This document provides information about CD digipaks and examples of their design. A digipak is a type of packaging for CDs and DVDs that is made of cardboard with plastic in the center to hold the disc. Examples are given of two album digipaks and how they carry a consistent theme throughout with images, colors, and placement of content like lyrics and discs. Features that should be included in a digipak design are discussed, such as protective slots for content and crediting record labels.

1. CD Digipak Research

2. What is a digipak?
• Digipak is a type of styled packaging, which is used for physical copies of
CDs (includes a single or a special edition of a CD album) and also DVDs.
• Typically, digipaks are a styled either as a book or it can have three parts
where one part folds out to the left, one to the right and then the CD
itself will be in the center.
• The part of the digipak that holds the CD is usually made of plastic, which
is attached to the paper background.
• Digipak is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd and Atlas Holding
Company.
• Digipaks have become much more popular in current times and have
been used by many more manufactures oppose to a regular and
traditional jewel case.

3. Examples of digipak progression
A few years ago, the typical way to sell an
album was in a normal jewel case. To the
right is an example of this.
Over the jewel case was
a cardboard cover to
protect the plastic.

4. The lyric booklet is inside
the front cover of the
jewel case.
Now, instead of having a
jewel case, the newest album
is in the form a cardboard
digipak, with one side
opening to the left and the
other opening to the right.

5. The lyric booklet in a
digipak is in a slot on one
of the sides, which slides
in between the two
pieces of cardboard.
The lyric booklet is the same as the type
that would be fitted into a jewel type case
as it opens out to show the lyrics/credits. In
both of these feautrs, the cartoon theme is
kept, with the font being very bubble-like,
like an animated TV show.

6. All Time Low – Don’t Panic.
The release of this album was in October 2012; 2 months
before the world was “supposedly going to end”. The theme
of the album (designed by Brett Jubinville) is a parody of this
event, showing a cartoon animated village being invaded by
zombies and monsters. In the middle at the right hand side of the front cover, there is a
black speech bubble coming from one of the neighbours which says “DON’T PANIC” in
white block font. By having this, then it makes the album title be prominent against the
background of bright reds and oranges, making it stand out more to the eye of the
buyer. The name of the artist is printed in white against a brown in the personalised
font of the band. There is also the ‘infamous’ skull and crossbones that appears on
every All Time Low album, which is recoginsed to be their band logo.

7. The theme of the cartoon animated ‘end of the world’ is continued as the digipak is opened. The difference with
the inside cover however is that we see the band as characters. However, unlike the rest of the village, the band
are very relaxed during this ‘invasion’ and, like the album of the title, are ‘not panicking’. This could probably
emphasise the fact that the band do not take themselves too seriously and just want to have a good time in the
lifestyle that they live in.
Although the animated theme is carried throughout the
entire design, the back cover of the digipak is much more
simplified than the rest of the album. While the rest of the
covers have different kinds of monsters and/or zombies, the
back cover consists of just a light sky with three fire balls
located around the tracklist of the album. The background
of the back cover is a light blue which is ideal in order for
the tracklist to stand out against this. On the back of the
digipak is also the name of the record label (with the logo
included) and other people/companies that helped with the
production/design of the album.

8. You Me At Six – Final Night Of Sin (live at Wembley Arena)
In December 2012, You Me At Six performed on stage at a sold out Wembley Arena. The band decided
to film the entire show and create it into a CD/DVD.
The front cover of the digipak is an image of the empty arena with the set of up of the stage and the
stage lighting, including the set up of the bands symbol of the roman numerical number ‘6’. By having
this image, the consumer will be bale to easily identify the DVD because of the symbol standing out
against the rest low key lighting of the image. The image is also convenient for putting the name of
the band and the name on the CD/DVD, as the outline of the cover is black/dark lighting. The artist
name in a white font contrasts with the darkness of the arena in the image.
The theme of the colours being black and white
matches the DVD as the performance has been filmed
in black and white also.
The show was the final date on a tour based around the
band’s last album “Sinners Never Sleep”, so because the show
was the last show the band was doing for the year, they
decided to call the show “The Final Night Of Sin”.
Because the show was live, there was explicit
language, so there is a warning of this on the front
cover of the digipak.

9. When the digipak is opened, like
the front cover, there is an image
taken at the back of the arena,
where the venue is completely
empty. In the center, you can see
the set of up of the stage lights but
in a perspective as if you were standing at the back oppose to the front. By having
both the front cover and the first inside images as a completely empty arena, then it
almost builds up the anticipation of what the sold out show will be like.
In the edges of the first inside sides, in each end there is a
slot where the audio CD of the live performances are
placed. By having the CDs placed in a cardboard slot, then
it is protected from being damaged. The CDs also keep with
the colour scheme of black and white as both CDs and the
DVDs are black with the font in white.

10. When the digipak is fully opened, then there is a full crowd image of the arena
completely full. This can create excitement for both the people who weren’t able to go
to the show and also the people who did as it will bring back memories of the night.
The camera angle of this shot is an establishing shot as it shows the entire background
of the picture, showing the amount of people that went to the show as you can see
how big the venue is.
Inside these two paper slots is the black DVD and also a booklet including
photographs of the band on stage (in the continued theme of the monochrome edit
settings). Having these two items located in this part of the digipak continues the
anticipation and excitement before watching the DVD as all of the features to do with
the actual performance are all fitted together.

11. On the back of the digipak, the tracklisting of
the performance is shown as a photo of the
setlist that the band used on stage. By having
an image of a personalised setlist instead of a
printed font gives the album a much more
personal feel for those who attended and will
tell those who haven’t seen the show yet a
feel of what they are about to watch. It also
includes all of the stage productions such as
“CO2” and “flames”, telling the consumer
what effect was used on what song.
Also on the back is the
barcode and logos of
companies that are
necessary such as the
record label and film
making company that the
band has worked with.
On the spine of the digipak, it says “You Me At Six” and “Final Night Of Sin” in the band’s infamous typography,
making the album recognisable to the person looking for it when the album is stacked amongst others.

12. After researching about these two already existing digipaks, then I now know the
typical things that are found on a digipak and also essential information that is
needed to be included in order to create my own.
The types of features that I need to take into consideration are as follows:
• A specific (and semi-obvious) theme that is kept throughout the entire digipak
such as a colour theme.
• Appropriate places in the footprint of the digipak such as where to put the
CD/DVD or an extra booklet of information E.G. a lyric booklet.
• The type of extra information needed to be printed on to the digipak such as the
logo of the record company and/or extra companies that had input with the
design/production of the album.
• A template of how a digipak is put together so it can be assembled into a 3D
product. An example of a digipak template can be seen below.