DIGIPAK ANALYSISIn this presentation I will analyse two digipaks in terms of practicality, aesthetic quality

and conventions.

“CHANNEL ORANGE” - FRANK OCEAN

The front and back covers of this digipak are very much ‘less is more’ – this reflects the message of the album itself and the style of artist Frank Ocean is.

It is important to keep the general feel of the digipak in line with the type of artist/band I am promoting, and the style of music.

Although the style of the digipak is simple and features no images or long sections of text, there is a promotional sticker on the bottom right hand corner. This is used to attract new audiences who may not be familiar with the artist or his music.

This is an effective idea that I should take into account when planning my own digipak –especially as the artist/band I will be promoting will be relatively underground.

Parental Advisory notice is vital when the album contains explicit material.

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.

“CHANNEL ORANGE” - FRANK OCEAN

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.

Under each panel there is a slot – one to hold the cd and the other to hold the booklet that comes with the digipak.

When making a 4 panel digipak it is important to consider how effective the images and text are, and to be selective about what will feature on the digipak – due to design constraints.

This image highlights the clever use of colour and prints that runs through the whole product, including the cd itself. Using a recurring theme with a strict focus makes the product look more like a collection than individual aspects of a digipak.

“CHANNEL ORANGE” - FRANK OCEAN

Included in the digipak is a booklet, featuring lyrics and pictures.

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.

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.

“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

“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.

“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.