Research & Analysis on Existing Digipaks

Before starting my own digipak I researched existing media products so I was able to see what information to include as well as the typical codes and conventions you would expect to find. 

The first digipak I have decide to look at is Lana Del Rey's from her album 'Born To Die' as the genre is Indie like ours. For the front cover a medium close-up of Lana Del Rey herself has been used, focusing on her face and outfit. This allows the audience to get a clear representation of the artist, which is a common feature used in the indie genre as they are trying to sell the artist to their audience. She is known for her vintage style, giving her an easily recognisable visual style and this is further represented through her outfit, hair and make-up. Because the photo has been shot outside it links to the indie genre as they are usually shot on a low budget outdoors. To keep with her easily recognisable visual style, Lana Del Rey has used a simple, vintage font that she used throughout all her albums so it is recognisable to her target audience. To further add to the vintage look, a filter has been used to soften the photo so they aren't as bold, giving the digipak a fresh and calming look. On the back the same simplistic font has been used for the track list, giving the digipak continuity. Other conventions that you expect to find have also been used such as the record label, barcode and copyright information. Unlike the front cover, a bolder red and white has been used which could be to reflect the emotion of the album and it's songs in a simplistic way.

On the inside of the album another similar styles photo has been used. By using a close-up shot this time it allows the audience to focus on her body language, as the image used is a serious facial expression that could represent how seriously she takes her music. She is pictured in the same setting with the same filter, which shows Lana Del Rey in a very natural way as it is very minimalist compared to the usual over glamours images usually used, which is similar to how we are trying to portray our own protagonist. For the CD she has kept to the minimalist style, with a white background and three red roses, making the roses stand out against the background. The use of the roses could signify love, which could be a common theme within the album. 

The next album that I have looked at is Arctic Monkeys 'Favourite Worst Nightmare', as again they have the same indie/alternative genre. The colour scheme used throughout the digipak is a mix of light and dark colours, with the main colours being yellow and grey. The colours used do not clash with each other, with the yellow standing out from the background. In contrast to the front and back covers, the inside of the digipak is colourful with the main theme being graffiti. This could suggest that their main target audience is teenagers or young males. In an interview with NME, the lead singer if the band Alex Turner said that the albums artwork was intended to portray a particular atmosphere, 

“We wanted to do something physical, like do something real with the artwork...The idea was to get a house or a factory that looks really plain and bland, dark satanic mills or whatever, and then inside there’s all this colour." This is because when you first look at the album you get the idea that the album has a very dark tone, which is then contrasted with the bright colours used inside which represents the mix of songs within the album. On the back cover the dark colour scheme continues, with a different text used but still in the yellow colour to stand out against the background. The only information used on the back is the albums track list in a very small font at the bottom, and copy right information which keeps the focus on the artwork.