Digipak Analysis

Rihanna - LOUD

As a pop artist, Rihanna is likely to maintain the bright and vibrant representations. Her digipak conforms to the characteristics of the pop genre. The extreme close up used on the front cover gives the audience a very personal image of the artist. She has a flawless complexion and her red lips and red hair compliment each other very elegantly. Her make up is quite natural (overlooking the red lip) therefore paints this album as quite personal and up close.

The colours used are quite simplistic, this is a trait found in the pop genre as it creates a very polished professional look which is desired in this genre. The digipak has bright colours to conform to the bright and vibrant characteristics of the genre but is not overpowering and overly busy. The reoccurring red colours, in the hair, lips and roses allow the digipak to look very thoughtfully put together and discard the risk of it looking untidy and less than perfect.

The photograph used is just one all along the triple gatefold. This creates a very polished and grand representation, this is purposeful in order to present the artist and record label and very established and successful. The image is a wide shot to provide an attractive image of the artist. Rihanna looks angelic as she lays amongst the roses, this representation is very aspirational for the audience. The aspirational idea is commonly seen in pop music and the artists image as pop connotes glamour and the idealist lifestyle. Therefore this digipak conforms to expectations of the pop genre and looks very effective.

The font is very simplistic to match the elegance within the rest of the cover. The font is effective as it is not overpowering but has its rightful positioning on the cover.

The roses on the CD design, compliment the existing imagery and tie the digipak together.

Rhianna- LOUD

This poster advertises the album I have previously analysed. It continues the colour scheme that forms the digipak. This creates an effortlessly polished look on the advert along with the digipak. Like the CD cover, ‘Rihanna’ is positioned at the top of the poster. The main image on the poster is a close up, it conforms to the style of pop. It is very rosy colored and light, this bright vibe connotes a star as it is a very aspirational image. The motif of the rose is continued, she is holding it like a cigarette which adds abstract elements. The styling of the artist involves sunglasses and a fur coat/scarf, this contrast shows how a pop artist often is styled unusually in order to look different and cool.

The poster features the CD front cover, in order to effectively advertise it so the reader can identify the album. The banner reads, ‘new Album Out Now’, the font is very clear and simplistic to look polished. Then it reads, ‘Incl, “Love The Way You Lie”, by featuring this successful and well known song by Rihanna it creates recognisability. This is effective as it attracts Rihanna existing fans but also entices readers that know only the popular song.

The colours used are quite minimal, this is a trait found in the pop genre as it creates a very polished professional look which is desired in this genre. The poster has bright colours to conform to the bright and vibrant characteristics of the genre but is not overpowering and overly busy, it stays within the margin demonstrated in the digipak. The reoccurring red colours, in the hair, rose and banner allow the digipak to look very thoughtfully put together and discard the risk of it looking untidy and less than perfect.

Chris Brown - Back To SleepThe font size is fairly small, this creates a very minimal look but looks effective as the image is the most important feature of the digipak and therefore the font is not overpowering.

The background of the image is very dark, this is to contrast with the artist and make him stand out. The main image is a mid-shot. The positioning of the artist is done very specifically. The artist is standing and not making eye contact with the camera. This creates a very casual look, this is common in the pop genre as things are so planned and unnatural that the shot is often manipulated in order to create this idea of natural behavior. His hand is holding his jacket, this reinforces the cool representation. This position also makes his tattoo visible which is a characteristic that is trendy and attractive to many of his target audience.

The styling of Chris Brown is effective as it adds colour and pattern to the cover without looking over cluttered. He is wearing a bomber jacket which is very on trend, it looks expensive but remains casual. This conforms to the idea of the star image being aspirational. Chris Brown is young therefore his target market will want to recreate his style and be influenced by it. His glasses are likely to be merely for style purposes. They are trendy and a piece that can be copied.

The overall look of the digipak is quite simple, this looks effortless and cool instead of busy or dull which could be found in other genres. The photograph looks fitting on the cover, as other genres use animations and other techniques. This cover is similar to others I have seen in the genre, simple text and image, which implies its effectiveness in appealing to its target market.

Jessie J – Who You AreThe magazine poster for Jessie J’s ‘Who You Are’ is very striking and polished. The white background contrasts with the dark styling of the artist. Most of the magazine poster is an image of the album cover.

The font on the album cover looks very cool, the colour gold connotes wealth therefore looks aspirational, a common theme in the star image of pop music. The white font on the magazine poster contrasts with the black background therefore stands out which connotes the way this artist is established and successful.

Minimal colour schemes made up of around 3 colours are common in pop music. The colour scheme of this poster and digipak are glamorous as well as cool.

The positioning of the artist on this poster is effective and conforms to characteristics of the pop genre. The close up shows her direct eye contact with the camera and open mouth are very seductive.

The styling of the artist looks very distinct in the magazine poster and digipak. Therefore, I looked into the previous styling of Jessie J, I found that there is a direct link. Her dramatic lipstick is a motif, often associated with her. Her very sleek black hair is always styled to look shiny and polished. She also is styled with dramatic eye makeup, her image is very glam but not girly, she comes across as fierce and dominant.

Logos to advertise other brands involved.

Taylor Swift - RedThis digipak contains conventions that I have already identified in other pop genre digipaks. This confirms the characteristics that are important in the genre. For example, the main image is a close up of the artist.

The cover is not bright and overpowering. With subtle bright elements (red lips, ‘Red’) the cover is brought to life and looks polished and professional. The artists name is in an off white in order to allow it to stand out but to also make it merge in instead of being a bright consuming white. The name ‘Red’ effectively links with the font colours and her lipstick.

Again, looking into the theory of star image, Taylor Swift has a representation of ‘girl next door’, she has simple but attractive makeup and natural (appearing) blonde hair. This image is replicable which makes the artist relatable but still remain aspirational therefore creating an effective star image. Taylor is styled in no eye catching way, this makes her more approachable and make people want to buy her album.

Taylor Swift’s style is the way it looks on the album cover in her daily representation. An artist should maintain their representation or drastically change as the genre enjoys abstract and bright style. Taylor Swift retains her sweet put together style throughout her appearances.

Ellie Goulding - Lights

Similar to the Jessie J album magazine poster, Ellie Goulding’s album cover takes up the majority of the poster. The digipak is very glamourous. The bright sparkles connote magic and perfection. This makes the artist appear very flawless and angelic. The sparkles link to the album name ‘Lights’, this makes the poster and digipak feel very thoughtful and thorough.

The text also adds to the complete image of the album, the artists name gleams like it is something magnificent and enchanting. The font is very clear but not plain, it is the same as the font of the artists other albums. The text below the album cover reviews the album. This creates buzz about the album and is an effective advertising technique. The star rating mean people often won’t spend the time reading but will gain knowledge from a quick glance.

As shown in the images present, the theme of adding small balls of light and sparkles is a motif in Ellie Goulding's album covers. This embodies the artists representation of angelic and good, she sings pop songs but slightly slower than a lot of the music within the genre.

The Artists style is not bright or abstract. Her style is very casual and not particularly stand out, she continues this image on her album covers which I think is good because it makes her recognisable and doesn’t associate her with false image. She is styled with minimal make up and natural blonde hair. Like Taylor Swift, this makes her aspirational but her style is replicable therefore fans will like this style.