A digipak consists of a book-styled cardboard outer binding with one or more plastic trays for the CD, compared to a jewel CD case which is the original compact disc case that has been used since the compact disc was released in 1982. Digipak's are used for the special edition and contain higher quality images and meaning in them. To give it more of a personal feel they also usually contain a letter/note from the artist directly to the fans. Occasionally, a digipak will also contain bonus tracks unlike a CD which may not. Also the digipak has 6 slides, meaning there was a better opportunity for artwork, information or promotions. Making the digipak more appeal and attract more potential buyers. However, jewel CD cases also will often contain lyrics of the songs included, therefore people who buy it will be able to learn the songs, enabling them to relate to the artist and gain a deeper understanding for the lyrics. Although the jewel CD case has an actual plastic case, the inside part is paper, and although the case will help protect it to some extent, the paper is easily ripped when removed or put back into the plastic grips. On a digipak, all information is very easily accessible making it more appealing as it can be opened up and viewed at the same time. Whereas, with a jewel CD case most of the detail is solely on the front and back of the case, which can make it awkward having to flip between the two. However, it is more likely to grab the audiences attentions when buying it as they will be able to see most of what the CD will include. The digipak I have chosen to analyse is one by Gabrielle Aplin as she is very similar to my artist Birdy, she's from the same genre and the same gender which means they will have similar music. This will mean i will be able to see what my digipak should look like and take inspirations from this of what to include in my own. I could not use a digipak from Birdy because she is not a majorly well known artist she dose not have a digipak available to her audience.
In the digipak Gabrielle is represented as quite simplistic and innocent, she is represented like this through many elements of the digipak. Especially, the iconography used the top right photo shows Gabrielle holding a bunch of balloons in one hand. This shows her as innocent and quite child like as balloons are something that you would have as a child therefore have connotations of childhood and a child like innocence. This resembles her as being young and the bright colours of the balloons in contrast to the darker back ground imply she is a fresh new artist and still quite innocent compare to other artists who have gone through the negative side to fame with drugs etc. Which also represents her a a positive person, implying she is a bright person in something that can be a dark industry. The photo also shows her to be simplistic as the main focus is just her and the balloons, there is not much going on in the background, it is quite plain. This helps to focus the audiences attention to Gabrielle, as she is quite a new artist this is good as it will get the audience to look at her properly and see what she looks like.
The digipak has connotations of her music being quite old fashioned and slow, this is because there is not a lot happening on the digipak, it is very simple. This could be appealing other fans because obviously if they are buying her digipak they enjoy her music and the image of the digipak resembles her style of music. The black and white background helps to resemble this as old photos use to be in black and white, implying that her music will be of an old style and also that it will be quite personal. Also it connotes that she is in isolation and reflecting on life by showing a long shot of her standing in a field with the sky behind her, which is conventional of indie music as it is based mainly on past experiences. This could be intriguing for the audience as it could make them want to listen to her music to find out more about her experiences and life.
The colours used in the digipak are all very plain and pastel type colours, such as light pink and pastel blue. I think that Gabrielle used these types of colour in the digipak because they have connotations of peacefulness and calmness, this matches the image that she wants to give off as an artist which therefore helps the audience to build up a relationship with her.
The typography where it says "Gabrielle X" is in a hand writing style font, giving the impression to the audience that she has wrote it herself. This would be common in a digipak as the often include something like this to give it a more personal feel to the audience, therefore making them feel like it is directly from Gabrielle herself. This would appeal to the audience as it lets them know a bit more about the artist even if its just something minor like this, her handwriting style and how she would autograph something. As it is normally fans who buy digipak's, as they are normally more expensive then regular CD's, they would appreciate something like that even though it is a minor detail about Gabrielle.
In the layout of this digipak Gabrielle is not actually seen very clearly or often. There are only two long shots of her included in the pack. In one she is covered by an umbrella and the other the shot is quite far away therefore it is not very clear and you cannot see her very well. This implies to the audience that she is not very confident and just because she is famous she doesn't feel like she always needs to be the centre of attention. This would appeal to the target audience as they can most likely relate to feeling a bit unconfident at times, by relating to her like this it encourages them to link some of their own personal experiences to her and her music. Which could lead to them getting a better understanding of Gabrielle and how she wants to portray herself as an artist/the image she wants to give off to her fans. By making herself appear more like a 'real' person then a star it makes her more of a positive role model for her fans, this could therefore encourage fans to go and see her live in order to connect with her as more of a person then a star, as she makes it more personal for her fans by showing this side of her.
The digipak promote the music genre because it displays many conventions from the indie music genre. These include, the use of the umbrella to cover herself which portrays her as quite self-contious and nervous as she is trying to hide herself. And the fact that there are not any photos where you can clearly see Gabrielle because commonly in indie music video artists like to show that they are not very self indulged and want to focus more on the music, then being the centre of attention all the time. By having a lot of conventions of indie included in the digipak it makes it easy to recognise to the audience as from the indie genre. Therefore it means the consumers will be more likely to buy the digipak as it will stand out to them amongst other digipak's due to them recognising the conventions.
