrics to each song on the album.
The typography is hand written which reflects chaos, rebellion and an urban
environment. It also holds connotations of young children. The doodles and
emphasis on particular words gives a fun overall vibe which is their intention
as a band.