XX Digipak Analysis

The XX ‘Coexist’ digipak cover carries a basic and yet abstract design as the band is extremely consist with the image they portray and create as a band when launching their second studio album. The front panel of the XX digipak exhibits a distinctive and very simplistic colour scheme consisting of settles oil pastel colours on the bands logo and white colour scheme on the cover and throughout the entire digipak. The simplistic layout truly reflects the nature of the alternative/ indie pop genre. Furthermore the contrast between the white, black and oil pastel colours and the large x logo featured dominantly on the digipak cover somewhat creates an easier observation therefore putting more emphasis on the band logo drawing the audiences attention to the key elements of the digipak cover. The 'X' happens to be the main focal point, which is a consistent theme for The XX as it is also included on their old albums. However it is very unique but basic which overall reflects the bands vibe as they make unique music, which is very simple and creative but also establishes brand identity making the xx logo a recognizable brand. The existing colour scheme within the Digipak coincides with the name of the album "Coexist" in a perfect manner of resembling coexisting through the use the simple colours of Black and White which has been done throughout the history of humanity and a famous example is Ying and Yang. These simple colours actually express a lot in terms of the name "coexist". However the iridescent oil spill is also included inside. This I believe represents human society coexist in the world, so the multiple colours in the oil spill resembles this as well individuality and being unique truly representing the nature of the indie genre and sub-culture. In addition the use of the simple theme that run throughout the entire digipak connotes the greater importance of the music over the visual aesthetics of the digipak, which is typically associated with alternative and indie. Moreover another convention established on the cover panel of the XX digipak is that the band are not usually featured on the cover, which again connotes the greater

importance of the music over the materialistic aesthetics or persona of the artists rejecting the conventions of the pop genre emphasizing the bands ‘alternative’ and ‘indie’ image. This also anchors ideologies about those who create Indie music and how they want to present themselves in a raw way and for their love for the music itself to overpower everything else about the band. This appeals to alternative audiences and makes the band seem easier to relate to as it suggest the bands have not Fallen subject to the celebrity subculture. There are no iconic elements other than the bands logo that stand out. For example, the X on the front of the CD cover, as well as on the insert and CD itself is easily recognizable establishing brand identity for the band. The fact that The XX has used their logo to allow people to identify the album is very stereotypical of an indie band, which is what they are. Many indie bands such as the 1975 with the rectangle, Arctic Monkeys with the AM, The National with the N and so on. It’s very stereotypical for an indie band to use their own designed logo to sell their album whereas pop or R&B artists use themselves. The digipak is very conceptual and contains a variety of different images. Most of the images use strange colours and shapes, which makes them very hard to make out what they are. This is very stereotypical for an indie band as many other bands such as Alt-J use a similar technique.

Lastly another aspect that makes the XX ‘Coexist’ cover standout is the cut out logo features. This makes the cover a slightly more of a 3 dimensional and unique successfully bringing out the texture of the oil graphics to the forefront on the digipak cover panel connoting a sense of individuality, being on the outer edge, being different to which represents to the true nature of the indie genre

Inside panel

The inside of the digipak offers a continuation simplistic white and oil graphic theme but injects a slightly brighter use of the oil colour on the CD itself. The inner panels also introduce an insert pocket again featuring the cut out and oil cross graphic. This pocket has a curved edge to create a very finished look, at the same time as sustaining a sense of simplicity. I have noticed that the digipak does not feature a photo of the artists themselves, this is an indication they are already well known and have no need to publicize their image.

The Back Panel

The back panel of the XX ‘Coexist’ digipak provided a list of the songs in the simple rounded non serif font that is carried throughout the digipak and the cover. The artwork style is not continued on the back cover, it is left white to not detract away from the cover and to fit with the minimalistic style. As with most other digipaks, the xx ‘coexist’ album keep and incorporate mandatory digipak features on the back panel and spine of the album such as UPC Barcode (Universal Product Code), A barcode is the standard method for distribution company's of tracking digital and physical music sales. In addition the spin and back cover of the digipak feature the record label, which distributed the album. The record company tag is often featured and found on the back of the digipak as an indication of production rights and The record company’s logo is also visible to reference those involved and credit production. Additional features on the back panel of the xx digipak consist of copyright notice and publishing information.

It is clear the artist has kept the simple graphic very consistent throughout the artwork. Synergy is evidently very important for this artist. This helps link all of the pieces of the digipak together and also create a sense of a finished product.

The graphic is very simple and abstracted yet maintains the link to the natural word the artist and the genre have. In my own digipak I will strive to keep this level of consistency as I feel it provides a much more professional look to the product.