Also the digipak helps to promote the artist, as it allows the audience to see part of her personality, the layout, fonts and other features other the digipak help to make it feel more personal to the artist and therefore helps to promote her. A common feature in digipak's is to have a note or signature from the artist to give it a more personal touch, we see Gabrielle's name written in a hand writing styled font on one of the digipak slide. This makes the audience feel as if she has signed each copy personally, which helps to promote her as it shows she care about her fans and giving them a good experience with her.
From this research I have learnt that I need to make sure that my digipak has a personal feel to it and helps to represent the personality characteristics of my artist. I also need to make sure everything I use font, colours etc. have similar connotations to what I want my artist to be portray like because this will help the audience to build up an image of her, which will allow them to relate and build a relationship with her as an artist and an actual person.
The digipak has connotations of her music being quite old fashioned and slow, this is because there is not a lot happening on the digipak, it is very simple. This could be appealing other fans because obviously if they are buying her digipak they enjoy her music and the image of the digipak resembles her style of music. The black and white background helps to resemble this as old photos use to be in black and white, implying that her music will be of an old style and also that it will be quite personal. Also it connotes that she is in isolation and reflecting on life by showing a long shot of her standing in a field with the sky behind her, which is conventional of indie music as it is based mainly on past experiences. This could be intriguing for the audience as it could make them want to listen to her music to find out more about her experiences and life.
The colours used in the digipak are all very plain and pastel type colours, such as light pink and pastel blue. I think that Gabrielle used these types of colour in the digipak because they have connotations of peacefulness and calmness, this matches the image that she wants to give off as an artist which therefore helps the audience to build up a relationship with her.
The typography where it says "Gabrielle X" is in a hand writing style font, giving the impression to the audience that she has wrote it herself. This would be common in a digipak as the often include something like this to give it a more personal feel to the audience, therefore making them feel like it is directly from Gabrielle herself. This would appeal to the audience as it lets them know a bit more about the artist even if its just something minor like this, her handwriting style and how she would autograph something. As it is normally fans who buy digipak's, as they are normally more expensive then regular CD's, they would appreciate something like that even though it is a minor detail about Gabrielle.
In the layout of this digipak Gabrielle is not actually seen very clearly or often. There are only two long shots of her included in the pack. In one she is covered by an umbrella and the other the shot is quite far away therefore it is not very clear and you cannot see her very well. This implies to the audience that she is not very confident and just because she is famous she doesn't feel like she always needs to be the centre of attention. This would appeal to the target audience as they can most likely relate to feeling a bit unconfident at times, by relating to her like this it encourages them to link some of their own personal experiences to her and her music. Which could lead to them getting a better understanding of Gabrielle and how she wants to portray herself as an artist/the image she wants to give off to her fans. By making herself appear more like a 'real' person then a star it makes her more of a positive role model for her fans, this could therefore encourage fans to go and see her live in order to connect with her as more of a person then a star, as she makes it more personal for her fans by showing this side of her.
The digipak promote the music genre because it displays many conventions from the indie music genre. These include, the use of the umbrella to cover herself which portrays her as quite self-contious and nervous as she is trying to hide herself. And the fact that there are not any photos where you can clearly see Gabrielle because commonly in indie music video artists like to show that they are not very self indulged and want to focus more on the music, then being the centre of attention all the time. By having a lot of conventions of indie included in the digipak it makes it easy to recognise to the audience as from the indie genre. Therefore it means the consumers will be more likely to buy the digipak as it will stand out to them amongst other digipak's due to them recognising the conventions.
Also the digipak helps to promote the artist, as it allows the audience to see part of her personality, the layout, fonts and other features other the digipak help to make it feel more personal to the artist and therefore helps to promote her. A common feature in digipak's is to have a note or signature from the artist to give it a more personal touch, we see Gabrielle's name written in a hand writing styled font on one of the digipak slide. This makes the audience feel as if she has signed each copy personally, which helps to promote her as it shows she care about her fans and giving them a good experience with her.
From this research I have learnt that I need to make sure that my digipak has a personal feel to it and helps to represent the personality characteristics of my artist. I also need to make sure everything I use font, colours etc. have similar connotations to what I want my artist to be portray like because this will help the audience to build up an image of her, which will allow them to relate and build a relationship with her as an artist and an actual person.
This post demonstrates a proficient understanding of what a digipak is and the purpose it has. You have made a start in considering the codes and conventions of a digipak, by identifying the correct examples, however, you need to be more specific about the colours and indie conventions that are evident.
ReplyDeleteAim-
1) Elaborate on the points that you have included on colours and consider the connotations further
2) Ensure that you have considered the codes and conventions of indie music in more detail
3) Elaborate on the points that you have included in your summary, by exploring your ideas and inspirations in more detail throughout.