Digipak Deconstruction

The Black Keys – El Camino

El Camino by The Black Keys is a digipak that consists on four inside faces that open up. The CD is not kept in a plastic holder, but inside a slot in one of the faces. It also contains a small book containing lyrics, drawing and information about the band.

The cover art for The Black Keys is a outdated American vehicle in a very run-down location. The definition of ‘El Camino’ that best fits this situation is that of a vehicle that is difficult to decide whether it is a car, or a truck. This relates to the car/van on the front of the cover. There is a black frame around the edges of the digipak; this fits well with the color and font of the albums title. Both the title and the name of the artist are on show for easy viewing. The artwork theme does not resemble to the style of music they produce.

The inside faces of the digipak are all sticking very much to the same theme. All three sides are of different vehicles, in a very similar location. There is a small information booklet under the far left face, and the CD is found under the far right. The fact that the theme of the album is El Camino cars, it could represent the idea that they are not one single genre, but are quite difficult to decide which best represents them. The age of the cars could also resemble the band members themselves, as they are fast approaching their mid-thirties and therefore, are no longer considered ‘young’ in the music industry, as the cars are also viewed as outdated. The photographs themselves also look quite dated, they have a sepia tone to them which could represent age.

The back cover of he digipak contains all the tracks on the album, as well as fitting in perfectly to the theme of the album. Although, the tracks of the album are not displayed as the main feature of the final face, but as a small text below the image. The black font matches the boarder very effectively; the slightly dulled colour of the image looks substantially more vibrant than if the text was to be a different colour.

Flying Lotus – Until The Quite Comes

The artist Flying Lotus has chosen to not use the usual two-side flip digipak, but a four-sided case instead. The inside of the case had four faces, including the plastic CD holder. By using this many sides, the artist has a chance to be extremely creative with the packaging for their music.

The image visible on the front of the digipak is 3D; there are different levels to the image, creating the illusion that you are able to view behind sections of the photograph. The colours resemble that of a fire, reflecting the wildness, yet darkness, of his music. The image itself is unclear, resulting in the fan creating their own interpretation of what the image is presenting and its meaning. As a result, the artist has created an alluring cover for their music.

The inside of ‘Until The Quite Comes’ is very much themed similar to the artwork on the cover. The same colours and patterns are used on three sides of the faces inside the digipak, with the forth being the CD holder. The second face of the digipak produces an image of a character very similar to Death, or the Grim Reaper. The hooded image results in the case becoming significantly more sinister; it relates back to the albums title ‘Until The Quiet Comes’, with the quite being death. The colours used are very striking, the orange, reds and greens merge well together to create a surreal, almost sinister scene. The fact that the only clear shape one can make out of the album art is Death, the other sides are quite difficult to merge into clear shapes. The design of the CD is very simple, it is a plain black disk, with the title of the album embossed; the simplicity of the plain black disk fits very well with the darkness of the entire case.

The back cover of the digipak doesn’t contain the tracks on the album. This is very unusual for an artist to do, as the tracks are one of the major selling points for the album. The same theme is used throughout and can be seen again on the final face. Except this time, the colourful waves are placed inside a thick boarder, unlike the rest of the album.

Sleigh Bells – Reign of Terror

The digipak design that Sleigh Bells have decided to use for their album ‘Reign of Terror is a three-side flip out case. The case consists of the interior including three separate faces/sides. The plastic CD holder itself is in the center of the interior, basing the artwork around its positioning.

The album artwork on the front cover of the digipak as very effective at drawing the buyer’s eye. The image very band, except for a pair of white shoes, with a red splash marks covering both shoes. The red paint could be interpreted as blood, and the white canvas shoes as purity; as if something innocent has been corrupted. The poor condition of the shoes could represent hardship that the band has been through, or their ‘messy’ style of music. The artists name is not visible on the cover, leaving the image to sell the band.

The inside image relates hugely to the style of music that Sleigh Bells produces a largely guitar based sound. The three-sided case is used very cleverly, as the artwork is an electric guitar stretched across the entirely of the inside case. The guitar also has a ‘parental advisory’ label placed on the side, giving the impression that the contents of the CD’s music is not for a younger audience; this idea is also seen in the blood splattered shoes on the front of the case. The design of the case is very simplistic. The disk is cleverly incorporated into the centre of the guitar; it fits in perfectly, enabling the buyer to be able to match the disk to the cover without knowing. This may be because the name of the band and artist is found on the disk of the album, not the album itself. Behind the left face of the digipak, is a small booklet on the artist, and special features that are provided due to purchasing the special edition digipak.

The back face of the digipak is different to the theme of the rest of the album. Again, it does not contain any information about the tracks, album or the artist. Instead, the tracks on he album are found of the digipaks CD. The pattern is very similar to an army camouflage uniform; this is very unusual, as it does not particularly relate to the plain design of the rest of the album.