Digipak initial plan

DIGIPAK DESIGN

The design for the Digipak will be a typical 6 panelled case, the panels will consist of images which relate to the music video, 'Antiques'. the first front panel will be of the female character from the Music video. Around the edge of the image the Title and a Wooden border can be edited in to make the slide seem informative and link to the natural imagery surrounding the genre.

On the opposite side of this front slide, which will be the left inside panel, there will be an image of the Bunny from our music video, the bunny will be located in the 'Dream world' from the second half of the music video. The inside panel on the right will be the exact same location but has the Female character in the shot instead of the Bunny, this creates juxtaposition between the sides as well as creating symmetry. This will make the inside of the CD case seem far more interesting and appealing to the audience.

The central panel on the inside will consist of two very similar images, the first image will be of the Bunny standing up against a wall staring straight into the camera. Below the bunny the Album Title will be edited in, this image will be printed onto the CD. The second image will be behind the CD and will consist of the same location but will not have the bunny within the image. Instead the wall will be visible and the audience will notice that it is a location from the music video. The wall is covered with graffiti which questions the dreamlike state that the female character is in and is rather effective within the video.

The Back of the inner middle panel will be the back of the outer 3 panels. In this panel a bottle will cover half the shot whilst its label covers the other half, this is going to be the bottle from the music video which was a reference to Alice in Wonderland. On the label will be the list of tracks in the album as well as the title of the album.

The final panel is left of the outer middle panel, it will fold in to sit next to the inner left panel, therefore it must include an image which relates both to the bunny and the bottle. For this panel I decided to have the female character from the music video drinking from the bottle, the image will be side on and will allow the audience to see the blurred figure of the bunny through the bottle.

Each of these panels will be in colour even though the music video itself consisted mainly of black and white shots. This is mainly due to the fact that a colourful image is more likely to attract the average customer as well as making the the album known to its target audience through a specific colour palette.

Album Cover Analysis

King Creosote and Jon Hopkins
Album: Diamond Mine, released 2011
Strengths:

The outdated yet vintage Style represents the acoustic instruments used.

Black and White surrounded by sepia creates a nostalgic feeling and links to the genre.

The Antique font links to the time that the genre originated, the image on top of a box also links to this antique feel.

Weaknesses:

The weaknesses are the Bland colours palette and a lack of imagery linking to the style of music.

king creosote and jon hopkins

Album: Honest Words, 2011

Strengths:

 The organised colour imagery links to the many instruments within the band and the bright colours link to the calming style of the Genre.

The names are outlined in the centre of the image to show the bands importance amongst the ordered boxes; this could link to the importance of folk music within the industry.

The outdated wooden chests link to the vintage and antique feel to the genre.

Weaknesses:

It lacks information about the band, it doesn’t explain much about the genre.

This has helped show me how to link context to the band and what style of album cover is not successful.

Beirut

Album: The Ripe Tide, released 2011

Strengths:

 The Artists name and album name are easy to see.

It is very Simplistic.

Weaknesses:

The album cover does not explain anything about the band.

The colour palette is very bland and unappealing, it therefore does not portray the music.

The font is uninteresting and the two colours used clash painfully.

Laura Marling

Album: Alas I cannot swim, released 2008

Strengths:

The colourful flower imagery relates to the tempo and style of Music.

The matching CD links to the 1970's and the imagery of Flower Power, this links to the audience it is appealing towards.

Stands out amongst other album covers

Weaknesses:

Far too much action on the cover, the title and artists name are surrounded by two many clashing Images, this makes it harder for the Artist to be recognised.

The Civil Wars
Album: Barton Hollow, released 2011
Strengths:

Imagery links to the name of the Band, "The Civil Wars' The imagery of War links to the idea of Hardship which links to the idea of dirt and poverty.

The images shown are very detailed and the album name sits clear to read upon the image.

Weaknesses:

The Album cover does not make the genre or style of music apparent, this is a similar genre to the other artists shown but its album cover negates its genre. This therefore means that it is not appealing to its target audience.

Laura Stevenson and the cans

Album: Sit Resist, released 2011Strengths:

The Album name is very clearly outlined and easy to research into.

Weaknesses:

The Artists name is not visible within the image.

The chair does not help symbolise the style of music and this causes the target audience to be missed.

To conclude, a good album cover must appeal to its target audience whilst also symbolising the style of the music and genre. It must stand out as an Image as well as keeping the Title and Artists name clearly visible, therefore a good Album Cover must be understood by its target audience as well as the mainstream shopper.