Digipak - Research

Having started the research and production part of our music video, we are now trying to produce some ideas about how we want our digipak to look. We have already decided that we want our artist to have a girly, quirky style, however we are aware that there are already artists out there that dress and come across in this way, which is why we went to HMV to research and see a range of digipaks for ourselves in order to gain some inspiration. Once we were there, we realised that the digipaks were security protected and covered in plastic so we could only see the front/back cover. Shown below are some of the examples we liked we best and what I thought of them.

This CD cover was interesting to be because of the simplicity within it and how the image at the front is the same as the one at the back but is in a pencil drawing. The simple black and white image shown with a layer showing the faces of the artists or model again is effective and is interesting because they obviously can't be in two places at once. The editing has been done well, and shows how much you can do with one simple image. The pencil drawing is unique and the almost expressionless faces are focused on, which puts more emphasis on the artist. Although this cover doesn't reflect what Sarah & I want to do with our digipak, we liked it and thought we could take the idea of simplicity and intrigue within our concept to make the cover stand out like this one did to us. 

One thing we didn't like however, was the way the name of the band and the songs were written in such a small font. The pictures wasn't eye-catching or distinct enough to make the artist recognisable straight away and this, with the combination of the small black and white font, although interesting to look out, will not be effective or suitable for a promotional video or digipak.

This cover includes most of the elements we were thinking of including within ours e.g. quirkiness, pastel colours and a focus on one female artist. We found this cover interesting to look at in regards to the bold, capitalised font which made her name stand out and recognisable against a picture of her. The picture of the artist itself however, makes her look slightly bored and doesn't suit her outfit or background which suggests that she has a wild, messy character. I don't believe that it is a suitable image for a cover, however, her outfit and her distinguishable ginger hair makes her look different from other artists and made us pick this cover up in particular. 

The back cover is simple to read and uses colours that contrast well with each other, however it is plain and I believe it would look better with the chair in the corner being shown more. 

This front cover uses bold colours, a striking close up shot and an interesting font to make it stand out on a shelf and make the artist easily recognisable to a customer or fan looking for the CD. The use of red behind her white skin and blonde hair make her features stand out. In addition to this, the way the picture is taken with Robyn looking straight into the camera makes it more bold and confident, which is how the artist comes across in her music. This creates a link between the artist and the cover and suits her genre of music. Sarah and I will also try to do this by using pastel colours and costumes similar to those used in the music video and within the genre of indie/pop. As well as this, we will be using dominantly pink against our artists black hair to create a similar contrast in order to make her face stand out.

The font used to write the artists name is unique to her and not often seen on other album covers. We found that out of all of the covers we came across whilst at HMV, this one was the best suited to the artist and personalised to her style of singing as well as her personality. 



This cover stood out to us within the indie genre as it was simple and slightly weird, thus making it stand out to us. It shows a picture of part of a tree and another of a girls hair, which seem completely random to us. The randomness works however, and along with the use of black of white, it makes the case look class and unique. This idea can be used within one of the inside panels of our digipak rather than the front/back cover as it doesn't endorse the artist or show the face of our artist. Sarah and I could possibly use pictures of stereotypically 'girly' items such as pillows and make-up or a puppy etc. to include more examples of the conventions of a pop/indie music video. 

The bland, white background contrasts well with the images and we may also use a white background to create the same effect. In addition to this, the extremely small font can be used to quote a specific lyric from the song and personalise the panel slightly by including text.

This CD cover wasn't one of our personal favourites, however the name 'whitesnake' and the daring picture of a woman's chest and back with a snake draped across it correlate well with each other and create and eerie, dark effect. The artist is only seen from her mouth downwards which wouldn't be effective when promoting the artist, however it still works well with the black background and overall dark theme. When looking at the song titles, I found that the songs were rather negative and explicit, therefore the cover went well with the songs. Sarah and I could take the idea of being conventional but twisting the idea within our own digipak. In addition to this, the simple idea of using a snake, although obvious, still works which shows that simplicity isn't a bad thing. 

This extremely colourful cover is interesting to look at and includes all things summery and natural, whilst also including the faces of the artists in an interesting way. I like the cut out or zoomed in effect as well as the colours used and this idea can be used on one of our panels. The use of flowers is effective and Sarah and I have decided to use flowers within our work too, in order to fit with the convention of pop and also as a prop to use in the background of our video/images to make them generally more aesthetically pleasing to our target audience.

Both the front and back cover of this CD cover were articulated very well and come across as natural and simple. The way the camera is angled, as if as a P.O.V shot peering at someone outside is extremely effective and almost vulnerable, along with the use of black and white. The back, which shows what looks like a hand-drawn image of a mans hands, indicates thinking and maybe nostalgia.



The front cover of this CD, which uses a range of images in small square boxes, can be used as inspiration for back cover or one of the panels for our digipak. Although it looks slightly 'busy', if Sarah and I use simple imagery with pastel colours, we can make it look quirky and girly instead. For example, if we put an item of make-up or a phone or even our Artist pulling a range of faces, we can make the cover look natural whilst promoting the artist at the same time.

The contrast of the black and white imagery with the brightly coloured flowers on top/around it makes this front cover automatically different to a lot of the covers we have come across so far. The flowers are almost 3D as they are intentionally not a part of the background image, which makes it look natural. In addition to this, the newspaper cutout font when writing 'The Cribs' adds to the vintage feel of the cover and go well with the genre of music.

This artists CD cover was one of my personal favourites and is one of the main inspirations for my own ideas. A close up if the artists face against the bright pink background fits into the genre of music. The slightly animated editing done to the picture of the artist make her eyes stand out and make her look playful. The pose itself is different and not very glamourous which will go with the idea of our artist being young and carefree.

The back cover is also effective as it shows a whole range of chains and necklaces hanging off the artists arm which fits in with the idea of 'girliness' and 'glamour', however it has a different take on it with the use of a black background, especially with the use of the black half glove item she's wearing which is slightly retro and represents 'street style'.

These are some other good examples of CD covers we found and liked elements of: