Planning digipak analysis

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.
Prior to creating my own digipak I analysed one from Gabrielle Aplin who is also an indie music artist. From this I saw how her digipak represented her, this was as quite timid and simplistic due to not showing music of herself on the covers of the digipak. Also I was inspired by the naturel colours that she used within the digipak as I think it further helped to represent her.
I am going to be creating a digipak for my artist Sharna Rae to promote her new album Illuminate. It is important for me to plan my digipak because I need to ensure that I effectively use my inspirations that I took from Gabrielle's. Also that I include all of the conventions needed in an indie digipak. Furthermore I need to make sure that I correctly represent my artist and her style of music. By planning it, it will save me lots of time when it comes to actually creating it, as I will already have a good idea of what it should look like.

In my digipak the colours that I have chosen to use are mainly pastel or neutral colours, these help to represent different things about the artist. I have used a pastel red for the writing of the song list and her personal message to her fans. The colour red has connotations of being fierce and confident as it is quite a daring colour. Therefore by putting these parts in red when she is talking about her songs shows that her music makes her feel more confident and this could imply that she uses her music to help express herself to her audience. I think by showing that she is quite fiery when discussing her music it shows to her audience that she has faith in her music, which would make them feel joyful for her as it shows her passion. Another colour that I used in my digipak is a nude/yellow colour. This I used for Sharna Rae's dress in both photos and for the wings on the CD. This colours connotes her personality as being sympathetic, kind, fair and also as the background is quite dark/dull in most of the pictures is shows her to be 'sunshine on a cloudy day'. I think representing her like this is important because It will make her audience feel more comfortable with her and make her seem to be more of an approachable person. Another colour that I have used is a pastel blue to write her name and the album name, this colour has connotations of the sky and openness. Which helps to represent her as a very open person and shows she is accepting of everybody, this could make the audience feel more comfortable with her as they would not feel like they would be judge if they met her. By using different colours to show different aspects of my artists personality it helps the audience to feel as if they know her on  more personal level which will help them to find her songs more relatable able and understand them better.

I have incorporated indie conventions into my digipak. The first convention that I have used is the setting, this is where I took my photos for my digipak. The artist is situated in a big open field and all you can see around her is the grass and sky. This helps to represent her as vulnerable and isolated, which further helps to represent her music, as indie artist song are normally about  issues that the artist has had and had to face. Which could imply to the audience that she does not normally share her issues with people around her when she is facing them, this could make the audience feel quite privileged that she is sharing her story/difficulties with them. Another convention that I have used in my digipak is the positioning of my artist. Sharna is just off centre in all of the photos, this shows her to be selfless and considerate of others. Even though it is her digipak for her music she is not wanting to be the centre of attention. This is conventional of indie artists as they care more about promoting their actually music then promoting themselves as a product. This is further supported as her song list in central in the  page. Highlight her focus on the music. By showing herself like this it could make her more respected by the audience as they don't feel as if the artist is trying to be sold to them as a product and they can focus on enjoying the actual music.

In my images that I have used Sharna is not looking as the camera in any of them. I have a long shot showing her from the side sitting on the floor looking straight ahead of her, this is my front cover. Also I have another long shot for one of my images showing her facing away from the camera. Another shot I have included for my second image is a close up of her face, (which is highly conventional of the indie genre) but she is looking away from the camera. All of these have the low budget setting of a field, as this is a public place it will not cost anything to shoot here. And indie music videos are normally low cost, giving it a sense of realism to the audience. By using these images that I have chosen I think it helps to represent my artist as sensitive and vulnerable. This can link to the theme of her songs, indie music is generally based on real life experiences that the artist has been through, therefore it could be a sensitive issue for her. Which could result in her feeling vulnerable singing about it. However, it also shows her as independent as she is happy to stand alone and let her audience know about some of her most negative experiences. Resembling her a brave, and by showing her various personality attributes it helps the audience to feel as if they know her better. Therefore, when listening to her music it will help to create a sense of realism and help the audience to understand her music better. Another image that I have used is of a pair of 'angel' wings on the CD itself. I have used them here as I think it shows that her music helps her to express herself and show her true self to her audience. The wings her connotations of freeness and flying away. This represents Sharna as forgetting about her issues and showing herself through her music. It is conventional for indie music artists to feel more comfortable and confident expressing themselves through their music.

I have decided to have Sharna Rae's name in a large handing writing style font on the front cover. I have chosen this as I feel it makes it more personal to the audience, it is as if Sharna Rae has written it herself. Also I want it to be quite large because she is a relatively new artist and I want her name to stand out to her audience to encourage them to buy her digipak. Again this personal touch is another way that the audience feel they are building up their relationship with Sharna, and getting to know her better. Underneath this I will have the album name illuminate in large writing but I will be slightly smaller than the artist name. This is still really important information for the audience, therefore still has to be large enough for them to notice it. I have not got lots of writing on the front cover because I wanted to keep it looking professional and not cluttered with irrelevant information.
The only other writing that I have include in my digipak is my artists personal message to fans. This is going to be in a hand writing style font and will be signed off by Sharna at the bottom. This will make the digipak feel really personal to the audience and will again help them to build up their relationship with Sharna as it reveals to them how she speaks and writes. I didn't make her personal message very long as I wanted it to be something that stuck in my audiences head and they could remember. In this personal message I used words like "you" as this direct address makes the audience feel as if they are specifically being involved and the message is directly to them. Another personal touch in this personal message is Sharna signing it off at the bottom as this looks like she has signed it personally herself. All of these personal touches help the audience to build up their relationship with our artist and that helps them to gain a better understanding of her songs and lyrics.

It was extremely useful to plan my digipak prior to taking the photo's ready for Photoshop because it gave me an exact idea of what I want my photos to look like. Therefore when we take the photo's it will save lots of time because I will already now how I want my artist to pose and what I need her to look like.