Digipak.

A Digi-pak style of packaging is often used for CD singles or special editions of CD albums. It is typically made from cardboard with an internal plastic holder for one or more discs. The front of the digipack will most likely have some aspect of what the artist represents. It will also embody a theme or a message of the artists image. The digipak will relate to the album or single, the imagery used will be linked to the lyrics and visuals in the track. Although CD’s are in their decline true fans will buy the digipack as a sign of loyalty to the artist. I this slide show I’m going to look analyse a variety of different digipaks in my genre to get inspiration for when I create my digipack. I’m going to look at how they are styled and laid out to attract the audience and also inform them about the band and what's in the album/single.

The common layout of a Digipak.

Here is an example of what digipaks look like:

Marilyn Manson “Born Villain”

The first digipak I am going to look at is from the album of Born Villain by Marilyn Manson, this album is in the industrial rock genre and you can clearly see this from the digipak which is key as the audience needs to clearly spot the genre when in the shops.

The first part of the digipak I will look at is the front cover, the font is sharp with a strong white to match this. The cover looks quite gothic and futuristic and the image is a close up of the star of course, you can immediately tell this is an industrial rock cover with the black and white colours and gothic style.

The back cover has the initials of the star in a unique image which looks like a blade of some sort which matches the genre. All of his tracks in his album are listed bedside the image going downwards which is unique and matches the style of the genre. The small print at the back mentions that this album is under exclusive license to Cooking Vinyl Ltd which is the independent record label that Manson is signed for.

The actual disc shows the same image as on the back cover which is a symbol which perhaps represents something about the artist, or maybe it is something featured in the tracks and therefore is placed on the album covers.

The tray card lists all of the information about the album such as the writers and managers etc., it is very clear about this and list who wrote each track ect. Legal information is also on here such as copyright ownership ect. The writing is laid out in a circle and looks unusual like the track perhaps.

Overall this digipak is very simplistic however shows what the artist is about and clearly shows the genre. The font is quote futuristic maybe as there is a hint of techno is the tracks. The digipak conveys an image about the artist showing an extreme close up of him and showing the symbol representing something about the track or the artist. They label all the personal and recording information also.

Ramstien “Rosenrot”

The next digipak I am going to look at is by Ram stein and the album is called ‘Rosenrot’, this digipak is different to the previous one I analysed and features just one image spread across the whole album which must represent something important i.e. : about the lyrics, the videos or the band itself. The whole cover features a crashed boat in the Antarctic and must represent something special about the album if it the image on the cover. The front cover features the boat and the rest of the cover is the surrounding of the Antarctic. This is also a very simple digipak with just one image spread across the all of the panels, This image is obviously a focus point of the album and links to the lyrics. here it is:

The text on this album is also a strong crisp white and has a bold futuristic font.

The back cover features all the tracks and the times and also has information about piracy ect at the bottom, the universal trademark logo is also visible and included at the bottom to show that rights belong to them.

Inside this CD there is also a booklet that has been made showing all the band members and what it looks like to be background information about the album and what is means (from what I can tell because its in German)

Overall this digipak is also simple and unusual for the genre. The colours are still dark and ghostly which still fits the genre however its not a stereotypical representation of the genre. The layout however certainly stands out and is very bold.

Information about copyright is listed on the back panel with a logo from the FBI.

These white strips are featured on some of Ramsteins other album covers and represent something about the band.

Nine inch Nails “With Teeth”

This is the Digipak to Nine Inch Nails album “With Teeth” released in 2006. This album is very simple like the Marilyn Manson cover. The front cover features the Nine Inch Nails logo ‘NIN’ in the centre so the audience can identify it quickly when looking for it. The colour scheme is very simple with a mix of black, grey, and blue. The outside panels feature just the NIN logo and a simple colour scheme. The blurred/scratched effect is used of the panels as this is what some of the videos feature and this is the image the band gives off. On the front cover there is a parental advisory stamp noting that there is explicit content in the album, this clearly outlines the demographic they are going for. The back panel like Ramstein album cover has an FBI warning note on the back panel about piracy which is a big issue in the industry as they can be easily copied. For this album the tracks included are featured in the inside of the digipak, also on this panel are the producers ect. Again it is a white simple and bold capital font. Furthermore one of the panels of course features the lead singer, this time it is a mid close shot of the singer in a black leather jacket. However half of his face is blurred/scratched out and this follows onto the disc panel making the disc looked scratched. This Is a very cool feature and because some of the videos feature these effects it is used on the digital. This could also have a deeper meaning about the band and the associates to the lyrics.

Overall this digipak is very simple however effective. This is a digipak I think I could create and it also shows the genre clearly with the dark colours and effects.

Death Stars “The Perfect Cult”

The front cover of this digipak is very striking compared to the other covers we have looked at. The main colour is grey and black and is meant to imitate a statue of a bird. The text at the Top looks futuristic and looks war type font. It is very bold and worn down and looks like chalk. The bottom font which is the album title is in lower case and looks more creepy kind of like horror font. The symbol in the middle obviously represents something about the band or the lyrics in the album. The artists themselves are not on the digipak like the ramstein cover and promotes more of the lyrics and album more than the band. I really like the cover for this album because it is unique and very striking and is not the typical album cover like the nine inch nails cover. The symbol on the front also matches the record label nuclear blast which is cool as the front symbol is about war and nukes link into that.

The back cover is like the image on the front however smaller to fit the tracks featured in the album around it. The two images on the front and back link with the tracks accordingly as the front images links with tracks like ‘asphalt wings’ and the back image links with tracks like ‘ghost reviver’ and ‘bodies’. The track ‘explode’ also links with the record label. The whole image of the band links with the record company which is something they perhaps planned. The record labels logo has been placed around the digipak, there is a notice at the bottom which states ‘all rights reserved’. The stone type theme continues along to the back however darkens a bit more. I would have to say this is my favourite digipak so far in terms of the design. I also like the way the tracks have been laid out at the back with big and small fonts circled around the skulls giving a ghostly/spiritual feel. Overall I really liked this digipak however it fits the record label more than the genre I would say.

Conventions of a Digipak.

The conventions of Digipak’s in my genre are:Dark, simple colours that spread across the

whole digipack on all sides. Pictures of the artists on the cover or inside to

sell the band. Record label on the back of the digipak or on

the spine. Warning of piracy ect. Producers/writers ect listed. Images linked to the lyrics of the tracks.Overall the digipak’s need to show the genre

and link to the lyrics in the track or music videos. They need to be simple and effective.