Digipak Analysis- in depth

Amy Winehouse- Back to Black (Special Edition)

The front of this special edition album shows ‘Amy Winehouse Back to Black’ featured in large letters of the signature font that her name is often written in on festival posters/ adverts etc. The background is plain black which reflects the album title ‘Back to Black’ also this suggests a dark theme the album. As well, two silver stickers are on the cover; one reads ‘Special Edition’ to emphasise to the potential buyer that this is a special version of the album encouraging them to want to buy it. The right hand sticker mentions that Amy Winehouse was the first ever female artist to win 5 Grammy awards, also it mentions that there are 8 new studio recordings including ‘Valerie’ one of her most well-known songs. All of these statements on this sticker are used as tools to pull the audience in and make them want to buy it.

On the back of the cover the the track list is down the left hand side in a similar font to the cover aswell as a similar diaganal tilt. In small font underneath these is information regarding the producers of each track. Underneath the reguar track lists is the list of songs on the bonus CD. Underneath this is copywright information which is a legal requirment but is written in a small font to prevent it taking over the back cover. At the very bottom of the page is two website links to Amy Winehouse’s own website and MySpace page which was a popular social network at the time of production encouraging the younger generation to find out more about her and her music. In the top right corner is the barcode, this is a requirment for it to be sold over the counter in a shop. It is in the top corner to stop it effecting the chosen layout of the page as it isn’t an interesting design feature. Bellow this are the logos of the record label, producer, and distributor.

The CD casing flips over the reveal the bonus disk on the other side. The Cd itself is matte  black with the artist name and album title writen in the same font as the cover allong the bottom half of the disk. The text is written in a shiny black which makes it hard to see in certain lighting but gives a mysterious/dark effect reflecting the artist’s music.

The front cover of the CD slides out as a booklet. Inside the book are a set of photogrphs of the artist with each song’s lyrics alongside. This allows the consumer to get to know the artist better aswell as their music and lyrics.

Chris Brown- F.A.M.E

The front cover is a computerised graphic image with a portrait of Christ Brown in the centre. The album title ‘FAME’ is written in a drippy font which matches the dripping of the image featured above. The artist name is written in the bottom left corner in a graffiti font which is in a purple that matches bits of purple in the image. The artist name is not commonly written in such as small place but because of the establishment of the artist the audience will be immediately aware of who’s album it is just by looking at the portrait on the front.

The back cover is a pink colour which matches some shades on the front cover. The song titles are aligned right and written in bold black lettering to contrast against the pink. On the left is a male figure wearing a helmet and gloves which give the album a futuristic look. Underneath the track list is information about the producers of the album with the heading Executive ‘Producers’ and ‘Management’ in white to separate this from the other text. Bellow this is 4 websites that the consumer may like to visit because they are interested in the artist for example the artists own website and the record company website. The logos of these companies are in black underneath to show a contrast and separation from the white text giving it a structured look. In the bottom right corner is the barcode; this is often placed in a corner to prevent it from getting in the way of the chosen layout. Beside the barcode in an even smaller black font is the legalese which is a requirement but not always of great interest for the consumer.

Inside the CD casing there is another image of Christ brown in the same graffiti style as the cover the colours used are matching the overall theme throughout. On the right, the disk is white with a black and white image of a futuristic man with a helmet which matches the image on the back of the CD. This monochromatic disk contrasts against its colourful surroundings. The same font of the artist name and album title from the cover are featured on the disk itself in small writing in the bottom half of the disk. In small black letters is the copyright information curved around to the shape of the disk to prevent it taking up unnecessary space in the layout. At the very bottom of the disk there are the logos record label, producer and distributor.

The front cover of the CD slides out and opens up to be a booklet with photographs of the artist as well as information about the production of each song. 

