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DIGIPACK

ANALYSIS

HOW WILL WE PACKAGE OUR ALBUM?

radiohead//the bends

Digipak is the name given to the fold out cardboard packaging oftenf ound on CD's, for our ancillary task we have to design a digipak for our band High Tyde's album, to figure out the best techniques and aesthetics for our design i have been looking at Digipaks for other existing artists. 

  • On the cover of The Bends there is not an image of the band, from my research into magazine adverts i can see that this is more conventional of bands in the genre rather than solo artists so we will try and implement this in our digipak.

  • The image of the crash test dummy is made slightly more conceptual and unusual by the over saturation and slight pixelation of the image which shows the more artistic tendencies of the indie genre and also the rejection of perfection which is a large part of indie culture when compared to the more polished photos and concepts of say a pop digipak.

  • the expression of the dummy's face coupled with the connotations of death and suffering in The Bends adheres ti the more sombre and contemplative nature of indie music 

  • the band's logo is used on the album cover to make it recognisable and part of their iconography and the title of the album is in the same font and colour to create synergy between the two. 

  • the colours on the album cover are warm and contrast with the negative connotations of death which leave a lot to be inferred by the audience about attitudes towards death and suicidal themes.

  • the lyric panel in the album is simply black text on a white background, minimalism seems like a common concept within the adverts as well

  • there is no order to the lyrics on the sheet and it is covered in doodles and random images with very little relation to the words themselves, this theres to the conventional conceptual nature of indie music and leaves the audience to try and make connections with the images 

  • the third panel features the only images of the band present in the digipak, the images have high contrast and exposure which gives them an aesthetic reminiscent of pop art and creates good visual links between them and other images on this panel.

  • the members of the band arent looking at the camera in these photos which shows they are not narcissistic like pop artists who always make eye contact with the camera/audience. these shots look candid and more artistic than professional photos would. 

  • the larger blue and orange images on this panel look as if they were taken by security cameras and are very abstract and it is difficult to tell what they are of, this alludes to the concept of discomfort and confusion also associated with having the bends.

  • much like the lyric sheet this panel has doodles all over it and messy hand writing that give it a certain element of looking hand crafted. some of the text features on it reads "it is so beautiful here I never want to leave" which is idealistic and soft in comparison to the bright and aggressive images in the background. it also alludes to themes of death.

  • the back cover of the album uses text image integration and the same font as the logo and album name 

  • the image of the pixelated numbers and the use of '<>' at the beginning and end of the track numbers both allude to coding and computers which would have been cutting edge for 1994 when the album was released. 

  • the pixelated numbers are abstract enough that they don't distract from the text which is important 

  • the small print is included across the bottom here along with the logos of the labels and companies associated with the album, it does not appear on the from of the album as this would distract from the imagery 

vampire weekend//self titled album

  • In comparison to Radiohead's album Vampire Weekend use brighter colours on their front cover, this is due to their indie pop image compared to radio head's more indie rock oriented approach. 

  • the blue and the warm orange red contrast in terms of tone and warmth which makes the image visually interesting and the sepia colours and the white boarder give it the appearance of a polaroid photo which something commonly associated with indie culture due to the prevalence of vintage aesthetics and it also alludes to the associated between art and indie 

  • the image of the chandelier itself has associations with vampires that relate to the iconography the band are trying to establish, it also plays on the element of vintage again. the inclusion of the cartoon bats is whimsical and fun which adheres to the conventions of indie pop. the anonymity of the people in the photo is also conventional as a conceptual and mysterious element in indie videos or print is very common.

  • text image integration is used here and the font is a simple and clean sans serif in white which is conventional of indie as minimalism is a popular choice. 

  • the inside sleeve features the same image on the cover without the text and the blue border. it stresses the feeling of nostalgia built by the blurry and warm ones image, as if viewing it literally through rose tinted glasses.

  • the other inside sleeve shows the thank you and the acknowledgements on a plain white background in times new roman. this is extremely minimalist and emphasises the sincerity of the statements written there, it also causes the two panels to merge into one another creating a good sense of image integration and flow through the digipak.

  • the disc panel is also white and emphasises this.

  • the track list is also included in the inside back cover it is on a plain grey background in white times new roman font, this gives the impression that it is really the music that matters and should be taken seriously. 

  • the back cover also has the track list on it however this time in a more stylised and eye catching manner, the font is the same as on the front cover, which creates synergy between the panels.

  • the blue border also follows around the box like the white one does on the inside panel which ties it all together nicely. 

  • the colour platte used on this digipak is very simple and bright which directly links to the nature of the music and the tone of the sound. 

  • the image on the album cover links to nature and a sense of growth and independence which is conventional of indie music, it presents the artist as organic  

  • the image also features the silhouette of the artist himself which is more conventional for indie since glamorous glossy shots of the artists face is a pop convention 

  • the image itself stretches over both the back and the front cover which creates a nice sense of fluidity 

  • the font is a simple sans serif which is common among all of the digipaks i have looked at so far

  • the image on the inside cover is one the artist holding a yellow guitar, the colour matches the outside of the album and the silhouette that is holding an acoustic guitar

  • his face is obscured which also relates to the indie vs pop artist conventions mentioned earlier and presents him as humble, especially since the guitar is in front of him which symbolises the music coming first 

  • the disc and the disc panel both feature images of branches with yellow backgrounds which shows the same colour platte flowing through the entire digipack and is very minimalist which is also conventional and emphasises the association with organic music 

  • on all of the panels the artists name is in larger black font and the album title is in smaller white font, this shows that the name is more important. though in the context of the entire panel the name is smaller than the image and stresses the importance of the art and music over the fame which is a common and conventional indie attitude.

all time low//don't panic

jack johnson//in between dreams

  • uses a dark and earthy colour scheme which is conventional with indie

  • on the front cover of the album there is no picture of the band which shows that the music comes before public image

  • the image on the front, and in the rest of the digipak, is a cartoon illustration and shows the riot police facing against zombies, a kaiju, fire, bombs and aliens along with some panicked citizens. this is ironic due to the title of the album "don't panic" but it alludes to the idea of "things could aways be worse" which is a hopeful and optimistic attitude not often seen in indie music.

  • The band logo is used to show the band's name and continue their established iconography and a similar font is used for the title to create synergy.

  • text image integration is also used.

  • The rest of the digipak has the same colour palette and overall theme, however on the inside panels cartoon versions of the band appear in various life threatening situations looking seemingly unfazed. While reinforcing the message of their album 'don't panic' this adheres to the comical iconography of all time low and their close friendships. 

  • the band being cartoon shows the same distance from publicity and pubic image that is conventional of indie and their outfits are still conventional of the genre in terms of dark colours and simplicity. 

  • On the back cover the track list is simply in a bold black sans serif font on a blue background with the image fitting around it, it shows use of text imager integration and conventional minimalism.  

© 2016 LORNA BRETT-GREENACRE

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