Digipak/Album Cover Analysis

Michael Tibby 5250

Hip-Hop Genre

Chris Brown – F.A.M.E Digipak Analysis

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 all hip-hop genre

Albums. The clothing of the artist consists of caps and casual

clothing which is also common for this genre of hip hop. The images

used are extremely colourful which attracts the target audience

for this genre which tends to mainly be a younger audience aged 13-20, in addition it could

refer to the multiple talent of the artist and his artistic nature, in

particular his dancing and acting which invites the RnB target

audience profile as well as the hip hop side of his target audience to

be interested in his digipak.

The typography used is consistent throughout the album, 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 to show his flamboyancy which makes him as an artist stand out. It follows the graffiti style and stays consistent

throughout. Multiple colours are used however the typography is limited to blue and white on this front cover.

Front CoverThe main image is of the artist who appears to be looking at the camera. The direct mode of address shows confidence, his facial expression is a stern look which could be linked to

part of the persona of the artist as having quite a harsh

and masculine side to him. The use of this main image tells us

that the genre of music focuses on the image of the artist,

rather then mainly the music. It uses a graffiti style of

drawing which has references to the street and connotations

of an urbanized and underground theme. The artist

is seen with no musical instruments which suggests he

uses solely his voice.

Inside Panel CDBlack on white on background – creates a strong contrast making the image and font stand out to the audience, in addition it could denote another persona of the artist, being black and white conventionally having connotations of sophistication and Chris Brown’s persona of being stylish. The long shot allows audiences to see the costume and leant forward - arms back position that he is in, this is fairly reminiscent of Michael Jackson. This denotes the relationship between him and MJ (a song on the album is dedicated to Michael Jackson) but also his talent as a dancer.

Consistent typography. Graffiti style font however the colours have been changed in order to contrast with the white background.

Back CoverAnother picture of the artist on the back cover in a metal mask, which could have connotations of being imprisoned or hidden behind a mask especially in contradiction to the album title ‘F.A.M.E’, we cant see the artists face, which could be linked to his history from becoming famous, in particular the events that happened with his girlfriend at the time, Rihanna, the mask therefore could denote his shame or wanting to be obscured form the media’s vision. This time looking away form thecamera a wide shot is used, we can see his whole body including body language and costume which is more formal compared to the front cover again looking quite Michael Jackson like. The back cover seems to contrast in terms of the artist costume and the direct mode of address again showing multiple personas of the artist and denoting what comes with fame. Pink background makes the artist in black and the songs list stand out a lot more.

Black font this time not in the graffiti style fontcontrasts well with the pink background which isn’t dull or monochrome, which again shows the visual aspect of the hip hop genre music. Side panels show the album title and artist name, consistent to the front cover in terms of both font and colour.

J.Cole – Cole World The Sideline Story – Digipak Analysis

Front CoverThe main image shows J.Cole sitting on a bench looking directly at the camera denoting confidence. The use of a long shot enabling the audience to see all of the artist, including his position, costume but at the same time facial expression. From this a lot can be signified about the artist and his album. His leant forward-hands together position and facial expression is quite relaxed and slightly sympathetic, which when compared to Chris Browns facial expression was quite harsh and unsympathetic. The costume of the artist shows a fairly urbanized but at the same time sophisticated element to the artist, in addition there are also traces of wealth and success, for example his watch - this is quite subtle however, denoting it’s not common for him to mention materialistic things in his album.

The background image is of a locker room, this gives a lot more attention to the main image of the artist. In previous albums released by this artist such as “Friday Night Lights” J.Cole is featured in a basketball kit sitting on a basketball. This theme has been carried through a few of his albums. Again the idea of locker rooms in a school has been used on this album this time the idea of ‘being on the bench’ which denotes the mindset of J.Cole since being signed by Jay-Z and the impression of being on the sideline waiting for his turn to be chosen.

Typography used is consistent similar to al other digipaks however font size of the artist this time is larger then the font size of the album, this could have connotations of the artists name being well known, it could also just be for the layout of the digipak and general aesthetics.

Inside Panel CD

Consistent typography used throughout digipak including on CD. The adaption of the letter ‘O’ to make it look like a devil has been used in other albums released by this artist which creates consistency and almost creates a symbol for the artist that the audience use to recognize him. In addition it could represent part of the artists persona as being quite devilish, having a bad side to him as well as a good side - which is represented by the halo on the letter ‘E’ of his name.

The idea of being on the ‘sideline’ is used again as the image on the CD. It shows a basketball court which denotes the feeling of being on the bench and waiting to be put in the game. which in real life represents his chance as an artist, since being signed with Jay-Z, (who is seen as the coach) to generally become a more mainstream hip hop artist.

Back Cover

Consistent use of typography, capitalized white font for the track names, and red coloured font for the track numbers and artists featured in songs. The capitalized white font has been made a larger size than the red font, it stands out against the dark background and grabs the audiences attention. Record label and certificates are also featured on the back cover again using the consistent red and white font.

The background image is similar to the front cover of the digipak in terms of using a photo of the artist on a plain background, this time a much more simplistic black background which makes audiences focus on the two main subjects of the back cover – the track list and the image of the artist. Side panels allows the audience to read what the album is when stood on a shelf, more importantly continuous use of colours to create consistency throughout the album.

The foreground image features J.Cole sitting down similar to the front cover image, light is focused onto the subject which gives focus to the artists image, similarly his costume represents an urbanized fashionable trend which could be representative of his target audience profile. Consistency is managed with the use of the black and red jacket, and this time he is looking away from the camera which denotes, along with his position, a much more relaxed and also profound image, this could relate to some of his songs as being quite insightful with a lot of meaning to them.

Front Cover

Jay-Z – The Black Album Digipak Analysis

The main image of the artist is very obscured, the audience doesn’t see all of Jay-Z’s face besides his nose and lips, and unusually for Jay-Z this digipak doesn’t consist of materialistic objects such as expensive jewellery or cars which is usually fairly typical of some of his more recent music. The fact that this album was an earlier release of around 2003 could be representative of the image and the fact that he had to start off with the bare minimum to work up to his current status, fortune and fame. The image is all black with no other colours which makes it very simplistic and ideal to carry across the idea of the image representing all that Jay-Z is for example, as said by NME magazine, ‘The king of New York’

The background is all black to match the image and make the audience focus on the artist image and 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, 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 that white on black is used.

NME also said that he ‘changed American music’ his position on the digipak is quite representative of a person who is confident to achieve big things and has authority, in addition an aspect of masculinity is also portrayed through the image used.

Inside Panel CD

Consistency created through use of white font on black background, and the simplistic design of the digipak is carried out through to the back cover with the use of majorly black colouring. The plain black background could be suggestive of Jay-Z’s 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, this promotes Jay-Z as its his record label and again a white capitalized font is used to create consistency, the use of capital font could signify Jay-Z’s persona as an individual/unique hip hop artist, separate from others in the industry. Culturally the use of capital letters in someone’s name also adds to a sense of uniqueness.

Back Cover

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 centre of attention and the most important thing on the back panel. This makes the audience focus on the track names rather than anything else.