Kings of Leon- Only by the Night

The front cover of the album features a section of each of the band members face combined with that of an eagle which gives the band a wild mysterious look. The yellowed filter used on the image gives the album a vintage look. The band name is written in small green writing in the top left corner which is hard to see at a glance but works for this band because they are so well established and successful that they will be instantly recognized from the image which is similar to the image used on their magazine advert poster as previously analysed. A small red ‘record’ dot is in the top left corner to give the effect of night vision filming of wildlife as the image and yellow filter suggest. In the top right corner is the album name ‘Only by night’ which is in the same size, colour and style font as the band name. Underneath the band name is a sticker showing 3 well known songs that feature on the album that may persuade a potential consumer to buy it.

On the back cover is the rear of the falcons head as if turning the case over turns over the faces also. The same ‘night vision’ filter continues onto this cover to keep the theme and effect running throughout. Down the left hand side is the track list in alternating white and green text to format it in a tidy way. The text is written sideways which gives the album an exciting alternative twist that not many other albums typically use.  Along the bottom are the producer’s names as well as the logos of distributors and production companies. These are all in a pale brown text to standout against the black feathers of the eagle. Along the left hand side is copyright information in the same colour font to contrast against the black in the background. This is written small and on the side to fit into the chosen space without taking over the back cover as it is a legal requirement but not often of immediate interest to the listener. The barcode is also on the side to match this text; this is done to keep it in line without obstructing the image.

When opening the CD casing the left hand cover shows a graphics of a camera screen looking into darkness continuing the theme and on the right, the disk in green and resembles the lends of a night vision camera. There is no text titling the disk but there are logos of the companies involved in production and copyright information in small white lettering curving around the circumference of the disk.

The front cover of the CD case sides out and folds into a bo

oklet showing a large landscape photograph of the band members profile; this is the first time their full faces are featured in the album. The same green filter is used on this photograph to continue the running theme. Beside each and member is their name as well as their role in the band. On the far right page are production information as well as copyright and the bands website address. On the flip side of the leaflet is the track list again in green and white font to contrast against the black background. Also there are faint black words all over the page that can only be seen clearly when you tilt the leaflet into the light, this adds to the mysterious appearance of the band.

Muse- Black Holes and Revelations

The front cover of the CD shows 4 bald men in strange suits sitting at a table on a red planet like surface, there are horses on the tale and one of the men is wearing strange head gear. This all helps form the futuristic image of this album and also because the band is not photographed themselves it shows them as mysterious. This theme links well with the album name ‘Black Holes and Revelations’ relating to space. The band name and album title are written in the top left corner in the typical MUSE font that is often use for their band. The frequent use of this font shows them as well established and easily recognizable. The dark blue text stands out against the light blue sky in the background. Along the bottom is a strip sticker showing well known and successful songs that feature on the album as well as reviews from well-known papers and magazines further encouraging the potential buyer to buy the album.

The rear of the album shows a red planet landscape continuing the theme of the album so far. The track list is written in the bottom left corner in capital white lettering to make it stand out against the background. Underneath the track list is the barcode, this is placed in the corner as typically done for CD cases to prevent it taking up space on the overall layout that may make it look less effective. Beside the barcode are two logos of production and distribution companies that worked on the album. Above is the URL to the bands website, this encourages fans to get involved closer with the band. In the bottom right, there is the copyright information in very small lettering ads this is a legal requirement but is not wanted to take over the page. All of the text here is in white to make it easily visible against the bright colours in the background.

When opening the casing, the CD is matte black with shiny black lettering saying the band name and album title; this continues to add to the mysterious look of the band. Around the outer circumference of the disk there is copyright information again as well as the production and distribution logos. This is all in white to make it contrast and stand out against the black background. On the left is an image of the band, the first we have seen on this album. It is a low lit dark image of the 3 members further emphasising their mysterious image. When you remove the disk from the  casing there is a red circular planet underneath (possibly Mars) which adds to the interest of the artwork and the space theme.

The cover of the album slides out and folds into a booklet with arty graphic designs of space like images as well as a few photographs of the band themselves. Each track is listed in the booklet and the lyrics are there to involve the consumer further and encouraging them to sing along to the band. The booklet is sufficiently more colourful than the outer album casing but the colours still match those used on the front and back covers.