Digipak analysis

Analysis 1 - Jay-Z

The main artist (Jay-Z) is very obscured, the audience cannot see the whole of his face besides his nose and lips, unlike Jay Zs previous albums, he has not got extravagant and expensive jewelry and cars, this is more common for his recent music as his songs are of that genre. However, this album cover is different. The fact that this album was released in 2003 shows how he has developed since then and how he has come from the start of his career to where he is now. The image is matte black with no other colors which identifies his genre of music. The background is all black to match the image and make the audience focus on the artist and the image and the features that stand out. The costume of the artist is urbanized which relates to the genre and the artists lifestyle. The use of the cap covers his eyes and creates a dark shadow, this is a direct mode of address is still used even though we cant see his eyes which denotes confidence but also to add to the simplistic style of the digipak. The capitalized font is used to attract the audience, especially due to the fact is white on black. 

The consistent use of black and white throughout the digipak suggests Jay-Z subtle high status. The plain black background could be suggestive of Jay-Zs subtle but high  status that he obtains i.e he doesn't need to show off with expensive objects and the plain background is quite representative of this. In addition the black and white could also denote sophistication, where commonly white and black represents wealth and class for example white and black parties. The record label is shown along with the website of it, the promotes Jay-Z as its his own record label and again a white capitalized font is used to create, the use of capital font could signify Jay-Zs persona as an individual/unique hip hop artist, separate from others in the industry. Culturally the use f capital letters in someones name also adds to a sense of uniqueness.

The same typography is used along with the black background which creates consistency on the digipak. The font is again capitalized but also its aligned to the middle of the page, its center of attention and the most important thing on the back panel. This makes the audience focus on the track names rather than anything else on the panel.

Analysis 2 - Chris Brown

The direct mode of address shows confidence, his facial expression is a stern look which could be linked to part of the persona is the artist as having quite a harsh and masculine side to him. The main image of the artist (Chris Brown) is looking directly at the camera. The use of this main image tells the audience that the genre of music focuses on the image, rather than the music itself. It uses graffiti style of text which has references to the street and connotations of an urbanized and underground theme. The artist is seen with no musical objects or props which suggests his music is only from his voice. The background image of the front cover is very image orientated just like the main image, it focuses on the visuals of the artist. This is similar for most of the hip-hop genre albums. The clothing of the artist consists of caps and casual clothing which is also common for this type of music genre (rap). The images used are extremely colorful which attracts the target audience for this genre which normally is teens aged 13-20. In addition to this is could also refer to the multiple talent of the artist and his artistic nature, especially his dancing which attracts his RnB target audience profile as well as the hip hop side of his target audience. The typography used is consistent throughout the album cover, the title 'F.A.M.E' stands out even on the chaotic background and foreground images due to the use of capitalized letters and large font which could be used show his success which makes him stand out. 

The bold white on black background creates a strong contrast making the image and font stand out to the audience, in addition to this it could denote another persona of the artist, being black and white conventionally having connotations of sophistication and Chris Browns  persona of being stylish. The long shot allows the audience to see the costume and to see that he is leant forward, arms back and in the position that he is in. This is fairly similar to a Michael Jackson dance move. This denotes the relationship between him and MJ (there is a song in his album dedicated to MJ) but also his talent as a dancer. Consistent typography. Graffiti style font, the colors have been edited to create an effective contrast.

  

The artist is yet again center image for the back cover. The font is standard black, different from the graffiti font from the previous pages. The background isn't dull or boring, which again shows the visual aspect of hip-hop genre music. The side panel shows the album title and artist name, consistent to the front cover as it has the same font and color. The artist is looking away from the camera, using a wide angle shot we can see his whole body including his body language and costume which is more formal compared to his front cover on looking more like Micheal Jackson. He is wearing a helmet which could connote danger or violence. This could show what he had to get through to be where he is now (career). It could also connote his history from becoming famous, in particular the events with his previous girlfriend, Rihanna. The mask could therefore connote insecurity and the hunger to be hidden from the media. This is again emphasised from his position, looking away from the camera.

Analysis 3 - Lana Del Ray

The front cover of this digipak is very contradictory of the album title and the songs within it. The cover is extremely bright with a high contrast filter on which makes the cover have a fake effect. This could symbolize as a mask to cover the true meanings of the songs in the album. The bright baby blue colour of the sky and the buttoned up shirt connotes innocence. However, her facial expression whilst she is looking down at the camera suggests some form over power and dominance. Yet, she still looks American and pretty, this may suggest that she is fine on the outside and that is covering how she really is on the inside. Maybe feeling heart broken or unhappy. This may be something that her fans will identify and therefore will connect better with her music. The mid-shot of her on the cover connotes that she wants to connect better with her audience, and feel the same as them by being 'the same level' as them. 

The CD is plain white with three red roses. The white background can be associated with goodness, innocence and purity. It is also considered to be a color of perfection. However, Like the front cover and back cover, the red roses provide a dramatic contrast against the innocent representation being displayed. The redness of the roses represent danger, strength, power, and love. Similarly to the rest of the digipak, the contradictions in colors could represent lanas two part identity. Her exterior represented by the white background, and her inner side contrasting her emotions and feelings. (red roses)

When viewing the back cover the innocence that is represented changes. The back cover is red which is normally associated with danger. The text is in black and white which makes the cover look very simple and plain. This simple representation links back to the indie genre, as it differs from mainstream culture, pop-cultures tend to have glamorous and up-market digipaks. The colors connote danger, and lust which is also represented by her lyrics in some of her songs which creates a link between the narrative of the album and her identity as a singer. Unlike the front cover, this cover does suit the name of the album. This is because the albums narrative is layed out in a layered structure which represents Lanas true identity and feelings which the audience can identify with. 

My analysis of this digipak has helped develop some ideas and got me thinking about the production of my own digipak. Conducting this analysis has made me aware of the conventions used in digipaks when it comes to an Indie artist, although, in this genre there are really no boundaries or no ‘set conventions’, as essentially ‘anything goes’. I have learnt that the conventions-if any- are simplistic and have hidden meanings and values that exaggerate the uniqueness of the Indie genre and draw the target audience to the product.