Digipak composition

 

 

When considering a template for my own digipak, I feel a 6 paneled digipak would be preferred as this allows more imagery and text to be presented thus, increasingly personal connections with the bands targetted audience and therefore, fan loyalty.

 

When looking at Digipak's, there are usually typical conventions followed. Pressume we look at the below level of the template. The front of the digipak oftern presents an intertexual image. For instance the above album by Jack Johnson portrays a simplistic image of the artist, reflecting the raw flare from acoustic music. The focus on the males silhouette playing his guitar from behind additionally indicates that the predominant focus is on the artists music rather than his well-known image. The framing of the artist with his guitar is moreover typical of the acoustic genre, making his music recognisble to a range of audiences, whom may not be familiar with the artists music. From

looking at my bands genre, Indie pop/rock, it is often seen for the main image to be either a shot from the bands music video or an image associated with the deeper meaning of the song. These therefore, creates intertexual references between the album and individual tracks included within the album. This album along with a selection of others I have analysed, all include typography using a san-serif font. For this album in particular this helps connotate the straightforward image of the artist. However, in most album artwork this is used to represent the music as being modern and an informal source of media, in contrast to a serif font used in media platforms such as newspapers. It has furthermore been noticed that the name of the artist or band is situated before that of the albums name, suggesting the importance of the text being shifted towards the artist, rather than the individual, specific release. Looking above, the sticker on the front of the album shows that this is a 'special addition' digipak. This may appeal heavily to the loyal fans of the artist, as it is a collectors addition and therefore, represents a significant personal connection with the artist in opposition to a cheaper internet download.

On the central, back panel, traditionally this is where the track listings will be placed. This allows easy access for the audience, so they know what they are purchasing. When looking at this digipak in particular, a 'uk bonus track' is included. This therefore gives the audience a feeling of exclusivity, as the additional content is not widely avaliable to other audiences. This is much like the exclusive 'hidden' track at the end of some albums, which only a range of selected fans will discover. The back panel is additonally where the barcode and certificates of the digipak are usually found, suggesting the authenticity of the CD.

Moreover, on the first fold of the digipak, this usually includes either additional information on the artist/band or inclusive track lyrics. This allows the audience to create more in depth relationships with the artist and their music, therefore benefiting the musician by creating fan loyality. In contrast, spines of digipaks stay consistant, presenting the same typography as composed upon the front cover.



The inside of digipaks are composed in different ways. When looking at the inside of thus, there is an absense of text within the album. In this case and commonly, this is instead presented within a seperate booklet with slides into a sleeve of a fold. With the imagery within the inside being that of the sea and water in general, this reflects the easy-listening element of the acoustic genre as the sea is usually associated with calm emotions and tranquillity. The seemingly endless expansion of water futhermore interlinks with the title of the album 'On and On' as water is a never-ending natural resource in the world. The pale shades of blues moreover suggests the natural production of the artists music, in contrast to that of genres such as electronic. Furthermore, associations such as serentity and infinity are created which thus, interlink again with the title and the calm, melodic style of acoustic music. Finally, the image of the sea has connotations to the artist, being raised on the coast of Hawaii with a passion for surfing. This allows a personal connection with the fans of Jack Johnson, giving them a sense of subtle devotion.

In this case the tray of the CD is postioned in the middle of the 3 panels however, this can be placed anywhere, depending on what is presented on the other panels.  

 

 

When looking at the magazine advertisment for the above digipak, this is seen to be incredibly similiar to the front of the digipak. The same image is presented and the typography remains constant however, with a change in colour and position. This shows that the artist has used intertexuality to create his identity, making adverts and merchandise instantly recognisable, acting almost as a symbol or logo for the artist. This moreover attracts the artists appealing audiences as being familiar with the magazine advert allows audiences to become mundane with the digipak, ready for its upcoming release. Having analysed a range of both digipaks and magazine adverts, it has become clear that musicians generally use their digipak cover as their A4 magazine advertisement, influencing the production of both my meida texts.